Sunday December 8th, 1:00 p.m
Detroit Lions (7-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (7-5)
The Lions won on Thanksgiving Day so they will have a few extra days rest for this game. This is good in most ways but I worry about the momentum they've built. They should be all right though. The combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson has been magnificent this year. Johnson leads all WRs with 1,198 total yards going into Sunday. The Lions defense allowed just 10 points on Thanksgiving Day If they can get that type of effort against the Eagles, it will give them the edge.
Philadelphia, after their bye week, took care of the Cardinals, avoiding a fourth quarter comeback in the process. They led the game 24-7 before Arizona scored twice in the fourth quarter but the Eagles held on for the win. The 21 points were the most scored against them since week five when they beat the Giants 36-21. I believe Foles is the next elite QB in the league and the Eagles are no a Super Bowl contender with him. The Eagles are just 2-4 at home while Detroit is 3-3 on the road. So home field advantage won't mean much in this game. The Eagles are riding a four game winning streak into Sunday. If the Lions, who have been up and down all year can't slow the Philly offense, they will be in trouble. Both teams have a high powered offense. Be up to whichever defense can get stops and the defense that has played best of late is the Eagles. I think they will get it done and extend their streak to five games.
My Final: Phi: 27 Det: 20
Miami Dolphins (6-6) Pittsburg Steelers (5-7)
Despite all the distractions and off field issues, the Dolphins have put themselves into position to grab the second wild card spot. They are currently tied with the defending Super Bowl champs, the Baltimore Ravens. The Miami defense has played sensational to this point. Since their bye week seven weeks ago, they've held opponents to an average of 18.7 points a game. In actuality their record could be 9-3. They had early leads against Carolina and New England before late comebacks that led to two losses. And they even led TB with ten minutes to go in the fourth before losing on Monday night last month. If the Dolphins can get their running game going along with Tannehill spreading the ball around like he's been doing, they might be a force to reckon with the in wild card race. But their defense has to continue to play tough. And Ryan Tannehill has to protect the ball.
The Steelers lost a heartbreaker on Thanksgiving night to their rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. What might be worse than the loss is the loss of Leveon Bell, who took a shot and was knocked unconscious in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Bell has been the backbone to the Steelers running game. Without him, I believe the Steelers will struggle to move the ball.. They will be hurting without Bell in a game like this Sunday against the strong defense of Miami. QB Ben Rothlisberger will be left to throw the ball against a defense that allows a 75.8 passer rate against. Whichever team can establish the run will come out on top. With playoff implications on the line, it should be a hard fought game. I like the Dolphins to squeeze out a close one.
My Final: Mia 21 Pit 16
Indianapolis Colts (8-4_ @ Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)
Both of the teams come in leading their division. Both teams have had their ups and downs throughout the year. The Colts have knocked off Super Bowl favorites but have lost to cellar dwellers the next week. Andy Dalton and the Bengals have looked elite in some games, then hopeless in others. The Bengals have won two in a row and are at home so they are the favorite.
Detroit Lions (7-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (7-5)
The Lions won on Thanksgiving Day so they will have a few extra days rest for this game. This is good in most ways but I worry about the momentum they've built. They should be all right though. The combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson has been magnificent this year. Johnson leads all WRs with 1,198 total yards going into Sunday. The Lions defense allowed just 10 points on Thanksgiving Day If they can get that type of effort against the Eagles, it will give them the edge.
Philadelphia, after their bye week, took care of the Cardinals, avoiding a fourth quarter comeback in the process. They led the game 24-7 before Arizona scored twice in the fourth quarter but the Eagles held on for the win. The 21 points were the most scored against them since week five when they beat the Giants 36-21. I believe Foles is the next elite QB in the league and the Eagles are no a Super Bowl contender with him. The Eagles are just 2-4 at home while Detroit is 3-3 on the road. So home field advantage won't mean much in this game. The Eagles are riding a four game winning streak into Sunday. If the Lions, who have been up and down all year can't slow the Philly offense, they will be in trouble. Both teams have a high powered offense. Be up to whichever defense can get stops and the defense that has played best of late is the Eagles. I think they will get it done and extend their streak to five games.
My Final: Phi: 27 Det: 20
Miami Dolphins (6-6) Pittsburg Steelers (5-7)
Despite all the distractions and off field issues, the Dolphins have put themselves into position to grab the second wild card spot. They are currently tied with the defending Super Bowl champs, the Baltimore Ravens. The Miami defense has played sensational to this point. Since their bye week seven weeks ago, they've held opponents to an average of 18.7 points a game. In actuality their record could be 9-3. They had early leads against Carolina and New England before late comebacks that led to two losses. And they even led TB with ten minutes to go in the fourth before losing on Monday night last month. If the Dolphins can get their running game going along with Tannehill spreading the ball around like he's been doing, they might be a force to reckon with the in wild card race. But their defense has to continue to play tough. And Ryan Tannehill has to protect the ball.
The Steelers lost a heartbreaker on Thanksgiving night to their rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. What might be worse than the loss is the loss of Leveon Bell, who took a shot and was knocked unconscious in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Bell has been the backbone to the Steelers running game. Without him, I believe the Steelers will struggle to move the ball.. They will be hurting without Bell in a game like this Sunday against the strong defense of Miami. QB Ben Rothlisberger will be left to throw the ball against a defense that allows a 75.8 passer rate against. Whichever team can establish the run will come out on top. With playoff implications on the line, it should be a hard fought game. I like the Dolphins to squeeze out a close one.
My Final: Mia 21 Pit 16
Indianapolis Colts (8-4_ @ Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)
Both of the teams come in leading their division. Both teams have had their ups and downs throughout the year. The Colts have knocked off Super Bowl favorites but have lost to cellar dwellers the next week. Andy Dalton and the Bengals have looked elite in some games, then hopeless in others. The Bengals have won two in a row and are at home so they are the favorite.
The Colts don't have a running back that has at least 500 rushing yards. They lost veteran Reggie Wayne and have struggled on offense ever since. The defense allows a passer rating against of 92.4. They will give Andy Dalton many opportunities to perform like an elite QB again. The Bengals are more balanced, have a better defense and have more weapons on offense. The Colts are bad on defense and won't be able to keep up with the Bengals offense. Cincinnati wins at home.
My final: CIN 34 IND 27
Cleveland Browns (4-8) @ New England Patriots (9-3)
The Browns have lost three in a row since their bye week and might have hit rock bottom last week when they lost to the Jaguars. QB Brandon Weeden is now 0-5 as a starter in 2013. He put up big numbers thanks to WR Josh Gordon, the second year receiver out of Baylor, racked up over 200 yards for the second week in a row. That is an NFL record. He continues to be one of the only bright spots on this offense. The defense has done well. They continue to be one of the best in the league and are really going to be something special in the near future. The Browns have nothing more to play for this season except draft position. They won a close one against 2-10 Texan team, but the Texans and Pats teams always play good games against each other. Tom Brady threw for over 300 yards in consecutive games for the first time all season. The NE offense is starting to look like the old NE offense. If Ridley and Blount can team up against the Browns with success ten it will lead to huge passing plays all day. Cleveland hasn't played a team with a TE like Gronkowski so it will be interesting to see how the Cleveland defense matches up against him. Opponents average an 83.0 passer rating against the Browns. Brady has a passer rating of 86.3 but that number is not indicative of the way he has played the past month. Brady and the well coached Patriots will have an excellent game plan and will score their 10th victory of the season. It won't even be close.
My final: N E 38 CLE 25
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