Due to the postponement of the Vikings-Eagles game from Sunday to Tuesday, my NFL rankings will not include one game from this week, so both teams will have more of a chance to make a move before the final rankings of the regular season come out next week. The team's name is followed by its record, rating, and previous ranking.
1. New England (13-2) -15.23 (1)
2. Green Bay (9-6) -11.64 (2)
3. Pittsburgh (11-4) -8.93 (4)
4. Baltimore (11-4) -7.16 (7)
5. Atlanta (12-3) -6.34 (6)
6. Philadelphia (10-4) -6.14 (5)
7. NY Jets (10-5) -5.02 (8)
8. San Diego (8-7) -4.30 (3)
9. New Orleans (11-4) -3.97 (13)
10. Chicago (11-4) -3.79 (9)
11. Indianapolis (9-6) -2.98 (11)
12. Detroit (5-10) -2.26 (15)
13. Kansas City (10-5) -1.79 (14)
14. NY Giants (9-6) -0.96 (10)
15. Miami (7-8) -0.37 (16)
16. Cleveland (5-10) -0.10 (18)
17. Tennessee (6-9) 0.30 (12)
18. Tampa Bay (9-6) 0.38 (23)
19. Cincinnati (4-11) 0.46 (25)
20. Oakland (7-8) 1.50 (17)
21. Houston (5-10) 3.15 (19)
22. Dallas (5-10) 3.24 (20)
23. Washington (6-9) 3.63 (24)
24. Jacksonville (8-7) 4.147 (21)
25. Minnesota (5-9) 4.154 (26)
26. Buffalo (4-11) 4.27 (22)
27. Saint Louis (7-8) 4.65 (27)
28. San Francisco (5-10) 6.49 (28)
29. Denver (4-11) 9.01 (30)
30. Seattle (6-9) 10.47 (29)
31. Arizona (5-10) 10.77 (31)
32. Carolina (2-13) 12.78 (32)
Baltimore looked strong in its win over the Cleveland Browns, and now they need to root for the Cleveland Browns to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in their next game to give the Ravens a chance at the division title and a first-round bye. Even if they don't win the division, they would most likely play Indianapolis or Jacksonville in the first round, which would still make them a favorite to advance.
Last week, San Diego was looking like the team to beat in the AFC West, but something strange happened on Sunday. Not only did Kansas City win a very tough game against Tennessee, but the Chargers managed to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals, who were still in the hunt for the worst record and the #1 draft pick before the game. Now the Chargers have been eliminated from the playoff picture, and the Chiefs will represent the division and play their first playoff game at home.
New Orleans managed to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta on Monday Night Football, and in the process kept themselves in the running for the NFC South title and a possible first-round bye. The upset victory was Atlanta's first home loss of the season, as well as its first divisional loss. The defending champions don't look quite as strong as they did last season, but they have now won 7 of their past 8, and their momentum may give them a hand up in the playoffs.
The Detroit Lions won their third straight game this week, after a season in which they had many close calls. The Lions have been the best team with a losing record for many weeks, and they're finally showing that they have been underrated all season long.
The New York Giants looked like the NFC East Champions just two weeks ago, but now they will need some help to even make the playoffs after their second consecutive loss. Because the loss to Green Bay gives the Packers the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Giants must win and hope that the Packers lose to the Bears in their final game, both of which are possible, but still not guaranteed.
Tampa Bay was picked to beat the Seahawks on Sunday, but I definitely didn't expect them to blow out Seattle like they did. The win kept them in the playoff picture, but to earn the final wild card spot, they need to beat the Saints, who still have something to play for, and hope that both Green Bay and the New York Giants lose their final games. I still believe that their winning record is the result of a weak schedule more than improved play.
Cincinnati was very impressive in their huge upset win over the San Diego Chargers, who were still playing for the division title, while the Bengals have had nothing to play for since early November. Maybe having Terrell Owens out of the picture raised morale enough in the locker room that they've been able to perform better on the field.
