Tim Ajmani
The Corsair
Ah… A one final weekend to this year’s NFL season… On New Year’s Day! What a better way to start the new year than to watch several key football games for playoff positions. In the NFC, five of the six playoff positions are taken; Green Bay, San Francisco, New Orleans, Detroit, and Atlanta have all punched their tickets into postseason play. The game between the Giants and Cowboys on Sunday Night Football will decide the NFC East crown, and a spot in the playoffs.
In the AFC, four of the six playoff spots have been taken; Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New England, and Houston are all in. The AFC West will be decided by the games between San Diego versus Oakland, and Denver versus Kansas City. The last wildcard spot is also up for grabs. Need another reason to watch the games this weekend? The number one pick for next year’s NFL Draft will also be decided; Will it be St. Louis or Indianapolis?
I had a rough time picking games last week; I finished a substandard 9-7. My first New Year’s resolution is to have a better week picking games. So without further ado, here are my last week of picks for this year’s NFL season…
Buffalo Bills (6-9) @ New England Patriots (12-3) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Patriots 24, Bills 21
Chicago Bears (7-8) @ Minnesota Vikings (3-12) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Bears 13, Vikings 10
Detroit Lions (10-5) @ Green Bay Packers (14-1) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Packers 28, Lions 20
Tennessee Titans (8-7) @ Houston Texans (10-5) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Texans 19, Titans 17
Indianapolis Colts (2-13) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Jaguars 17, Colts 13
San Francisco 49ers (12-3) @ St. Louis Rams (2-13) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: 49ers 21, Rams 10
Carolina Panthers (6-9) @ New Orleans Saints (12-3) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Saints 35, Panthers 27
Washington Redskins (5-10) @ Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Eagles 31, Redskins 21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11) @ Atlanta Falcons (9-6) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Falcons 27, Buccaneers 13
Baltimore Ravens (11-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Bengals 24, Ravens 20
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) @ Cleveland Browns (4-11) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Steelers 23, Browns 9
Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) @ Denver Broncos (8-7) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Broncos 26, Chiefs 20
San Diego Chargers (7-8) @ Oakland Raiders (8-7) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Chargers 28, Raiders 24
Seattle Seahawks (7-8) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-8) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Seahawks 21, Cardinals 20
My Upset Pick:
New York Jets (8-7) @ Miami Dolphins (5-10) – Sunday 12:00 CT
I don’t trust the Jets at all. They aren’t the same team that has reached the AFC Championship game each of the past two years. The Dolphins have shown a lot of fight since getting out to their dreadful start in the early stages of the season. This is a tough divisional road game for the Jets, who seem to play good in games like this. But on Sunday, they won’t play well…
The pick: Dolphins 16, Jets 13
Game of the Week:
Dallas Cowboys (8-7) @ New York Giants (8-7) – Sunday 7:20 CT
Win or go home. This is the ultimate winner-take-all game. The winner will take the NFC East, and get a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. The loser will stay home in January, and wonder how in the world they blew their shot at winning the division. The Giants seem to play worse at home than on the road. The Cowboys seem to play better on the road than they do at home. Something has to give on Sunday…
The pick: Giants 31, Cowboys 24
On the season:
Overall picks: 51-29
Upset picks: 2-3