In
their annual Thanksgiving Day game the Cowboys survived to defeat a feisty Raiders
team that came prepared to play. Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray rushed for
3 touchdowns in the 31-24 victory over Oakland and keep their lead over the
Eagles in the NFC East. Even though the Eagles matched with a win over the
Cardinals, Dallas holds the edge over Philadelphia in the head-to-head tie
breaker. The Cowboys play their first game in 11 days on Monday night in
Chicago. 4 games are left: at Chicago, Green Bay, at Washington, and home
finale against the Eagles. This thing could go to as high as 11-5 or as low as
7-9.
The
Ravens defeated the Steelers and earned a split in the season series. If the
teams are tied at the end of the season it will go to divisional record, then
common games (games against the AFC North, AFC East, and NFC North), then
conference record, and then some other tie breaker involving points and
touchdowns, and then eventually a coin flip. There was some controversy in
this game where Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stepped onto the field of play
during Jacoby Jones' kick return.
I'm
surprised the refs did not flag him right there. I can expect the league to
start enforcing the rule of coaches not staying on the sideline during the
game.
The
NFL avoided its 2nd tie of the season with the Vikings winning in overtime over
the Bears 23-20. Another overtime game happened in Toronto between the Bills
and Falcons. Atlanta, which was the first team eliminated from playoff
contention, left Canada with a win.
The
Texans showed they still have some fight left in them, but it was not enough to
snap their now 10 game losing streak. Hard to believe this team was picked to
win the Super Bowl in some circles. Shoot some folks picked them to end up in
the AFC Championship Game...
The
game of the week was in Kansas City. Peyton Manning threw for 5 touchdowns, 4
of them were thrown to receiver Eric Decker. The Chiefs were able to close the
gap, but the Broncos left Arrowhead with a 35-28 win.
Denver
now has the inside edge to the AFC West and possibly the #1 seed. If Denver
keeps winning or New England loses a game, the road through the AFC will go
through the Mile High City.
Have
I mentioned that I have family that lives in Denver? A relative of mine married
a Broncos fan who I bet is very pleased with their performance.
Last
week I observed that the Giants at Redskins was essentially an elimination
game. The Giants were able to leave DC with a victory and eliminate Washington
from playoff contention.
Seattle
is proving to be a place no will want to play at. When will I learn? This is
the second time this season that I picked the Seahawks to loss at home. I
picked the 49ers to beat the Seahawks back in Week 2. Big mistake. I thought
maybe the Saints could do it.
Yup.
Wrong again.
Seattle
quarterback Russell Wilson is now 14-0 at home and won eight straight home
Monday Night games. And before I get letters from Packers fans about the FailMary, you can send them to this address:
The
current playoff picture is this: Seattle is first team in. Other teams that
could join them: Carolina, Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New England, and
New Orleans.
Teams
eliminated: Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Washington
The
Texans and Jaguars are (surprisingly) still in the playoff race. To make the
playoffs both teams would need to win out, plus have other teams ahead of them
lose out. Essentially this game could determine who ends up with the top pick
in the 2014 NFL Draft. If this game is not to your liking, here is some alternative
programming options:
2.
The Devil's Portal Fox
3.
Documentary on Rommel on The Dumont
4.
Daily Show/Colbert
5.
MAC
Championship Game between Northern Illinois and Bowling Green. If Northern
Illinois wins, they will most likely go to a BCS Bowl Game.
Starting
with the Sunday games, the Chiefs can snap their losing streak with a win
against the Redskins. Combined with either a Ravens or Dolphins loss, Kansas
City is in the playoffs. The Broncos are in the same scenario as the Chiefs:
win plus other teams losing and they are in the playoffs. The Ravens can keep
their defense of their Super Bowl title (and delay other teams schadenfreude) with a
home win over the Vikings.
The
Colts can clinch the AFC North and end the Texans brief 2-year reign over the
division with a win at Cincinnati or wait until later in the day for the Titans
to lose to the Broncos. I think the Colts want to take care of business on
their own.
Seattle
can win the NFC West and earn a first-round bye with a win at San Francisco. A
first-round bye will pretty much solidify their chances of ending up in the NFC
Championship Game. Seattle has proven to be a tough place to play.
For
the second week in a row, the Giants are in another elimination game. This time
against the Chargers whose playoff aspirations are looking very less likely.
This
is one of the reasons why I am glad the NFL TV deal allows to flex in a better
game for Sunday Night. The original game was Falcons at Packers, a good matchup
at historic Lambeau Field between two pro bowl quarterbacks when the schedule
was released back in April. Now with the season in full swing.... not so much
anymore. It appears that the Falcons luck in close games ran out in this season
and they were the first team eliminated from playoff contention. As for the
Packers, they looked like a dark horse to represent the NFC. Quarterback Aaron
Rodgers had a shoulder injury at the start of November against the Bears and
since then the Packers have posted a 0-4-1 record.
Since
starting 1-3, Carolina has reeled off 8 straight to put themselves in the thick
of the NFC Wild Card race and look poised to overtake the Saints for the NFC
South lead. New Orleans looks to rebound from the beating they took in the
PACNORWEST last Monday night.
Monday
Night is the Cowboys at Bears. There is also another NFC East vs. NFC North
matchup that has playoff implications: Lions at Eagles in the Sunday slate.
Both these games will play a role in who wins the NFC East and NFC North. The
Eagles are trying to keep pace with the Cowboys while the Bears are trying to
keep up with the Lions.
We
all did better, but Ms. Roberts and Mr. Blake did better. Still trail the front
runner by 3 games, but time might not be on my side. I might still be able to
catch him, but with four weeks remaining those chances might be fading.
Me
|
Monica
|
Eli
|
|
Week
13
|
10-6
|
11-5
|
11-5
|
OVERALL
|
118-73-1
|
107-84-1
|
121-70-1
|
Picks
are in BOLD
Times
are Central Time Zone
Games
airing in DFW are noted by (DFW)
THURSDAY NIGHT
Texans at Jaguars
FOX NOON
Lions at Eagles (DFW)
Falcons
at Packers
Vikings
at Ravens
CBS NOON
Chiefs at Redskins (DFW)
Colts
at Bengals
Browns
at Patriots
Raiders at Jets
Dolphins
at Steelers
Bills
at Buccaneers
FOX 3PM
Seahawks at 49ers (DFW)
Rams
at Cardinals
Giants
at Chargers
CBS 3PM
Titans
at Broncos
SUNDAY NIGHT
Panthers
at Saints
MONDAY NIGHT
Cowboys at Bears
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