NFL 2024 Conference Championship Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. The week that was Championship Sunday would see four teams enter competition on Sunday afternoon and evening and we now have two teams that will represent the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The team representing the National Football Conference is the Philadelphia Eagles. The team representing the American Football Conference is the Kansas City Chiefs. In this post, I will break down how these teams got to this point. Let's get to work!

NFL Conference Championship Freaky Stat

Jalen Hurts' three rushing touchdowns and Saquon Barkley's three rushing touchdowns are the most in the NFC Championship Game's history. Philadelphia's 55 points is the most in Conference Championship game history, breaking 1990 Bills record 51 points in the AFC Championship game against the Raiders. 

NFL Conference Championship Recap

Washington 23, Philadelphia 55

Pick: Eagles

Philadelphia clobbers Washington and makes it back to the Super Bowl. Jayden Daniels hit 29 of 48 passes for 255 yards with a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin. McLaurin's touchdown of 36 yards was the longest pass play for the Commanders. Jayden Daniels would toss an interception in the game. Daniels would also rush into the endzone for a score while getting six carries for 48 yards in the game. Washington's longest run in the game was a 19-yard run by Daniels. Brian Robinson was running back with the most yards with 11 carries for 36 yards in the game. Zach Ertz had 11 catches for 104 yards in the game. Washington would come undone in this game due to many factors: turnovers, unable to stop the run and not getting production on the run game. The first turnover was a Dyami Brown fumble which turned into a Eagles touchdown. Turnovers yielded to Eagles touchdowns. You're not going to win games against a great team like the Eagles like that. Pass protection would fail Washington as well as the Eagles did get to Jayden Daniels early and often. It was just hope and luck that would need to fall for Washington in this game and sadly it wasn't meant to be. Jayden Daniels has been a nice story and Washington's revitalization from a 4-win team last year to a NFC Championship Game appearance is nothing short but amazing and would make for a great story. For the Commanders, they got humbled but have something to look forward to next season while getting 350 total yards. 

Jalen Hurts hit 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards with a touchdown pass to AJ Brown. The passing game would be a footnote to what the run game would do to the Washington Commanders in this one. Saquon Barkley would do his thing and had 15 carries for 118 yards with three touchdowns. The touchdown runs were from 60, 4 and 4 yards. His 3rd touchdown would give a hat trick and would channel his inner Steph Curry and went to bed. Will Shipley had four carries for 77 yards with a touchdown. Most of his carries and yards came in the 4th quarter with Barkley resting the bench. Both Barkley and Shipley had runs of 60 and 57 yards to be the longest runs in the game for the Eagles. Jalen Hurts had 10 carries for 16 yards and had three touchdowns of his own in the game. AJ Brown was the leading receiver with six catches for 96 yards in the game. He had a catch that went for a 31-yard gain to be the longest pass play for the Eagles in the game. Philadelphia would arguably play its best game of the season. They would use their running game a lot in this one with their scoring. Jalen Hurts looked the best that he has ever been and looks like his 2022 self. Philadelphia would even take advantage of some Tush Push's in this one. It's hard to get to a Super Bowl, its even harder to make it back to one after the faltering season they had last year. This season, they look to right the wrong of losing a Super Bowl and will play as the National Football Conference's champion. The Eagles had 459 total yards in the game. 

Next week:

Washington: go sight see in the Capitol or something.
Philadelphia: Bye then Super Bowl vs Kansas City

TW: 1-0

Buffalo 29, Kansas City 32

Pick: Bills

Allen-Mahomes IX provided some great moments. Josh Allen hit 22 of 34 passes for 237 yards with two touchdowns. The two touchdowns went to Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel. James Cook had 13 carries for 85 yards with two touchdowns on 6 and 1 yard plays. Cook had a run of 33 yards that was the longest run play in the game for the Bills. Mack Hollins was the leading receiver for the Bills with three catches for 73 yards and had a catch that went for a 34-yard gain. The Bills would do everything that they could to play well against the Chiefs and they still lost. The defense wouldn't be able to stop the Chiefs and the Bills wouldn't be able to get out of their own way. Penalties would falter them as well as they had some really bad penalties that were so unnecessary. Facemasks, false starts, and pass interferences would cost them as well. The crucial play I think it was the 4th down call for Allen to get for a first down that was ultimately fallen short. The last 4th down play was just a prayer as Chiefs Defensive Coordinator dialed up a blitz that caused Josh Allen to fluster and throw a prayer. He almost had one answered had tight end Dalton Kincaid caught it. It's a pattern that is unmatched in life: death, taxes and the Bills shitting the bed in January. It is still a great season and the Bills were short to get back to the big game. For the Bills, the season ends but did put up 374 total yards in the game. 

