Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions
ESPN -- Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden
Saturday December 22, 2012 8:30pm
The Lions came into last week's game struggling with a five-game losing streak. However, four of those games were against teams who will most likely be in the playoffs this year. The Lions played all of those games close, losing the lead in the fourth quarter in three of them and losing a double-digit lead in three of them as well. So it was looking like an easy win for the Lions against the Cardinals. Everyone would be wrong. After being routed by the lowly Cardinals, the Lions will try to give the home fans a holiday treat. I don't think they'll be successful.
Atlanta Falcons 31 Detroit Lions 17
Oakland Raiders vs. Carolina Panthers
CBS -- Spero Dedes, Steve Buerlein
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
The Panthers were impressive going into San Diego and coming out with a convincing victory. Too bad they were only convincing their fan base. The Panthers are not in the playoff picture, and are only playing for pride at this point. The Raiders are doing the same, but I'm not even sure the Raiders are even doing that. They did win against the lowly Chiefs but couldn't score a touchdown. Both teams aren't very good, but I do know the Raiders are bad.
Oakland Raiders 10 Carolina Panthers 27
New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys
FOX -- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
This game was supposed to be a great game between two teams who would've probably been in the playoff picture. The Cowboys are, but the Saints aren't. It's been one hell of a season for the Saints, as they went through one thing after another. The Cowboys are currently going through their own problems as they continue to mourn the death of LB Jerry Brown Jr. This may not be an automatic win for the Cowboys however. The Saints still have a good offense and are still capable of putting up a lot of points. With that being said, I believe the Cowboys defense will be able to handle it. Also, the Saints defense will not stop the Cowboys offense.
New Orleans Saints 20 Dallas Cowboys 38
Tennessee Titans vs. Green Bay Packers
CBS -- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
The Titans are on a high right now, beating the Jets and costing them a shot at the playoffs. That's nice and dandy, but reality will set in once again. Going up against a team fighting for positioning atop the NFC, the Packers will not lay down in this one. RB Chris Johnson better get a big run or something. If not, this game will not be close.
Tennessee Titans 7 Green Bay Packers 30
Minnesota Vikings vs. Houston Texans
FOX -- Chris Myers, Tim Ryan
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
This is an interesting game for several reasons. The Texans are still looking to hold the top spot in the AFC. A win in this game locks up the top seed for them. For the Vikings, they are at 8-6 and tied for the final Wild Card spot with a number of other teams. They also have RB Adrian Peterson going for Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record that has nearly stood for 30 years now. Peterson is under 300 yards away with two games to go, so he still needs a lot of yards. All of this is coming off a torn ACL, which makes it more remarkable. It's funny because he and Peyton Manning are in the running for Comeback Player of the Year and MVP. They should be the front runners in both categories, which we've never really seen before.
Minnesota Vikings 14 Houston Texans 24
New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
CBS -- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
The Jaguars continue to play themselves most likely to receiving the #1 pick in next year's draft. Who can they select that will help the team right away? Do they go after a quarterback, after drafting QB Blaine Gabbert in the 2011 NFL Draft? This draft is not quarterback heavy like it was a year ago so that probably won't help them. Simply put, the Jaguars won't come close to winning this game. The Patriots are probably still fuming over last week's loss and want to take it out on their next opponent. Good luck Jaguars!
New England Patriots 30 Jacksonville Jaguars 3
Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
CBS -- Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
This is the Chiefs 50th season in franchise history, and it has been one of the strangest seasons for them ever. They were expected to compete in the AFC West after falling a game behind the other three teams last year. They had an impressive overtime victory in the Superdome and the Chiefs appeared as if they could string some wins together. That never happened and they look terrible now, evidenced by being shut out by the Raiders. This game should get the Colts into the playoffs, but QB Andrew Luck has to cut down on his turnovers. This is still a Chiefs team with a decent defense, so they could force turnovers from Luck.
Indianapolis Colts 24 Kansas City Chiefs 10
Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
CBS -- Don Criqui, Randy Cross
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
As evidenced by who they have calling this game, this is probably the most unimportant game of Week 16. The Dolphins are at home so they should win this game. They also have a franchise quarterback to look forward to. QB Ryan Tannehill has been inconsistent, but he has shown flashes of great play. The Dolphins are hoping the experience will help him become the quarterback they want him to be. It'll be interesting to see how long the Bills go with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Patience has to be thin in upstate New York as the Bills haven't been to the postseason since 1999.
Buffalo Bills 20 Miami Dolphins 24
San Diego Chargers vs. New York Jets
CBS -- Marv Albert, Rich Gannon
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
QB Greg McElroy will get his first start so this will be an interesting game. Jets fans are eager to see how he performs because they are fed up with QB Mark Sanchez. McElroy showed the intelligence to play the quarterback position while winning a national championship with Alabama. If McElroy can pick up the speed of the game, he'll be just fine. The Chargers will look to bounce back from an ugly home loss. It has been a depressing year for them as well, and there will be some who are gone after the season.
