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Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Current Standings:
#1 Zach (52-30)
#2 Ryan (51-31)
#3 Patrick (48-35)
#4 Maher (47-35)
#5 James (46-36)
#6 Vince (45-37)
Miami Dolphins (9-5) @ Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)
Current Lines: MIA -3.0 || O/U 48.0
Miami has played fantastic all season, and they have a solid opportunity to make the playoffs with their emphatic defense leading the way. The Dolphins have forced the most turnovers this year with a staggering 26 on the year, they also allow the least amount of points per game at just 18.4. Tua Tagovailoa has done a great job during his rookie campaign facilitating the offense and not making mistakes. His completion percentage and yards per game arent pretty but he’s made big throws outside the numbers all year and has 9 TD’s to just 2 interceptions while dealing with a ton of injuries to his weapons all year. The next man up method at running back has worked well all year as we’ve seen productive games from 3-4 backs in Miami all year. Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin will lead the group this week in a must win matchup. The Raiders are still technically alive in the playoff race but we’ll need a ton of games to swing their way if they want to clinch. Derek Carr and his Raiders had a hot start this year, but failed to win the “easy ones'' down the stretch as they’ve lost 4 of their last 5, including two huge losses to the Chargers and Falcons.
James: Dolphins
Vince: Raiders
Zach: Dolphins
Patrick: Dolphins
Ryan: Dolphins
Maher: Dolphins
Indianapolis Colts (10-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3)
Current Lines: IND -2.0 || O/U 44.5
The Colts are on a three game winning streak and it couldn’t have come at a better time as we’re likely going to see a 10 win team miss out on the playoffs in the AFC. The emergence of Jonothan Taylor has helped this team build a respectable run game and take some pressure off of Philip Rivers. In the past 3 games Taylor has 91, 150, and 83 yard performances with 3 TD’s along the way. Rivers is on his way to earn another 4,000 yard passing season, and their defense has been fantastic forcing takeaways this year, leading the league with a +12 turnover differential. Let’s completely flip the script and talk about the Steelers and their last 3 games. They’ve lost 3 straight, two against teams with records well below .500, and their running game has been flat out awful in the process. In the last 3 games Pittsburgh is averaging 16.3 points per game, and are dead last in rush yards per game with 51.3. The drops have been killing drives left and right, but if they can't get the run game going it might be a short playoff run for Big Ben and Pittsburgh.
James: Colts
Vince: Steelers
Zach: Colts
Patrick: Colts
Ryan: Colts
Maher: Colts
Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (5-9)
Current Lines: PHI -2.5 || O/U 49.5
The NFC East has been nothing short of a dumpster fire this year, these two teams with awful records are both technically still alive in week 16 and could clinch the division crown if they win out. Philly has officially put Wentz on the hot seat, going with Jalen Hurts again this week after a magnificent performance against Arizona that included 338 passing yards, 63 rushing yards, and 4 total TD’s. Despite the loss the Eagles offensively have shown extreme signs of life under their new QB. Defensively Philly has struggled the last 3 games, giving up just over 440 yards per game despite the big win against New Orleans. Dallas is coming off a huge victory over San Francisco, a game that saw backup running back Tony Pollard break out rushing for 69 yards and two TD’s as well as catching 6 passes for 63 yards. Dallas has had back to back dominant offensive performances scoring 30+ points in each game, Andy Dalton looks to be getting comfy in the offense as we creep closer to the playoffs. Sean Lee is expected to be back for the Cowboys this weekend, the veteran leader should help a horrible unit improve over the last two weeks.
James: Eagles
Vince: Eagles
Zach: Cowboys
Patrick: Eagles
Ryan: Eagles
Maher: Eagles
Los Angeles Rams (9-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (10-4)
Current Lines: SEA -1.0 || O/U 47.5
The Rams and most of the NFL community was shocked last week as LA was beaten by the winless Jets, a game most Jets fans were praying their team would lose to support the “Tank for Trevor '' movement. The Rams have been led by their defense all year as Jared Goff has been about as average as can be. He’s struggled with turnovers this year as he has 14 on the year, his 12 interceptions is tied for 5th most in the league. Cam Akers has been a pleasant surprise, racking up 29 carries and 171 yards rushing two weeks ago against New England. Coach McVay needs to find a way to help his elite defense, this team looks completely different then the NFC Champs from two years prior. Seattle’s defense has looked… better in the past three games, they haven’t allowed over 20 points once in that 3 game stretch. Russ has been dominant this year throwing for 3,800 yards and 37 TD’s, but has turned the ball over 17 times this season. Turnovers have proved to separate the good teams from the elite, Wilson has the weapons with DK & Lockett to make a deep run, it all comes down to how the handle the time of possession and they’re ability to cut opponent’s drives short. This game will likely decide the division winner out west.
James: Seahawks
Vince: Seahawks
Zach: Seahawks
Patrick: Seahawks
Ryan: Seahawks
Maher: Seahawks
Tennessee Titans (10-4) @ Green Bay Packers (11-3)
Current Lines: GB -3.5 || O/U 56
Our game of the week falls on Sunday night as we have a matchup between the league's most dominant running back vs. the league's most dominant quarterback. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you don’t want to see Derrick Henry across from you in the winter. Henry has 1,679 yards on the season, almost 200 more than every other back, and also is tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with 15. This Titans squad has put up 30+ points in each of their last 5 games, something no other team has done. Defensively the Titans have been a bit disappointing, giving up the 10th most points per game. They need a win in these next two weeks to clinch a playoff spot, expect an intense battle in Green Bay. The Packers are in a fantastic position to secure the #1 seed in the NFC. Aaron Rodgers is my leading MVP Canidate as he leads the league in TD’s thrown (40), has just 4 interceptions on the year, and has the highest QB Rating by a significant margin (118.0). The Packers score 31.0 points per game and havent turned the ball over once in their last 3 contests. The Lambo matchup in the winter typically gives an advantage to the team with the best running game, but Rodgers is a vet and has played here his whole career, we’re in for a good one on Sunday night.
James: Packers
Vince: Packers
Zach: Titans
Patrick: Titans
Ryan: Packers
Maher: Titans
Buffalo Bills (11-3) @ New England Patriots (6-8)
Current Lines: BUF -7.0 || O/U 46
The Bills are on a 4 game winning streak and currently surging towards the finish line with back to back dominant defensive performances where they held their opponents to 15 & 19 points. Josh Allen has had a phenomenal season so far throwing for 313.7 yards per game through the air & 38 total TD’s on the year. His top target Stefon Diggs has enjoyed his first year in Buffalo as he’s 3rd overall in receiving yards, 1st in targets, and 1st in receptions across the entire league this year. Buffalo is solid on 3rd down, which is big against run dominant teams like New England, they’ve allowed just 4.3 3rd down conversions per game over the last 3 weeks. The Bills Mafia better get excited, this young Buffalo core might produce some home playoff games over the next decade. The Patriots have been eliminated putting the nail in the coffin on a brutal 1st season without Tom Brady. Cam Newton has struggled throwing the ball all year, making for an easier defensive game plan for their opponents. New England at home this year has thrown for the least amount of yards per game, Cam on the year has just 5 TD’s through the air and 10 interceptions. The Patriots do have a tough defense and an opportunity to play spoiler in this game to their division rival.
James: Bills
Vince: Bills
Zach: Bills
Patrick: Bills
Ryan: Bills
Maher: Bills
* Cover Photo via: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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