Patrick Mahomes hit 18 of 26 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy. The player that the Bills let the Chiefs pick in the draft via trade. Kareem Hunt had 17 carries for 64 yards with a touchdown run on a 12-yard run. Patrick Mahomes had two touchdown runs on 8 and 10 yard plays. He had a run of 12 yards that was also the longest run in the game along with Hunt's run. Xavier Worthy was the leading receiver with six catches for 85 yards. Juju Smith-Schuster had a catch that went for a 31-yard gain to be the longest pass play for the Chiefs. The Chiefs would almost lose this game as they couldn't contain the run of the Bills. It would take a pep talk by Steve Spagnola for the defense to step up as they would plug a Josh Allen sneak for a 4th down conversion. The 4th down and 5 play would have the legend coordinator call on a 4-man rush that would break easily and forced Josh Allen to throw a prayer that would ultimately go incomplete. The Chiefs would do what they had to do to win and that would come on the passing game that would be an Achilles heel for the Bills in the game. The defense would ultimately win the day as they hung tough. The Chiefs are now the first team on the quest to three-peat to get to the Super Bowl. No other team has reached this point in the Super Bowl era that started in 1967. Lombardi's Packers, Shula's Dolphins, Noll's Steelers, Walsh and Seifert's 49ers, Johnson and Switzer's Cowboys, Shanahan's Broncos, and Belichick's Patriots wouldn't be able to achieve this mark. Kansas City has one more game to go to make it happen. They will face off against a familiar foe in the Philadelphia Eagles, who they had beaten two years before in Super Bowl LVII. They will try to do it in two weeks. 

Next week:

Buffalo: Eat some wings or something
Kansas City: Bye then Super Bowl vs Philadelphia

TW: 1-1

Records

2024:
Week 1: 14-2
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 10-6
Week 4: 10-6
Week 5: 3-11
Week 6: 13-1
Week 7: 13-2
Week 8: 9-7
Week 9: 12-3
Week 10: 10-4
Week 11: 11-3
Week 12: 7-6
Week 13: 14-2
Week 14: 11-3
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 12-4
Week 17: 12-4

Week 18: 9-7
Total: 193-80

Super Wild Card Weekend: 4-2

Divisional: 2-2

Conference Championship: 1-1

2012: 164-90-2
2013: 162-92-1
2014: 172-83-1
2017: 164-92
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1
2020: 167-88-1
2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2
2023: 161-111

I will be posting the Super Bowl LIX post sometime around this time next week or so, keep an eye out for it! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2024 Conference Championship Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The Divisional round is over and we are left with four teams. The four teams, two in each conference, will now play for the right to represent their respective conferences. The Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles will play for the George S. Halas Trophy to represent the National Football Conference. The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs will play for the Lamar Hunt Trophy to represent the American Football Conference. By the end of Sunday night, we will know what two teams will represent these conferences. Let's get to work!

Conference Championship Preview

The Conference Championship will have two games played where four teams will play. Championship Sunday will start in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and end in Kansas City, Missouri. There will be a Sunday late afternoon game and then a Sunday night game. Let's get to the picks!

Conference Championship Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. 

Washington @ Philadelphia (FOX; 3:00 pm)

Pick: Eagles

The Commanders beat the Lions and the Eagles beat the Rams last week. Championship Sunday starts with a matchup that is reaching its 3rd meeting this season. The season series between these two teams is deadlocked at 1-1. It also helps when they're literally in the same division. The last time these two met, it was a Washington victory with Jalen Hurts being injured with a concussion. It was a close win as the Commanders would win on a Jayden Daniels pass to Jamison Crowder for a 9-yard score and then a successful two-point conversion. Washington would rely on Jayden Daniels a lot for their scoring as he would account for all of the offensive touchdowns Washington had on that day in late December. I think this game will matter a bit more when it comes to trying to stop Daniels. The wide receivers will need to have a good day and I think the defense will need to find a way to slow down Saquon Barkley who had 150 rushing yards in the last matchup. I think the game will speak more to the Commanders defense to step up in rush defense which allows 137.5 yards/game. In terms of pass defense, they're solid as a unit as they can limit opposing pass offenses to 205.4 yards/game. The Commanders defense needs to slow down Saquon Barkley in order to win this game. 

At least the Eagles have made it this far. Unlike the Ravens. The Eagles offense starts with Saquon Barkley who has 324 rushing yards so far in this playoffs. Had it not been for Jalen Hurts injury in the December 23rd matchup, the Eagles might've won that game. Saquon Barkley had a 2,000 yard rushing season but didn't go after Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. Probably for the best they did that. The Eagles will need him to do his thing. The big thing for this game is offensive line play. They do have a tall task in eliminating the pass rush and run defense of the Commanders who as a unit has 43 sacks on the regular season and three in the playoffs. With the high sack numbers it looks like the defensive line puts a hat on their guy and then the linebackers do their thing. Dante Fowler has 10.5 sacks in the regular season. The defense of the Eagles as a unit has 41 sacks to their name in the regular season. Josh Sweat leads the team in that stat with eight sacks this season. The Eagles lead the NFL with forced fumbles with 18 and Washington just has 12. I think the two teams are evenly matched in terms of skill positions and defensive prowess. I think it will ultimately come down to which offensive line can limit sacks and tackles for losses. Football is a battle in the trenches ultimately. I'll take the Eagles but I do like the story in the Commanders this season. 

