We’re down to only 2 weeks left in the regular season and there’s still 24 teams that have a shot at making the playoffs. We’re going to be breaking down every matchup and how that impacts the playoff race. This article is being posted after the first two matchups of the week, but we had both the Browns and Cowboys selected prior to those matchups being played. Through the first 16 weeks of the season, we are 153-87 in our predictions.
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns
It’s Joe Flacco season in Cleveland and we are here for it! Flacco goes up against his old team and even with Cooper out, that shouldn’t stop Flacco against a Jets team that just has taken a turn for the worse.
Winner: Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are a home football team and they get another win here at home. If this was in Detroit, it’d be a different story, but the Cowboys bounce back after back to back road losses against the Bills and Dolphins. The Cowboys remain undefeated at home with a big performance from Dak Prescott and the offense.
Winner: Dallas Cowboys
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
The Patriots have officially given up on the season and the Bills take this as they are riding hot. With a win for the Bills and if the Dolphins lose, the Bills will have a chance to compete for the division title in the last game of the season against Miami.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears
Chicago has quietly gone from a share of the league’s worst title to having 6 wins and nearing 7. The Bears should be able to pull off the feat and when they do as we say almost every week, the Falcons should seriously consider firing Arthur Smith. The Bears are sticking with Eberflus for one more season at least as reports have come out he’ll remain in 2024, but after another loss, the Falcons should give it more thought on Smith.
Winner: Chicago Bears
Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts
The Raiders are looking to play spoiler for the Indianapolis Colts and their playoff hopes. The Raiders have won two big games in a row, one by over 40 points and the most recent in Kansas City. The Raiders should continue their winning streak against a Colts team that has been underperforming despite Minshew mania giving it his all. We like the Raiders pulling off the road upset and being a spoiler.
Winner: Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants
The Rams have gotten hot at the right time and are winners of 5 of their last 6 games with their lone loss in that time coming to Baltimore on the road in a one-score affair. The Giants on the other hand only have 5 wins on the season and have benched Tommy DeVito in favor of Tyrod Taylor. It’s going to be a long afternoon for the Giants and hopefully they can go into the new year wishing for a better offensive line to protect Daniel Jones when he returns from injury in 2024.
Winner: Los Angeles Rams
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles enter this game as nearly two touchdown favorites and we think they’ll cover this with ease. The Eagles offense can light up the scoreboard and the Cardinals defense has been one of the worst in the league this year. We love Jalen Hurts and D’Andre Swift to have monster performances this week as the Eagles gun for the top spot in the NFC.
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Practically the NFC South Championship matchup is the Saints at the Buccaneers this weekend. The Saints enter at 7-8 and Tampa Bay at 8-7 with Atlanta also 7-8 but they are struggling so much that we think they’re out of the mix to pull it off. The Saints and Buccaneers both enter with their own problems that they’ve had a hard time overcoming. The Saints with consistent play from Derek Carr and the Buccaneers with the run game. Thankfully, the Buccaneers won’t need to run the ball much with the way Baker has been playing lately and he’s put himself into the Comeback Player of the Year conversation and has exceeded expectations that he had when arriving in Tampa Bay.
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Commanders
Brock Purdy had a career worst performance with 4 interceptions against Baltimore. He and the rest of the 49ers offense should bounce back nicely against a weak Commanders team.
Winner: San Francisco 49ers
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence is out and this is the perfect game to let him get some rest as they face the league’s worst team in Carolina. The Jaguars should win and stay alive in the playoff race despite CJ Beathard under center.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
In a battle for the top of the AFC, the Dolphins & Ravens face one another in Baltimore. Baltimore is coming off a monster win against the 49ers and the Dolphins against the Cowboys. Both teams want to prove they’re the best, but the Ravens defense is an elite unit that should slow down the fire-power of Miami and clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs in the process.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans
CJ Stroud is back and that means we’re bound to see some good football from Houston again. With Stroud being out for a couple weeks, the team has been a little shaky, but we’re expecting them to be on the up & up again even with Tank Dell still out. Stroud can do enough on his own to get this team back in shape and beat a Titans team that is also banged up.
Winner: Houston Texans
Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks
Two 8-7 teams that are looking to get the last wild card spot in their respective conferences are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. On paper, the Seattle Seahawks are the better team and should win this game. But something about this game strikes us as a nailbiter performance that the Steelers are going to squeak out on top.The Steelers win the close nitty gritty games and we think Mike Tomlin’s record of never having a losing season isn’t going to go down without a fight even if Mason Rudolph is playing under center.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos
The Broncos have decided to sit Russell Wilson due to contract issues despite still having an outside shot at the playoffs. Despite this move, the Broncos should still beat the Chargers who are also playing with a backup quarterback in Easton Stick and the Broncos are a better team with Jarrett Stidham than the Chargers are with Stick.
Winner: Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs might not have clinched home field advantage this playoffs, but they are still easily the best team in their division. The Chiefs prove that with a victory against a Bengals team in a game that their division rivals wouldn’t be able to win. This game would have been a lot more exciting had Joe Burrow been playing, but with Jake Browning’s inconsistent play in the mix, this game is going to go to Mahomes unfortunately.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
The last NFL game in the calendar year 2023 is the Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings. Both teams enter 7-8 and still have a shot at making the playoffs. The loser of this game will be eliminated and the winner will need to pull off another win in week 18 and get some help to have a shot at making the playoffs. The Vikings are favored at home, but Jordan Love is proving doubters wrong this season as he’s thrown for over 3,500 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. Love has quietly been putting together a good season despite the abundance of injuries to the rest of the Packers offense and we think he can light up the Vikings weak secondary and enter 2024 with a bang.
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