My Interpretation Of Week 16 In The NFL

This week was so important that instead of going through each game, I'm only going to write about the games that are meaningful in some way. There's great debate over which teams played hard and which teams didn't because they either locked up a seed in the playoffs and don't want to hurt their starters or they have nothing to play for anymore.

New York Giants 38 beat Buffalo 21 - This win was incredibly important for the Giants. If they would have lost, they would have lost to the Patriots next week and their chances of making a Wild Card would have been very slim. However, because of this win, they clinched the fifth seed. Neither rain, sleet nor snow -- and not even Bills tight end Kevin Everett's inspirational return to Buffalo -- could prevent the New York Giants from clinching a playoff berth Sunday. A rediscovered running attack and an opportunistic defense carried the Giants past the Bills and the elements in a 38-21 win. I notivced how the Giants, at least for this important game, didn't put their trust in Eli Manning, who only threw for 15 passes and 2 interceptions. He was terrible again. He can't play in cold weather. If the Giants are going to advance in the playoffs, they need to do it through the ground game, which was amazing today. Now, will the Giants play lights out football against the Patriots to try to be the only team to stop them in their final week or will they rest? They should play their hardest and consider next week a trial run for the playoffs.

Chicago 35 beat Green Bay 7 - This was totally unexpected and surprising. The three-time MVP, Brett Favre, was at his worst, and now, Green Bay can forget about the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Brian Urlacher returned an interception for a touchdown for the first time in his career, Adrian Peterson ran for 102 yards, and the Chicago Bears beat the Packers 35-7 on a frigid Sunday afternoon. The loss wiped out the Packers' shot at home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Packers needed to win this game, beat Detroit next week and have Dallas lose to Washington to capture the No. 1 seed. Instead, it goes to the Cowboys, with Green Bay locked in at No. 2. Here's what Favre had to say: "I've been playing 17 years, and that was the worst condition I've ever played in." THATS A TERRIBLE Excuse. He's been playing in one of those harshest weather-conditioned stadiums of all time. He should be used to poor weather.

Cincinnati 19 beat Cleveland 14 - Again, this was a shocker to me. What happened to the amazing Browns offense? Anderson threw four interceptions Sunday, two of them setting up rapid-fire touchdowns in a 19-14 victory by the Cincinnati Bengals that left the upstart Browns scrambling for a playoff spot instead of celebrating one. The bottom line is that if the Titans pull off a win against the Colts, who will probably rest their starters most of the game, then the Browns are out regardless if they win.

Indianapolis 38 beat Houston 15 - This was a breeze as the Colts scored 38 unanswered points. Peyton Manning looked sharp, Indy's running game was efficient, the defense forced three turnovers and there was no letdown Sunday in what's likely to be the Colts final postseason tuneup. They are ready for the playoffs, with or without Marvin Harrison. What's wrong with that guy's knee anyway? Is it decapitated or something?

San Fransisco 21 beat Tampa Bay 19 - The only reason why I mention this game is because Tampa Bay is an example of a team who already clinched and could care less if they lose to a less than par team like the 49ers. By resting most of its playmakers, Tampa Bay also got everything it wanted out of a game that only held real meaning for Bryant Young, the 49ers' stalwart defensive tackle.

Tennessee 10 beat New York Jets 6 - The Tennessee Titans have a chance to win their way into their first playoff berth since 2003, thanks to help from Cincinnati. Pro Bowler Kyle Vanden Bosch had three of Tennessee's six sacks and Chris Brown ran for a touchdown as the Titans beat the New York Jets 10-6 on Sunday for their third victory in four games and their first winning season since 2003. The Titans (9-6) knew the Bengals defeated the Cleveland Browns 19-14, giving them the edge in tiebreakers if tied at 10-6 for the AFC's final wild-card berth once the regular season ends. It gave them a boost, but they still had to beat the Jets (3-12), which they did. Now, if they beat the Colts next week, they are automatically in. Now, if I was the Colts I would be asking myself whether I would let the Titans win or have the Browns in the playoffs. Since the Colts own the Titans and beat them all the time, I'd let them win and beat them in the playoffs.

New England 28 beat Miami 7 - Bill Belichick and the Patriots are complete liars when they say they don't care about the records. You know they want to break every record they can. They already have 3 Super Bowl wins, so now they want the records too.

Washington 32 beat Minnesota 21 - Playing the kind of hard-nosed, harder-hitting defense that fallen teammate Sean Taylor was famous for, the Washington Redskins shut down Adrian Peterson and set up two early touchdowns with interceptions to take control of their playoff fate with a 32-21 victory over the sloppy Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night. Peterson had nowhere to go all night, gaining just 27 yards on nine carries. Tarvaris Jackson's rebound from a disastrous start came too little, too late for the Vikings (8-7), who could have clinched a playoff berth with a win. The Vikings don't impressive me anymore and they are simple to beat. If you shut down the running game, which hasn't been so hard lately, they have nothing else going for them. Now, if Minnesota and Washington lose next week, and the Saints win next week, the Saints are automatically in. Right now, the Vikings and Redskins are tied for the last seed.

Dallas 20 beat Carolina 13 - Its official now. The Cowboys are statistically the #1 team in the NFC.

My Predictions For Week 16 Of The NFL

Thursday

Pittsburgh At St. Louis - This is a very big game for the Steelers, who have the Browns breathing down their necks in the AFC North. Jacksonville pushed the Steelers around Heinz Field on Sunday. If not for Ben Roethlisberger's heroics, the game would not have gone down to the wire. While St. Louis isn't nearly as big and physical as the Jaguars, Pittsburgh will be on the road with little preparation or healing time for Thursday night's contest. Despite these facts, I still like the Steelers to pull out a victory in this one. Look for the league leading rusher Willie Parker to have a good game.