Jacksonville's overtime loss to the Washington Redskins this week made their playoff hopes dim, although they are still alive. They must beat the Texans on the road and hope that the Colts lose a home game to the slumping Titans. The Jaguars have been one of the most overrated teams all season, and I feel they were lucky to be in the playoff picture at all.
Playoff Predictions
The Patriots have locked up the #1 seed. Pittsburgh will get the #2 seed unless they lose and Baltimore loses. In that case, Pittsburgh could drop all the way to the #6 seed, because they lost to the Jets earlier this year. Kansas City will clinch the #3 seed with a win or a Colts loss. Baltimore will be the #5 seed unless they earn the #2 seed with a win and a Pittsburgh loss. The Jets will be #6 unless Pittsburgh loses, Baltimore wins, and the Jets win. Jacksonville will be the #4 seed if they win and Indianapolis loses, otherwise they are out.
1. New England
2. Pittsburgh
3. Kansas City
4. Indianapolis
5. Baltimore
6. NY Jets
First Round
Jets over Chiefs
Ravens over Colts
Second Round
Steelers over Ravens
Patriots over Jets
Championship
Patriots over Steelers
NFC
The winner of the NFC South will most likely be the #1 seed in the NFC, but if both Atlanta and New Orleans lose and Philadelphia wins both of their remaining games, the Eagles would be #1. If the Falcons, Saints, and Eagles all lose once and the Bears win, they would earn the #1 seed. The rest of the playoff picture is equally complicated, with the only sure thing being that the winner of the Seattle-Saint Louis game will be the #4 seed, and that the #5 seed will be either Atlanta or New Orleans. Green Bay has the tiebreaker over both New York and Tampa Bay for the #6 seed.
1. Atlanta
2. Philadelphia
3. Chicago
4. Saint Louis
5. New Orleans
6. Green Bay
First Round
Packers over Bears
Saints over Rams
Second Round
Packers over Falcons
Eagles over Saints
Championship
Packers over Eagles
Super Bowl
Patriots over Packers
I believe that the wild card teams will win all of their first round games, unless New York or Tampa Bay manage to sneak in, in which case I would pick them to lose. However, the only wild card I would pick to get any farther would be the Packers, who are almost impossible to beat when they are at full health.
NBA Player of the Day
Michael Beasley - MIN - 30 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 12-20 FG, 3-4 3P, 3-3 FT
Beasley was able to outplay his fellow Timberwolves forward, Kevin Love, as well as the entire Hornets front line, as he led Minnesota to an upset victory over the New Orleans Hornets. Beasley also hit two 3-pointers in the final 7 minutes of the game to help Minnesota maintain their big lead and put the Hornets away.
Predictions - 28 Dec
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
Magic at Cavaliers - Magic by 10
Celtics at Pacers - Celtics by 6
Knicks at Heat - Heat by 12
Bucks at Bulls - Bulls by 9
Raptors at Mavericks - Mavericks by 14
Lakers at Spurs - Spurs by 5
Trail Blazers at Nuggets - Nuggets by 3
NFL
Vikings at Eagles - Eagles by 13
College Football
(22) West Virginia vs. North Carolina State - West Virginia by 1
(12) Missouri vs. Iowa - Missouri by 4
College Basketball
Providence at (5) Syracuse - Syracuse by 16
(11) Purdue at Michigan - Purdue by 5
Coppin State at (12) Kentucky - Kentucky by 35
(13) Minnesota at (24) Wisconsin - Wisconsin by 13
I believe that Minnesota is extremely likely to lose today, while there is also a good chance that another Big 10 rival, Purdue, could also lose their conference opener in an upset.
Prediction Results - 27 Dec
NFL: 0/1 (.000) 57/95 overall (.600)
NBA: 6/10 (.600) 197/271 overall (.727)
College Football: 1/1 (1.000) 43/60 overall (.717)
College Basketball: 4/4 (1.000) 155/185 overall (.838)
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