San Diego Chargers 17 New York Jets 20
Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles
FOX -- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
QB Robert Griffin III is expected to play in this one, but it isn't like they needed him. The Eagles have all but called it a season, and they are looking to see what they have in QB Nick Foles. The Redskins will look to take care of business early and not let the Eagles hang around, as they'll have a big game coming up against the Cowboys the following week. This game will be for Griffin III to get his wind back and get into game speed for the final weekend.
Washington Redskins 27 Philadelphia Eagles 10
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| Steelers Rb Jonathan Dwyer. |
CBS -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
Sunday December 23, 2012 1pm
The Steelers last two losses have put them in a tough spot, as the Bengals are ahead of them in the division. However, this game is a home game for the Steelers and the Steelers already beat the Bengals in Cincinnati. Another win for the Steelers here and they will own the tiebreaker. This game is very important. The Steelers have looked bad at times, but with their final two games manageable, I expect the Steelers to take care of business and get in. That'll leave the Bengals out. That's too bad.
Cincinnati Bengals 20 Pittsburgh Steelers 27
St. Louis Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
FOX -- Ron Pitts, Mike Martz
Sunday Decemeber 23, 2012 1pm
Things were looking up for the Buccaneers earlier, as they were competing for a Wild Card spot. After four straight losses, with the last two being embarrassing, the Buccaneers are now in disarray. There have been anonymous reports that has a player criticizing head coach Greg Schiano. I shouldn't forget to mention the mini scuffle that went on in last week's game involving Bryan Cox. The Rams had a chance to stay in the Wild Card race themselves. However, they were embarrassed by the Vikings at home. The Rams can still probably get a Wild Card spot. They'll need to win and have a whole bunch of teams to lose.
St. Louis Rams 23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27
Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos
CBS -- Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
Sunday December 23, 2012 4:05pm
The Broncos continue to roll with a very easy second half schedule. They have the Chiefs at home to end the season as well, so the Broncos will finish at 13-3, most likely giving them the #2 seed. That's important because the Patriots will most likely be a #3 seed, matching both teams up in the divisional round in Denver. QB Peyton Manning has never had a defense that he currently has in Denver. Sure the Broncos defense isn't elite but when Manning was with the Colts, he constantly had the smallest defenses in the NFL. If Manning does what he needs to do and the Broncos defense plays well like they have all season, they can definitely go to the Super Bowl and win it. Let's not get that far ahead yet.
Cleveland Browns 20 Denver Broncos 31
Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals
FOX -- Dick Stockton, John Lynch
Sunday December 23, 2012 4:25pm
The Bears are reeling also, which might be a good thing for the Cardinals. The Cardinals faced a reeling Lions team last week at home and routed them. However, the Bears aren't the Lions. The Bears absolutely need their last two games to have a shot at the playoffs. They also need the Giants most importantly to lose. The Bears winning isn't a given because they have QB Jay Cutler, who is very inconsistent. The Cardinals defense isn't terrible either, but they do have a tendency to quit playing football when things aren't going right. Let's see how this turns out.
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| Ravens LB Ray Lewis (left) and Giants QB Eli Manning. |
FOX -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Sunday December 23, 2012 4:25pm
The Bears will definitely be watching the scoreboard for this game. This game is important for both the Giants and the Ravens. For the Giants, they control their own destiny. Win their final two and they're guaranteed at least a Wild Card spot. For the Ravens, their seemingly untouchable lead in the division is now down to one. The Ravens already clinched a playoff berth with the Steelers loss last week, but they should still play with a sense of urgency to get out of their funk and play a home playoff game. The problem is are they really even that good? QB Joe Flacco seems to still be stuck on mediocre and the Ravens defense isn't as good as in years past. The Giants are desperate also, and they have the talent to get it going.
New York Giants 24 Baltimore Ravens 17
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| 49ers RB Frank Gore and Seahawks S Earl Thomas. |
NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
Sunday December 23, 2012 8:20pm
The 49ers can clinch the division with a win, but it will not be easy at all. Playing in Seattle isn't easy at all, but if there's any team that can handle it, it's Jim Harbaugh's team. Harbaugh always has his team ready to play and matchup against different styles of football that different teams like to go with. The last time these two teams played in Candlestick Park, it was one of the most physical football games of the year. Both teams hit hard defensively and rely on a conservative offensive approach that yields results. The Seahawks will clinch with one more victory and they have the Rams at home next week. Let's see how this one goes.
San Francisco 49ers 20 Seattle Seahawks 13
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