All-time series: Commanders lead 90-85-5; 2nd postseason meeting (Commanders lead 1-0)

Buffalo @ Kansas City (CBS; 6:30 pm)

Pick: Bills

The Bills beat the Ravens and the Chiefs beat the Texans last week. The matchup that keeps on coming every year. The Allen-Mahomes matchup is reaching to its 9th meeting, 4th postseason meeting overall. It isn't quite Brady-Manning as both of them had won a ring respectively. Josh Allen has yet to take his team to a Super Bowl let alone win one. He has been dominant against other teams in the playoffs but he has yet to defeat Patrick Mahomes in them. This might change possibly. Josh Allen has played well against the Chiefs but his team around him has usually ended up failing him in some way or another. The 2022 Divisional where there was a thousand touchdowns in the last few minutes and into Overtime, the defense would fail him. Sadly the Sudden Death rules were dead as a touchdown in overtime meant game over. Last year's Divisional where the Bills lost 27-24, the kicker would embrace his inner Scott Norwood and hit a field goal that would go wide right. Football is a team game, Josh Allen will get the credit for their success yes but a dual-edged sword also says failures are squarely on him. Not fair but it is what it is. Fortunately, the Chiefs are somewhat of a shadow of his former selves this season as their offense is just rough around the edges and they somehow get wins. Their defense has had to pick up the load. The key for the Bills I think is ensuring the run game can keep going, keep an eye on Chris Jones at all costs, let alone avoid him and have the defense and special teams focused with a "all hands on deck" sort of deal.

The Chiefs are attempting to do something that the 1968 Packers, 1974 Dolphins, 1976 and 1980 Steelers, 1990 49ers, 1994 Cowboys, 1999 Broncos, and 2005 Patriots couldn't do and get to the Super Bowl for the 3rd straight time. Except for the 1976 Steelers, 1990 49ers and 1994 Cowboys, all the other teams in that list wouldn't even make it to this point in a conference championship as they all fell either in the Divisional, Wild Card or miss the playoffs. The Chiefs have the pressure to get back to the Super Bowl on them. Buffalo is really playing loose and have an "us against the world" mentality. In the playoffs, Patrick Mahomes has dominated Josh Allen's Bills with a 3-0 mark. The 2024 Chiefs just aren't quite the high octane offense they have been this season let alone playoffs. Whether they're saving that for this matchup and the Super Bowl or they have one hand tied behind their back and they're playing with their food. Something just seems off about them. The defense has been playing back to their outstanding performance to last years squad. It just seems like a formula for not outstanding success. To rely on a defense where you face off against an offense that can run the ball will as Buffalo can do and a quarterback that can run and pass just as well as anyone else. There is a reason why three-peats have never happened in the NFL, the long season, free agency, injuries, players retiring are just some of the reason why it never occurs. I still stand by my belief that the field will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl back in the preseason post. I will not turn back now. Let's go Buffalo!

All-time series: Bills lead 30-25-1; 7th postseason meeting (Chiefs lead 4-2)

TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Check local listings for your channel(s).

Washington @ Philadelphia (NFC Championship Game)
Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady

Buffalo @ Kansas City (AFC Championship Game)

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Records

2024:
Week 1: 14-2
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 10-6
Week 4: 10-6
Week 5: 3-11
Week 6: 13-1
Week 7: 13-2
Week 8: 9-7
Week 9: 12-3
Week 10: 10-4
Week 11: 11-3
Week 12: 7-6
Week 13: 14-2
Week 14: 11-3
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 12-4
Week 17: 12-4

Week 18: 9-7
Total: 193-80

Super Wild Card Weekend: 4-2

Divisional: 2-2

2012: 164-90-2
2013: 162-92-1
2014: 172-83-1
2017: 164-92
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1
2020: 167-88-1
2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2
2023: 161-111

See you all after the AFC Championship Game for the Conference Championship Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom

NFL 2023 Divisional Playoff Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. 

NFL Divisional Playoff Freaky Stat

The Baltimore Ravens will get to host the AFC championship game for the first time in their history. You have to go back to the 1970 Baltimore Colts hosting the AFC championship game for the last time that a Baltimore-based team had hosted a conference championship. They hosted the NFL championship game in 1959 and 1968. 

