There aren’t many good matchups on the slate this week despite some battles at the bottom and the Eagles in Dallas. That being said, it is the perfect week for upsets. We already saw one last night with the Bills getting exposed bad by a good defense. With so many bottom feeders playing playoff contenders you have to think there is a trap game or two lying in wait. Could the Giants upend the Lions after last week’s tough contest with the Birds? Are The Ravens already feeling themselves and looking past the Jets? I’ll call it now, the Cardinals will probably beat the Jags keeping the Chiefs playoff hopes alive.
Thursday Night Football
- Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans (Texans win 23-19)
- Pardon me for a minute while I die laughing. Josh Allen was terrible last night and lost the game for his team. Houston’s defense is damn good, but Allen was sacked EIGHT times for -70 yards. Most were him trying to play the hero and hurting his team. Both interceptions seemed like panicked throws to no one. Today the media will coddle him and give Houston their flowers despite Allen doing this all year. Jalen Hurts would never play a game as bad as last night and it’s a good thing too, people would be coming for him with torches.
- Not that Houston doesn’t deserve their flowers! I was really hoping the Texans would lose just a little more earlier in the year because I desperately wanted Danielle Hunter. He has 11 sacks right now! Then there is Will Anderson who was unblockable yesterday. It is going to be a race this offseason to see who gets paid first between him and Jalen Carter. Houston is now 6-5, 3 games behind the Colts in the division, but they haven’t had their head to heads yet. With the Colts playing a desperate Chiefs team this week, this race is much tighter than it seems.
1pm Games
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears
- The Steelers are slowly being reeled in by the Ravens who are now just 1 game back and haven’t faced off yet. Now without their QB, they are probably dead in thew water. Lose to the Bears and the division is probably tied.
- The Bears get to face the Barometer, but it may be too late to get a real reading. All season I have been saying that if you beat the Steelers you are legit, if you lose you are not. Unfortunately, they are now without Aaron Rodgers, so we probably won’t know if the Bears 7-3 record means they are a contender. They simply have not beaten any good teams. They do get the Eagles on a short week on Black Friday though.
- New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals
- TRAP WATCH? If it’s a shootout, the Bengals have as good a chance as anyone.
- With Buffalo’s loss last night, the Patriots and their Charmin Soft schedule can basically finish off the division by taking care of business. Four of their last six games are against the Bengals, Giants, Jets, and Dolphins. The MVP and the division are theirs to lose (whether they deserve it is a completely different question).
- The Bengals are a mess of an organization. I wrote about how messed up the Falcons were this week, but the Bengals are next on the hit list. They built a team around the highest paid WR duo in the league and wonder why they can’t stop anyone. Now questions about Joe Burrow are coming up because a 40-year-old at a fraction of the price is doing 95% of his job. Good times!
- New York Giants at Detroit Lions
- TRAP WATCH? Absolutely. The Lions just played a tough as nails game against the Eagles and lost. They could be looking past the lowly Giants.
- What a way for the Jameis Winston story in NY to start, give the Giants hope than throws a signature interception in the end zone as only Jameis can. In many ways, this was a perfect outcome. The Giants need to focus on losing and getting to the bottom of the standings. They should easily lose the next 2 games, but their real test comes against the Commanders and Raiders later this year. Destiny isn’t completely in their hands, but they are a serious suitor for her affections.
- Have you taken a look at the NFC playoff standings recently? As of right now, the Lions are out and lose the conference tie breaker with the 49ers. They may have the Giants this week, but the Packers, Rams and Bears are still on the schedule. The season in Detroit is on thin ice (not unlike the final scene in 4 Brothers, easily my favorite movie that has anything to do with Detroit). Them being out would be a crazy development in the NFC.
- Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
- The Vikings got caught in a bad spot. The Kirk Cousins era had run its course and they needed a QB. JJ McCarthy didn’t seem like the right guy and maybe they had their eye on Michael Penix (if they did, the Falcons F’d them so bad), but drafting him wasn’t the worst idea. Then Sam Darnold fell in their lap and they made the only real choice they had, they rolled with McCarthy. He’s terrible. The Vikings are a very talented team that will never go anywhere with him under center. If the Vikings didn’t have bad luck, they wouldn’t have any luck at all. If they are in a position to draft a QB this spring, they almost have to do it…or wait another year and sell off everything.
- While in Green Bay two weeks ago, there was a strange feeling in the air. My friends and I viewed the Packers as legitimate contenders in the NFC, but the locals didn’t. Everyone we talked to gave an honest and thoughtful opinion about why they didn’t trust Jordan Love or Matt LaFleur. They weren’t mad and they weren’t bitter, but these football crazed Midwesterners know a winner and are pretty sure they don’t have one. Still, they are 6-3-1 and in the thick of the playoff race. We found it very interesting.
- Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans
- TRAP WATCH? No.
- Are the Seahawks a legit contender? They just had a chance to beat the Rams despite their QB throwing 4 INTs, but those 4 picks are such a big red flag. Sam Darnold does not have a good history in big games and last week only turned the screw tighter on his reputation. With an easy schedule the next 3 weeks, we probably won’t know until they face the Colts and rematch the Rams in mid-December. They might be the most enigmatic team in football right now.
- Nothing strange about the Titans. They are in the pole position for the #1 pick in the draft, but the grip is not a tight one. They are the only 1-win team, but their strength of schedule is so tough that one additional win would drop them down to 5th. They NEED to keep losing, there is no cushion.
- Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
- (MOST INTERESTING GAME OF THE WEEK)
- Jonathan Taylor is the MVP right now, but the world still isn’t sold on the Colts. Two weeks ago was a sloppy win against a bad Falcons team in Germany and now they get a desperate Chiefs team and a defensive juggernaut in Houston. These two games will tell us everything we need to know about Indy. If Spagnuolo finds the key to stopping Daniel Jones, the Texans are going to destroy him.
- On the other hand, the Colts could deliver a knockout blow to the Chiefs. They are currently the 9 seed and 3.5 behind the Broncos in the division. All 3 wild card teams have beaten them this year and own the tiebreaker (with a matchup against the Texans looming). Somehow, they still have the 5th best Super Bowl odds, but things are looking bleak.
- New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens
- TRAP WATCH? The Ravens usually roll bad teams and the Jets are starting Tyrod Taylor. Probably not.
- The Justin Fields era has finally come to an end in New Jersey. I feel bad for the kid in that he isn’t good enough to play QB and not big enough to do anything else in the league despite being an 11/10 athlete. He didn’t deserve the bullshit he’s received from Jets ownership though. Tyrod Taylor gets the start in which playing the game is just a formality. Final score will be a lot to very little.
- I told everyone not to give up on the Ravens. Their early season tough schedule and worse luck gave way to this late season cupcake binge that rolls on with the Jets. They have been reeling in the Steelers for weeks and are setting up a division showdown in 2 weeks. While Mahomes and Allen are struggling, Lamar Jackson is somehow the best of the 3. Who would have thought that a few weeks ago?
4pm Games
- Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders
- (TANK RANK GAME OF THE WEEK)
- The Browns control their own destiny in the race to the top of the bottom of the standings. They may have two wins, but they face Tennessee in 2 weeks and have the lowest strength of schedule in the bottom 6 (that’s the tiebreaker). None of that matters though if they can’t get past the Raiders. The Browns may have an ace up their sleeve though, Shedeur Sanders makes his first start in the NFL. They better not hope he improves off last weeks disaster.
- The Raiders are a mess. Their plan was to hire 73-year-old Pete Carroll who had been lounging in mediocrity for years, bring in consummate failure Chip Kelly to run the offense, trade for the cause of that Seattle mediocrity Geno Smith, and then draft a running back at #6 overall. Seriously, that was the plan they went with. What the fuck is that? They need the #1 pick desperately.
