NFL Week 14 – Why Being Mediocre May Be Good!

You always wear your Sunday best to the big show, your 1st string to the game. But right now, it’s not looking like it in football.

Why would I pose that question? Because the NFL may have a .500 or below team make the playoffs! After the division leaders, the NFC wild card contenders are at .500. It’s looking more like the NBA or the NHL!

The Giants, Eagles, Falcons & Panthers all are looking at playoff births at .500. The Vikings, 49ers & Rams are at below .500, but are still mathematically eligible for the playoffs.

This may be good for the fans, but for the league, it’s a little embarassing. Competition is good for the league. But what good is a team that is below .500 for a champion or contender?

Hopefully a team will get hot!

Here’s our predictions for this week!

Last Week’s Results: 8-8

Season to Date: 109-82

Thursday December 7th, 2006

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh (7½) – Both teams are just playing for the season to end. Their playoff ambitions have been dashed within the last few weeks. Look for the Steelers to try and at least get to 9-7 and then pray for everyone else to collapse.

Prediction – Pittsburgh (21-13)

Sunday December 10th, 2006

Tennessee @ Houston (1½) – For the second week in a row, the Titans pulled off another miracle. This time, they do it against the Colts on a 60 yard, game winning field goal. You would think they would be favored in this game. In reality, this is the big test for Vince Young, playing on the road.

Prediction – Tennessee (15-12)

Philadelphia (1½) @ Washington – Eagles QB Jeff Garcia, substituting for the injured Donovan McNabb kept the Eagles playoff hopes alive with a win against Carolina on Monday night. They now must keep it going on the road against a Redskins team in transition. Look for an interesting match up.

Prediction – Washington (17-14)

Oakland @ Cincinnati (11) – The Bengals continue their playoff push against the Raiders, a team that has been a walking nightmare all season. Look for Cincinatti to have an offensive field day.

Prediction – Cincinnati (30-10)

NY Giants @ Carolina (3) – After losing 4 straight (3 of 4 at home, no less!); this Giants team is hurting badly, both on the field and off. Now they’ll have to take on a Panthers team, which wasted an opportunity to better their playoff chances with a loss to the Eagles. Look for QB Jake Delholme to exploit the Giants secondary.

Prediction – Carolina (27-17)

New England (3½) @ Miami – The Patriots travel to South Florida to take on a rejuvenated Dolphins team. A win & a Jets loss will sow up the AFC East. Despite the loss to Jacksonville last weekend, they have a long shot at the playoffs with a win, a tough task given the log jam in the conference.

Prediction – New England (21-19)

Minnesota @ Detroit (2½) – Despite the offensive numbers, the Lions have gone nowhere. A loss will probably mean the end of GM Matt Millen. They’ll need to revamp the whole team. For the Vikings, this has been a disappointing season. They still habe a shot at .500.

Prediction – Minnesota (18-13)

Indianapolis (1½) @ Jacksonville – The Colts were stunned in Nashville by a 60 yard rock! They’ll have to try to wrap up their division with a victory in Jacksonville, who are trying to stay in the playoff hunt.

Prediction – Jacksonville (21-17)

Baltimore @ Kansas City (3) – For the first time in a while, the Ravens were outplayed. They looked horrible against the Bengals last Thursday night. They’ll have to regroup against the Chiefs, who need to win to keep pace in their division.

Prediction – Baltimore (23-17)

Atlanta (3) @ Tampa Bay – The question in Tampa is, will Jon Grudden be back to coach the Buccaneers next season? That too bad! The Bucs has had some bad luck with injuries. They’ll have to try to spoil the Falcons playoff plans.

Prediction – Atlanta (24-10)

Green Bay @ San Francisco (4½) – With the help of RB Frank Gore’s feet, the 49ers have a respectable 5-7 record. They’ll try to keep it going in the right direction against the Packers, who are still struggling to get the offense going. We may see Brent Favre next year if Aaron Rogers is not up to speed.

Prediction – San Francisco (20-10)

Seattle (3) @ Arizona – The Cardinals finally showed some signs of life with an upset victory at St. Louis last weekend. They’ll try to take that momentum back home to take on the Seahawks. Unlike last weekend, Seattle will be better prepared!

Prediction – Seattle (34-12)

Buffalo @ NY Jets (3½) – The Jets are starting to look like a playoff contender. With two consecutive victories, they’ll have to take on a Buffalo team that has always given them fits in the regular season and in the playoffs.

Prediction – Buffalo (17-10)

Denver @ San Diego (7½) – QB Jay Cutler had two TD & two INT’s in his pro debut last weekend, a loss to Seattle. Now the real test. An appointement with the best team in the AFC this year, the Chargers. This one could get ugly, quick!

Prediction – San Diego (27-12)

New Orleans @ Dallas (6½) – Two of the most improbable teams face off in the Sunday night game. Both teams are 8-4 this season. This is an evenly matched team. The only difference is at kicker. Something tells me Martin Gramatica is going to “crash and burn” sometime soon.

Prediction – New Orleans (23-21)

Monday December 11th, 2006

Chicago (6½) @ St. Louis – Despite their 10-2 record, QB Rex Grossman is still having trouble running the offensive scheme for the Bears. Unless they get him acclimated to the game plan, their playoff run could be short. They’ll try and get him accustomed in their game with the Rams, who have taken themselves out of the playoff hunt with last weekend’s loss to the Arizona.

Prediction – St. Louis (21-14)