NFL Divisional Playoff Recap

Houston 10, Baltimore 34: TW: Ravens; CV: Texans

It was a slow start but the Ravens will get to host their first championship game in Ravens history. CJ Stroud wouldn't be much of a factor in this game. He hit 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards and rushed for nine yards. His running back help was a hinderance as Devin Singletary rushed for 22 yards on nine carries. It would be a special teams touchdown that would get the Texans going on a Steven Sims 67-yard punt return shortly before halftime. It would be the last time the Texans score for the rest of the 2023 season. Houston's offense was held to 213 total yards. The recipe for the Texans struggles on offense was keeping the running game in check while being forced into long 3rd down situations. Sustaining drives was also a topic of conversation as the Texans were held to just 22:25 time of possession with only 10 first downs. Lamar Jackson was spectacular in his first playoff game since 2021. The passer hit 16 of 22 passes for 152 yards with two touchdowns. The runner also scored two touchdowns while achieving the 100-yard mark. The first passing touchdown went to Nelson Agholor for a short, 3-yard play down the middle in the 2nd quarter. The second touchdown went to Isiah Likely for a 15-yard touchdown where Likely had to leap to grab the ball. Jackson's runs for scores were from 15 and 8 yards. In previous games, turnovers were where the hurt came on the Ravens, in past playoff games Jackson's turnovers came to seven. Jackson had zero turnovers in this one. Baltimore would find success in running the ball as a collective the Ravens ran for 229 yards. Justice Hill rushed for 66 yards. Gus Edwards rushed for 40 yards. Newly acquired Dalvin Cook had 23 yards rushing. Baltimore had success in getting first downs as they had 22 first downs and held the ball for 37:35. For the Texans, their magical season ends in defeat but their future is bright with a rookie head coach and quarterback. For the Ravens, they move on and host an AFC championship game for the first time in their history and the first since January of 1971. 

Next week:
Houston: eat Texas barbeque or something
Baltimore: Conference championship vs Kansas City

TW: 1-0; CV: 0-1

Green Bay 21, San Francisco 24: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers

Dre Greenlaw called game. Jordan Love went to rainy Santa Clara and did eh. He hit 21 of 34 passes for 194 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The two interceptions were grabbed by linebacker Dre Greenlaw. One of them was the game-sealing one for the Niners on a pass down the middle off of a really awkward Love throw. The first touchdown went to Bo Melton for a big 19-yard play. The second touchdown went to Tucker Kraft for a 2-yard play. Aaron Jones rushed for a big game with 18 carries for 108 yards including a 53-yard run. Romeo Doubs had four catches for 83 yards. The Packers had their chances to win. Whether it be the missed or dropped passes for interceptions that Brock Purdy threw. Or the Anders Carlson field goal that was missed and gave the Niners a chance to get the go-ahead touchdown. It felt that despite the turnovers, the Packers were probably the better team. Special teams played a part as Kiesen Nixon returned two kicks for 73 yards, one kickoff return came on a return that came down to the 49ers 20-yard line. They definitely almost pulled off the upset win. The Packers hit 330 yards of offense in the game. Brock Purdy got it done when it mattered most. He hit 23 of 39 passes for 252 yards with a touchdown pass to George Kittle on a 32-yard pass where the tight end was moving left and right to get to the endzone. Christian McCaffrey rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries. He rushed into the endzone on 39 yards and then the 6-yard touchdown that put the Niners in the lead for good. San Francisco got 356 total yards in the game. The Niners struggles really stem from not getting enough production in the passing game. They were mostly held in check by the Packers pass defense. Penalties also played a part as the Niners were flagged six times for 83 yards. They also punted four times compared to the Packers only punting once. For the Packers, their surprise season ends on a sour note but the future is bright in the first year of the Jordan Love era. For the Niners, they will host the NFC championship game for the first time since 2019 and will play in their fourth championship game in five years. 

Next week: 
Green Bay: eat some cheese curds or go to Bucks game.
San Francisco: Conference championship vs Detroit

TW: 2-0; CV: 1-1

Tampa Bay 23, Detroit 31: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Lions

Derrick Barnes makes the play that will live in Detroit sports lore for decades to come. Baker Mayfield hit 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards with three touchdowns but also tossed two interceptions. One of those interceptions came to Derrick Barnes as I mentioned before. The first touchdown came to Cade Otton in the 2nd quarter on a short 2-yard pass play. The 2nd touchdown went to Rachaad White on a red zone trip for a 12-yard score. The third touchdown went to Mike Evans on a 16-yard score. They didn't score again after 4:37 left in the 4th quarter. Rachaad White rushed for 55 yards on nine carries. The Mayfield to Mike Evans connection was prosperous for the Buccaneers as the wide receiver caught eight passes for 147 yards. Tampa Bay had 408 total yards in the game. The theme for the Buccaneers in the game was not sustaining drives and not keeping the football in their hands by not turning the ball over. Sacks played a part as Mayfield was sacked four times. Jared Goff played well in the game. He hit 30 of 43 passes for 287 yards with two touchdowns. The first touchdown went to Josh Reynolds for a 9-yard score up the middle. The 2nd touchdown went to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 9-yard score where the Sun God was found on the right side of the field. It would be the score that gave the Lions the 31 points. The Lions running game would find the endzone as well. The first rushing touchdown went to Craig Reynolds on a play up the middle, for a 1-yard score up the Buccaneers throats. It was Reynolds only carry in the game. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 74 yards with a touchdown. The touchdown was a 31-yard power run to the left. David Montgomery rushed for 33 yards on 10 carries. Amon Ra St. Brown caught eight passes for 77 yards. The Lions offense had 391 total yards of offense in the game. The success to the Lions in the game was the ability to sustain drives as they had 32 minutes of possession time. They had success on 3rd down as they had 6 of 14 conversions while the Buccaneers had 4 of 12. The Lions could've put forth more points as they had finished with 3 of 4 chances in the redzone and 2 of 3 in goal-to-go situations. It felt a bit closer than it seemed for sure. For the Buccaneers, their season ends in the Motor City but have something to build on into 2024. For the Lions, they will go to the NFC championship game for the first time in 33 years as they travel to San Francisco to meet the 49ers next Sunday. 

