Tim Ajmani
The Corsair
We now enter the final quarter of the NFL season. Playoff berths are on the line, and the road for all teams in contention becomes more treacherous; there is no margin for error. I nailed my upset pick last week, with the Dolphins blasting the Raiders in Miami. I didn’t fare too badly in my other picks, going 10-6 overall. There aren’t too many “big” games this week, save for Sunday Night Football game between the Giants and Cowboys.
This seems like one of those weeks where the team who should win might have a harder time than expected. My picks…
Cleveland Browns (4-8) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) – Thursday 7:20 CT
The pick: Steelers 27, Browns 20
Houston Texans (9-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Bengals 24, Texans 21
Minnesota Vikings (2-10) @ Detroit Lions (7-5) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Lions 31, Vikings 16
New Orleans Saints (9-3) @ Tennessee Titans (7-5) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Saints 31, Titans 23
Indianapolis Colts (0-12) @ Baltimore Ravens (9-3) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Ravens 28, Colts 7
Kansas City Chiefs (5-7) @ New York Jets (7-5) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Jets 19, Chiefs 10
Philadelphia Eagles (4-8) @ Miami Dolphins (4-8) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Dolphins 28, Eagles 20
New England Patriots (9-3) @ Washington Redskins (4-8) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Patriots 35, Redskins 21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Buccaneers 23, Jaguars 17
Chicago Bears (7-5) @ Denver Broncos (7-5) – Sunday 3:05 CT
The pick: Broncos 20, Bears 10
San Francisco 49ers (10-2) @ Arizona Cardinals (5-7) – Sunday 3:05 CT
The pick: 49ers 24, Cardinals 13
Buffalo Bills (5-7) @ San Diego Chargers (5-7) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Chargers 31, Bills 28
Oakland Raiders (7-5) @ Green Bay Packers (12-0) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Packers 38, Raiders 20
St. Louis Rams (2-10) @ Seattle Seahawks (5-7) – Monday 7:30 CT
The pick: Seahawks 31, Rams 13
My Upset Pick:
Atlanta Falcons (7-5) @ Carolina Panthers (4-8) – Sunday 12:00 CT
Cam Newton has had a stellar rookie season thus far, but doesn’t have many wins to show for it. At 4-8, the Panthers’ playoff hopes are effectively over. But they can play spoiler this week. They play their divisional rival, the Falcons in their second meeting this season. Atlanta has been one of the most bizarre teams this season. Atlanta can look like world beaters one week, then look terrible the next. Carolina would love for nothing more than to diminish the Falcons’ playoff chances this week. I think they do…
The pick: Panthers 28, Falcons 17
Game of the Week:
New York Giants (6-6) @ Dallas Cowboys (7-5) – Sunday 7:20 CT
Does anyone want to win the NFC East? At the beginning of the season, it was the Eagles’ to lose. Then, it became the Redskins’ to lose. Then, the Giants. Now, the Cowboys. Dallas had a terrible loss last week against Arizona. Their coach is being scrutinized for his timeout call before a potential game-winning field goal. The Giants played well against Green Bay, but dropped their fourth straight game. Neither team winning would surprise me, but for argument’s sake, I’ll flip a coin to decide my pick…
The pick: Giants 20, Cowboys 17
On the season:
Overall picks: 21-11
Upset picks: 1-1