Saturday

Dallas At Carolina - I seriously doubt Jessica Simpson's global positioning on this Earth had any kind of gravitational effect on Tony Romo's poor performance last week. That's one of the greatest excuses I've heard though. The Cowboys need to rebound after a terrible outing against the Eagles last week. They need to win in order to hold onto home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Carolina was impressive last week, but can they make it two weeks in a row? I think not.

Sunday

New York Giants At Buffalo - Is anyone aware that the Giants may not make the playoffs. They play the Patriots next week (thats an automatic loss), so if they don't win this week and the teams behind the Giants win their last 2 games, then the Giants are out. Buffalo is scratching for a Wild Card with the Browns and Titans. This has the makings of a very good inter-state game and I like the Bills to upset the Giants.

Green Bay At Chicago - With the Cowboys stumbling a week ago, the Packers are breathing down their neck to position themselves for the No. 1 playoff spot. After last week's disappointing loss for the Bears, they have nothing to play for. Just give the win to the Packs.

Cleveland At Cincinnati - The Bengals were utterly unimpressive in their Saturday night loss in San Francisco, but now they get an extra day to prepare for this home game. In a crucial game for the AFC wild-card picture, Cleveland defeated the Bills last week in nasty Cleveland weather. Cincinnati was officially eliminated from the postseason after Week 14, making this season a major disappointment. The Browns have stayed remarkably healthy and are battling Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North. While the Browns have put together a very impressive season, they are just 3-4 on the road. In Week 2, these teams combined for a whopping 96 points and 1,085 offensive yards in a narrow Cleveland victory. Look for Cleveland to win again.

Kansas City At Detroit - I must stick with my theme (despite all stats and facts) and pick the Chiefs just because Kitna promised 10 wins. This loss will make loss #9....with 1 more week to go.

Houston At Indianapolis - The Texans are coming off two impressive wins and still have a mathematical chance to make the postseason. They would like to finish the season out with a four game winning streak, which would give them their best record since the franchise started. The Colts have wrapped up a bye for the first week of the playoffs and home field advantage until they possibly meet the Patriots for the AFC championship. This is actually tough to pick. Immediately I would choose the Colts to win, but unlike a team like the Patriots, the Colts are actually respectful and would bench their starters this late in the season if they got out to a big lead. Even still, Sorgi is a great player and I like the Colts regardless of who's playing.

Philadelphia At New Orleans - These two teams met in the playoffs last season and the Saints won to advance to the NFC championship game. Right now the Saints are just trying to fight for their playoff lives and the Eagles were eliminated once the Vikings won on Monday night. New Orleans QB Drew Brees to WR Marques Colston has been one of the most lethal combinations in the NFL over the second half of the season, but I like the Eagles secondary to shut them down and get the win.

Atlanta At Arizona - There aren't many easy wins in the NFL, but the hard-luck Falcons might be one. Atlanta is beyond struggling right now and it's to a point where it is just trying to find any and all competitiveness left to finish the season strong. Even though the shots of the Cardinals making the playoffs are next to none, they will still get this win because they would like to finish on a good note.

Oakland At Jacksonville - Based on the way Oakland has been playing and based on the way the Jags have been playing (one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now), its a no brainer to pick the Jags.

Tampa Bay At San Fransisco - The Buccaneers have clinched a divisional title but are hoping to fine tune their offense as QB Jeff Garcia returned last weekend after missing two games with a back injury. This is also a return to the city where he led the 49ers from 2000 through 2003 and went to the Pro Bowl three times. I think this is a game where the Bucs, having already clinched, will fall asleep and let the 49ers win.

New York Jets At Tennessee - The Titans must win in order to stay in the playoff hunt, while the Jets are looking to build on a strong outing against the Patriots. Under head coach Eric Mangini the Jets have played their best football in the second half of the season, while Titans head coach Jeff Fisher continues to have his players playing at a high level. Expect the Titans to come out pounding the ball against a Jets run defense that has struggled all season. The Titans should win this and Vince Young should be entertaining as the Jets try to contain him.

Baltimore At Seattle - The Ravens have lost seven games in a row. They are beat up on the defensive side of the ball especially at the CB position where they may once again be without starters Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. How will they deal with Seattle's passing attack this week after giving up 315 passing yards last week to Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon? The Seahawks are coming off an extremely ugly road loss last week and this is the week they bounce back at home.

Miami At New England - Wouldn't it be so ironic if the only team to go undefeated stops the Patriots from doing so and preserving their record. If the winter conditions in the Northeast continue through the weekend, it could make the passing game take a back seat to the ground game, which would serve as an equalizer to an underdog, especially since the Patriots lack a running game. I will pick the Patriots to win, but I will be cheering on Miami to perform the biggest upset in decades.

Washington At Minnesota - The Vikings and the Redskins are both still in the hunt for the last Wild Card playoff spot in the NFC. Peterson and Taylor are running behind the best offensive line in football right now. Despite how poorly the Vikings have been playing (I wrote an article about this), I still like them over the Redskins.

Denver At San Diego - Forget the records these teams bring into the final Monday night game of the season, because this is an intense divisional rivlary no matter what and both teams are sure to play hard on this stage. Expected this game too be heated and close, but expect LT and the Chargers to pull out a win. San Diego is a very dangerous team heading into the playoffs with a dominating running game behind LaDainian Tomlinson and a defense that is attacking offenses much more in recent weeks.