Next week: 
Tampa Bay: watch a Lightning game or something

Detroit: Conference championship @ San Francisco

TW: 2-1; CV: 2-1

Kansas City 27, Buffalo 24: TW: Bills; CV: Chiefs

Tyler Bass, meet Scott Norwood. You might get along quite nice. Patrick Mahomes entered his first road playoff game. The passer did fine as he hit 17 of 23 passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns. Much to everyone's surprise, both of the touchdowns went to Travis Kelce for 22 and and 3-yard scores. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 97 yards on 15 carries. He scored the last touchdown of the game for the Chiefs on a 4-yard run that gave the Chiefs a 27-24 lead. Travis Kelce had five catches for 75 yards. The key to the Chiefs offense was ensuring that they didn't turn the ball over while getting the ball to their key pass catchers. The Bills defense couldn't stop Patrick Mahomes as they had plenty of banged up players. Kansas City finished the game with 361 total yards. There was a miscue as Mecole Hardman tried to reach for the endzone but fumbled the ball into the endzone. Thus it was a result of a touchback and the Bills ball. Josh Allen had a solid game. He hit 26 of 39 passes for 186 yards with a touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir. The touchdown came to Shakir on a pass that looked like Shakir had to catch it with his tippy toes. It was the last Bills score of the season. Josh Allen the runner had 72 yards rushing with two touchdowns. The Allen touchdowns came on plays for 5 and 2-yard plays. James Cook had 61 yards rushing on 18 carries. Ty Johnson had 40 yards rushing with 7 carries. Buffalo had 368 total yards in the game. The issues for the Bills stem on special teams. They decided to go for a fake punt but sadly that backfired. Granted the ensuing Chiefs possession lead to the Hardman touchback. A lot of blame will go to Tyler Bass who missed the field goal but I think the Bills sequence of plays prior to the field goal was head scratching. The first down play was a James Cook run for 1-yard gain. The 2nd down play was a deep pass play to Shakir that ended up being an incompletion. The 3rd down play was a pass play that ended up being a throwaway. Definitely a questionable sequence of plays. The 44-yard field goal try wasn't a guarantee as the wind was blowing a fair bit from left to right. Unfortunately, he might get the blame for most of the Bills woes. For the Chiefs, they move on and play the Ravens in the AFC championship game next Sunday. For the Bills, the season ends in another heartbreaking way and will have some big decisions to make in the offseason. 

Next week: 
Kansas City: Conference championship @ Baltimore

Buffalo: eat some buffalo wings at B dubs or something

TW: 2-2; CV: 3-1

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 6-8

Week 11: 7-7

Week 12: 9-7

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 5-10

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 10-6

Week 17: 7-9

Week 18: 6-10

Super Wild Card Weekend: 3-3

Divisional Playoff: 3-1

Total: 153-129

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 7-7

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 8-8

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 4-11

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 9-7

Week 17: 9-7

Week 18: 10-6

Super Wild Card Weekend: 4-2

Divisional Playoff: 2-2

Total: 167-115

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday for the Conference Championship picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2023 Divisional Playoff Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again! The Wild Card playoffs are over and the best weekend of the NFL season (in my opinion) is here. My favorite round of the playoffs is the Divisional round. It is truly the mark of a David vs Goliath matchup. You have the teams that have the momentum going their way (David) and the #1 seeded teams (Goliath) going at it. Whether or not who gets the upper hand will yet to be seen.

Divisional Playoff Preview

The NFL's Divisional Playoff round will start in Baltimore, Maryland and finish up in Orchard Park, New York. There will be four games played where eight teams will play. Two games will be played on Saturday and two games will be played on Sunday. Saturday's games will be televised on ABC and FOX. Sunday's games will be televised by NBC and CBS. Let's get to the picks!

Divisional Playoff Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

Houston @ Baltimore (ABC/ESPN; 4:30 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Texans

The Texans beat the Browns and the Ravens had the bye last week. Houston looked really good against Cleveland. They made mince meat of the Browns defense. They turned the ball over on the Browns offense that looked good. They essentially destroyed them. Baltimore should be on high awareness that this team can do the same to them. CJ Stroud took advantage of the good protection and if the Ravens don't get in his face early and often, he will find a way to destroy you. Baltimore has had a history of getting to the Divisional playoff and fade away. The best way to combat the week layoff is to just play smart conservative football and then crank it up during the course of the game. Get the running game going and protect the ball. I still have faith in the Ravens to get it done but they cannot take the Texans lightly and have some respect for them going into this game. 

