Penultimate

Almost there.

Miami 17, Buffalo 24 – Much to my chagrin it will be unseasonably warm and rainy in Buffalo this Sunday. Yes, it will be cold compared to South Beach but hardly the type of cold weather advantage the Bills would like to have when Miami comes to town. Still, this is a classic let down game scenario for the Dolphins, coming off their big win over the Patriots. And I know it was Jacksonville but Buffalo went on the road with nothing to play for and came away with the W last week. This is a classic if we can’t get to the playoffs than neither will you scenario for the Bills and I expect them to bring the pain this Sunday.

Minnesota 20, Cincinnati 31 – Impressive effort by Matt Cassel last week but that was a home game. The Vikings are winless on the road this year and while past performance is usually no indication of future performance, I’m giving a strong sell recommendation here, even with Adrian Peterson playing. My only concern is that a soul crushing collapse – losing their last two games at home including the Week 17 matchup with the resurgent Ravens, who would not only clinch the AFC North but also knock Cincinnati out of the playoffs on a tiebreaker with Miami – just sounds so like the Bengals.

Indianapolis 20, Kansas City 41 – A potential wild card round preview!

Tampa Bay 17, St. Louis 27 – If you’re a St. Louis Rams season-ticket holder (my sympathies) this is a game you give to your brother-in-law. If you don’t have a brother-in-law, you give it to your dentist.

Cleveland 17, NY Jets 23 – Rex Ryan says he knows he’s a good coach. I guess that means Geno Smith is even worse than we thought.

Dallas 27, Washington 34 – A reminder there’s a dark side to “controlling your own destiny.” Outside of Dallas and DC, the only reason for watching this game is unintentional comedy.

New Orleans 21, Carolina 34 – The rematch! Thanks to the Saints inexplicable loss to the Rams, the Panthers once again have an opportunity to seize the top spot in the NFC South. As evidenced by their trip to St. Louis, New Orleans has not been an awesome road team in 2013 and a loss here would push them into a wild card spot and a likely one and done that would only reinforce the Saints road woes narrative. I think the Panthers may have let the bright lights on the big stage get to them two weeks ago in the Big Easy but that will not be an issue this Sunday in Charlotte. Cue the “Is Cam Newton Elite?” post-game posts.

Tennessee 10, Jacksonville 27 – Do the Titans’ players care about saving Mike Munchak’s job? Apparently not.

Denver 0, Houston 43 – Matt Schaub! (Just kidding.)

NY Giants 12, Detroit 10 – The Detroit Lions are an affront to professional football specifically and to professionalism in general. If the Lions were a doctor, they’d be sued for malpractice. If they were a politician they’d be impeached. If they were architects their buildings would catch fire when the toilet was flushed. If they were a football team they’d appear to be unfamiliar with the rules of the game and with each other. Oh, wait. Okay.

Arizona 13, Seattle 35 – Carson Palmer. Seahawks defense. Party time in Jet City.

Pittsburgh 20, Green Bay 33 – Even if Aaron Rodgers isn’t cleared to play, the Packers still have a reason to play this game; the Steelers not so much. Okay, Pittsburgh is mathematically alive but I’m not so sure math is the Steelers best subject.

Oakland 13, San Diego 33 – San Diego is also mathematically alive. Oakland is not.

New England 20, Baltimore 19 – Hey, I’m not picking against my boys! That doesn’t mean I’m unaware of the fact the Ravens are red hot, playing for their playoff lives, and even under the best of circumstances (for New England) they’re Tom Brady’s kryptonite. And these are hardly the best of times for the Patriots. They are likely to play this game without either of their opening day starters at offensive tackle; Sebastian Vollmer is on IR and Nate Solder is concussed. New England has shifted Logan Mankins to left tackle for Solder, subbing Josh Kline for Mankins at left guard in a move that leaves them weaker at both positions on Brady’s blind side against a Ravens’ front seven that features Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil and Haloti Ngata. Josh McDaniels has yet to devise a red zone offense that works without Rob Gronkowski and with the offensive line in shambles it doesn’t look like relying on the running game inside the 20 is the answer. The good news? The good news… Well, if you had 11-5-0 in the Patriots’ season record pool, it looks like you might be a winner!

Chicago 27, Philadelphia 30 – This just feels like one of those 3 TD 3 INT games for Jay Cutler. Then again, every game feels like a 3 TD 3 INT game for Jay Cutler. It’s close but I like the Eagles to bounce back from the loss to the Vikings.

Atlanta 27, San Francisco 24 – I know, I know. Last game in Candlestick. It just seems to me that matters a whole lot more to Chris Berman than it does to Colin Kaepernick. This is Atlanta’s Super Bowl. Monday night with the whole pigskin world watching and last year’s NFC champion on the other sideline, the Falcons will have a chance to salvage some pride.