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Arizona Cardinals
- TRAP WATCH OF THE WEEK!!! The Cardinals are well coached and have competence under center. The Jags are night and day week to week.
- The Jags had their asses kicked by the Rams at home, barely eked out a win against the Raiders, blew a big lead to the Davis Mills led Texans, then beat the hell out of the Chargers. What are we supposed to do with that? They currently sit in the 7th playoff spot, but the Texans are right behind them and own the tiebreak. We have no idea what we are going to get week by week with them. They could kill the Cardinals or Lawrence could get sacked 5 times and lose by multiple scores. It would be nice if they were at least fun to watch. They aren’t.
- The Cardinals have lost 7 of 8, but 5 of those losses are by 4 points or less. They aren’t a bad team, they just aren’t a good one. Considering they do not have a real QB, everything this season is going pretty well if the goal is to play hard and get a good draft pick. None of us like their coach, but he isn’t doing a bad job despite the record. Now what do they do with Kyler Murray???
- Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
- TRAP WATCH? Unfortunately, it is on the table. The Eagles just played two straight primetime games in the cold against legit contenders, while the Cowboys are irrationally flying high for beating one of the worst teams in the league.
- The Eagles just beat two of the best teams in the NFC and you’d think we just lost to the Browns and Saints. As much as I hate this reaction, I will say this…it seems like everyone understands that the Eagles are the best team in the league and do not want to waste the chance to repeat. That’s the level we are on. It isn’t about just winning, it’s about making this Eagles team into a dynasty. It is right there in front of us and we all know it.
- The 4-5-1 Cowboys and their fans have emphatically declared that they are “back” after a thrashing of the previously mentioned dysfunctional Raiders. They seem to forget that they were wrecked by the Cardinals in their previous game. The funny part is that Dallas has yet to face the tough part of their schedule which begins now and continues with the Chiefs and Lions next. Their best win of the season is a tie at home against Green Bay.
- Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
- The Falcons are a disaster from a front office standpoint. Nothing but terrible decision after terrible decision and now they are without their QB for the rest of the season. I wish you could say their silver lining is that a bad record means a better draft pick, but – oh yeah – they owe their first round pick to the Rams. Let’s root for the Falcons just so the Rams don’t get a better draft pick.
- The Saints can screw themselves badly by winning this game. Kellen Moore has them playing well and that’s a bad thing. The Falcons are demoralized and beatable. The worst thing New Orleans can do right now is play solid inspired football to blow past the wallowing-in-their-own-misery Falcons.
Sunday Night Football
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams
- Tampa went from darlings of the NFC to fighting for their lives in their division. A loss and a Carolina win ties the NFC South with 2 head to heads over the last 3 weeks of the season. Who would have thought this division would get like this? Despite a longstanding hatred of Tampa, GO BUCS against our biggest threat in the NFC, the Rams. The Eagles hold the tiebreak but identical records.
- The Rams are our great and worthy opponent right now despite the Eagles winning the last 3 games. The last two have been battles to the end and the Rams want our blood. A Tampa upset would be huge for the race for the NFC top seed.
Monday Night Football
- Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers
- TRAP WATCH? It is weird to say the Panthers are a trap considering they are 6-5, but I don’t think anyone is taking them seriously yet. A win here would change that.
- Did anyone see Carolina in a dogfight for their division? With a win and a Bucs loss, they are tied. I honestly don’t get it either. I know Bryce Young had his best game ever last week, but he isn’t exactly playing well. Somehow, they are 6-5.
- SF just keeps rolling along under the radar. They are in the final wild card spot with quality wins over LA and Seattle, but I can’t say they have played memorable football all year. Considering this was supposed to be a gap year to get their salary cap in check, they have to be feeling good about everything. That being said…screw them.
Bye Weeks
- Denver Broncos
- Miami Dolphins
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Washington Commanders
Philly Front Office 
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