Green Bay @ San Francisco (FOX; 7:15 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers

The Packers beat the Cowboys and the 49ers had a bye last week. Green Bay prevailed in an upset win against the Cowboys. They took advantage of mistakes that the Cowboys made and really put the hurt on Dallas on defense. Granted the Packers offense was quite efficient as Jordan Love and Aaron Jones scored three touchdowns each in their respective categories. San Francisco looks to be the safer bet of the two #1 seeds coming into Divisional weekend. The Niners are healthy for once in the playoffs, their offense and defense are solid across the board. I question whether or not the loss to the Rams in Week 18 will have any lingering effects on them. Like the Texans, the Packers are a team that you shouldn't take lightly. They will use the "No one expects us to win so let's just play out here with nothing to lose" mantra to heart. I think if the 49ers are going to win they will need to make the Green Bay wide receivers beat you and gameplan around stopping Aaron Jones. Green Bay's plan of attack is to sustain drives and to know where Nick Bosa and Chase Young are at all times. I think San Fran moves on. 

Tampa Bay @ Detroit (NBC; 3:00 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Lions

The Buccaneers beat the Eagles and the Lions beat the Rams last week. A classic NFC Central matchup. The Buccaneers come into this game with a big win against the defending conference champion Eagles. They really got to them defensively, forcing turnovers, forcing many later down and long situations, as well as stopping the Tush Push. The Eagles bowing out means that the NFC is going to be wide open as well as having a new champion in its midst. Offensively the Buccaneers are right there with the rest of the NFL. They can put it in the air with many weapons and the ground with some decent choices at running back. The Lions come off a big win as well. A win 30+ years in the making. Jared Goff and company did just enough to pull off the win and then some. I do question how well their defense can handle the many weapons of the Buccaneers wide receiving corp. Detroit might have a challenge in its midst if they can't stop the Bucs passing game. They should be able to handle their running game. I think the Lions luck ends against the Bucs. 

Kansas City @ Buffalo (CBS; 6:30 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Chiefs

The Chiefs beat the Dolphins and the Bills beat the Steelers last week. Divisional weekend wraps up with Allen-Mahomes, like it should. For the first time in his career, Patrick Mahomes will have to travel to another team's stadium in a game that is not the Super Bowl. It's true that he will have to put on road white uniforms for this game. It is also the first time that Allen-Mahomes will be played in Josh Allen's house. I'm not sure how well Mahomes will face in a hostile environment. He has played road games before in the regular season and has done fairly well. The Chiefs offense has been off a bit. They just miss a detail or two and they fall apart like that. The defense has played well. Buffalo is coming off a big win with a bit less rest but still will be ready to do battle. It is against a formidable foe so all hands will be on deck for sure. It's a toss-up but I will take the home team and give Patrick Mahomes his first road playoff loss. 

TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: All games are being televised nationally

Houston @ Baltimore

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Green Bay @ San Francisco

Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

Tampa Bay @ Detroit

Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth

Kansas City @ Buffalo

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 6-8

Week 11: 7-7

Week 12: 9-7

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 5-10

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 10-6

Week 17: 7-9

Week 18: 6-10

Super Wild Card Weekend: 3-3

Total: 150-128

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 7-7

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 8-8

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 4-11

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 9-7

Week 17: 9-7

Week 18: 10-6

Super Wild Card Weekend: 4-2

Total: 165-113

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all after the Sunday night game for the Divisional Playoff Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom

NFL 2023 Week 14 Recap

Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. The week that was Week 14 brought us some crazy storylines. Such storylines like an upset in Pittsburgh, controversy in Kansas City, a soaker in New Jersey, and a low-scoring affair in Las Vegas. All those games and more in this week's recap post.

NFL Week 14 Freaky Stat

Bailey Zappe's three touchdown passes in the first half was the first time since Week 17 of the 2018 season that a Patriots quarterback did that sort of feat. A guy named Tom Brady did it against the Jets. 

NFL Week 14 Recap

New England 21, Pittsburgh 18: TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers

Bailey Zappe's three touchdowns were just enough to win. Zappe hit 19 of 28 passes for 240 yards with three touchdown passes but also tossed an interception. Ezekiel Elliott one of the touchdowns and Hunter Henry got two others in the game. Elliott would get most of the carries as he rushed for 68 yards with 22 carries. JuJu Smith-Schuster made his return to Pittsburgh again and was a decent force for the Patriots pass game with four catches for 90 yards, including a 37-yard play. At the end of the day the Patriots put up 303 total yards in the game. Mitchell Trubisky got the start for the Steelers. The former Bear hit 22 of 35 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson but also tossed an interception. The quarterback would head into the endzone for the 2nd touchdown while getting 30 rushing yards. The score came after a blocked punt. Najee Harris rushed for a paltry 29 yards on 12 carries. They were limited in the run game for sure. Pittsburgh's offense got 264 total yards in the game. For the Patriots, they snap a five-game losing streak and get their first win since Week 7 against Buffalo but still have a 3-10 record. For the Steelers, they drop to 7-6 and going 0-2 against teams with two wins coming into their contests. 

Next week: 
New England: vs Kansas City
Pittsburgh: Indianapolis

TW: 0-1; CV: 0-1

Detroit 13, Chicago 28: TW: Lions; CV: Lions

Murphy's law reigns supreme for the Lions in the Windy City. Jared Goff hit 20 of 35 passes for 161 yards with a touchdown pass while tossing two interceptions. Goff's passing touchdown went to Josh Reynolds in the 2nd quarter on a 8-yard play up the middle. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 66 yards with a touchdown. Former Bear David Montgomery rushed for 66 yards. It wasn't pretty for 3rd or 4th down conversions for the Lions as they went 6 for 15 on 3rd down while going 1 for 5 on 4th down. Detroit also fumbled in the game on a bad snap. Justin Fields had one of his better games in this one. He hit 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown pass to DJ Moore for a 38-yard play. The two players also rushed for scores as Justin Fields had 58 yards rushing with an endzone trip while DJ Moore had 20 yards rushing with a touchdown. There would be no comeback for the Lions who were down by two scores in a Week 11 matchup against the Bears. Total yardage for the Lions was 267 yards while the Bears got 336 total yards. For the Lions, they drop their 2nd game in the last three games while at a 9-4 record. For the Bears, they get one of the best wins of the season with a 5-8 record. 

Next week: 
Detroit: vs Denver (Saturday)
Chicago: @ Cleveland

TW: 0-2; CV: 0-2

Carolina 6, New Orleans 28: TW: Saints; CV: Saints

New Orleans cruises over the hapless Panthers. Bryce Young hit 13 of 36 passes for 137 yards in the game while rushing for 40 yards in the game. Chuba Hubbard got 87 yards rushing on 23 carries in the game. Miles Sanders got 74 yards on 10 carries in the game. Carolina got 303 total yards in the game while getting just two field goals from Eddie Pineiro. Derek Carr hit 18 of 26 passes for 119 yards with two touchdown passes to Chris Olave and Jimmy Graham. A Derek Carr pass was grabbed by Panthers defender Derrick Brown. Alvin Kamara got 56 yards in the game while seeing the endzone on a 9-yard run that saw him make some sneaky moves. New Orleans somehow got just 207 total yards in the game. Field position was a factor in the game as the Saints would score touchdowns in Panthers territory twice of the three touchdowns. New Orleans got a fumble six that was recovered by D'Marco Jackson on a Johnny Hekker punt. For the Panthers, they drop to 1-12 on the season. For the Saints, they get to 6-7 on the season with somewhat of a hope of staying with the NFC South division race. 

Next week: 
Carolina: vs Atlanta
New Orleans: vs NY Giants

TW: 1-2; CV: 1-2

Houston 6, NY Jets 30: TW: Texans; CV: Texans

Zach Wilson dominates the Texans in rainy East Rutherford. CJ Stroud got 10 of 23 passes for 91 yards. Stroud wouldn't finish the game as he suffered a head injury. Davis Mills hit 1 of 5 passes for four yards in the game. Devin Singletary scored the only touchdown in the game on a 1-yard dive. The game was 0-0 at halftime. Zach Wilson made his return to starting and did well as he hit 27 of 36 passes for 301 yards with two touchdown passes to Randall Cobb and Breece Hall. The Zach Wilson touchdown pass to Cobb was the first score in the game that came on a 15-yard play. The Jets fans in the stands couldn't believe it. Breece Hall got 40 yards rushing on 10 carries. Total yardage for the Texans was 135 while the Jets got a respectable 347 total yards in the game. Zach Wilson's return was part of some controversy as he was possibly being run out of town in the New York media. At least for the moment, he can stay in the area for a bit longer. For the Texans, they miss out of a possible opportunity to improve on playoff positioning with a 7-6 record. For the Jets, they improve to 5-8 with the upset win. 

Next week:
Houston: @ Tennessee
NY Jets: @ Miami

TW: 1-3; CV: 1-3

Indianapolis 14, Cincinnati 34: TW: Colts; CV: Colts

Miscues cost the Colts in Cincinnati. Gardner Minshew hit 26 of 39 passes for 240 yards with a touchdown pass to Mo Alie-Cox for a 2-yard score. Indy's defense got a pick-six from a Jake Browning pass that was grabbed by Ronnie Harrison that would be the Colts 2nd touchdown in 29 seconds. They wouldn't score again in the game. Special teams were an issue for the Colts as Matt Gay missed a field goal and an extra point. Zack Moss rushed for 28 yards on 13 carries. Jake Browning would start for the Bengals. The quarterback hit 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns but also tossed an interception that was returned for the aforementioned pick-six. He would leave the game with an injured hand. AJ McCarron, the 3rd string quarterback, came in and helped seal the deal for the Bengals. Browning would sneak into the endzone on a dive play. Joe Mixon, the regular running back got 79 yards rushing with a touchdown. The Bengals would get their offense going a lot more in the 2nd half and somehow shut out the Colts after halftime. Total yardage in the game for the Colts was 272 yards while the Bengals finished with 385 total yards. For the Colts, they drop to 7-6 while dropping out of the playoff hunt. For the Bengals, they reach to 7-6 while going into a playoff spot. 

Next week:
Indianapolis: vs PIttsburgh (Saturday)
Cincinnati: vs Minnesota (Saturday)

TW: 1-4; CV: 1-4

Jacksonville 27, Cleveland 31: TW: Browns; CV: Jaguars

A fight in Cleveland sees the Browns winning it in tight fashion. Trevor Lawrence hit 28 of 50 passes for 257 yards with three touchdowns and tossed three interceptions in the game. Evan Engram got two touchdown catches and Parker Washington caught the other touchdown. Travis Etienne got 35 rushing yards with a touchdown run. It was an ugly game if you hate turnovers as along with the three interceptions, the Jaguars fumbled on a play targeted to Washington. It was questionable if Lawrence would play as he had a rough ankle injury on Monday night. Joe Flacco had one of his best games as a Browns starter this season. He hit 26 of 45 passes for 311 yards with three touchdown passes but also tossed an interception of his own. David Njoku got two of the passes and David Bell got the other pass.  The first Njoku touchdown came where the tight end was wide open to sail forth into the endzone. Jerome Ford had a decent game with 51 yards rushing on 12 carries. Kareem Hunt got 27 yards rushing on 10 carries. Cleveland's offense was firing on all cylinders as they got 389 total yards. NFL fans will also remember that these two teams met 22 years ago in 2001 on the anniversary of Bottlegate. The infamous game will turn 22 on December 16th. With the way the Jaguars were coming back, it might've looked like it would turn into a reiteration of it. Fortunately for them, it didn't happen. For the Jaguars, they drop to 8-5 but will still have possession of the AFC South. For the Browns, they keep pace in the playoff hunt with a 8-5 record. 

Next week: 
Jacksonville: vs Baltimore (Sunday night)
Cleveland: vs Chicago

TW: 2-4; CV: 1-5

LA Rams 31, Baltimore 37 (F/OT): TW: Ravens; CV: Rams

A back and forth effort in Baltimore and Tylan Wallace calls game. Matthew Stafford hit 23 of 41 passes for 294 yards with three touchdowns. Cooper Kupp, Davis Allen and Demarcus Robinson were the Rams that caught the touchdown passes from Stafford. Kyren Williams got 114 rushing yards in the game. Los Angeles would put forth a magnificent fight as the Rams got 410 total yards. Lamar Jackson would stay alive and fight in this game. He hit 24 of 43 passes for 316 yards with three touchdown passes but also tossed an interception in the game. Lamar was also the leading rusher in the game as he got 70 yards rushing. Unfortunately he would be subjected to a safety on a play where the Ravens attempted to kick the ball illegally. Odell Beckham Jr. played against his former team and caught four passes for 97 yards. The game would have ten lead changes and two ties in what might be the game of the year. Interestingly enough, the normal punt returner Devin Duvernay was injured. Wallace made use of the opportunity and proceeded to break tackles en-route to a 76-yard game-winning punt-six. For the Rams, they drop to 6-7 and miss a chance to get to get back into the playoff hunt. For the Ravens, the dogfight helps them improve to 10-3 as they are the first team in the AFC with a double-digit win record this season. 

Next week: 
LA Rams: vs Washington
Baltimore: @ Jacksonville (Sunday night)

TW: 3-4; CV: 1-6

Tampa Bay 29, Atlanta 25: TW: Falcons; CV: Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield lifts the Buccaneers in an NFC South clash. The quarterback hit 14 of 29 passes for 144 yards with two touchdown passes to Rachaad White and Cade Otton. The Otton touchdown was the game-clinching score. Baker Mayfield would also push himself forward to get six points on a dive play that saw him get some contact. Rachaad White got 102 yards on 25 carries. Tampa Bay got 290 total yards in the game. Desmond Ridder was average in the game. He hit 26 of 40 passes for 347 yards with a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts but also tossed an interception. The Ridder interception was grabbed by Carlton Davis in a play that was read by Davis like a short story. Atlanta would once again give up a safety in back-to-back weeks. Tyler Allgeier got 40 yards rushing on nine carries. Bijan Robinson got 34 yards rushing with a touchdown. Desmond Ridder got 15 yards rushing with a touchdown that gave the Falcons a temporary lead late in the 4th quarter. Atlanta got a good game from Drake London as the wide receiver got 172 receiving yards on 10 catches. Atlanta got 434 total yards in the game. For the Buccaneers, they get to 6-7 and sole possession of the NFC South. For the Falcons, they drop to 6-7 with a missed opportunity to get to having sole possession of the NFC South. 

Next week: 
Tampa Bay: @ Green Bay
Atlanta: @ Carolina

TW: 3-5; CV: 2-6

Seattle 16, San Francisco 28: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers

San Francisco handles its business against Seattle. Geno Smith would not get the start as Sunday morning he was ruled out with an injury. Drew Lock would get the nod. Lock hit 22 of 31 passes for 269 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. DK Metcalf and Colby Parkinson were the Seahawks that caught those passes. Zach Charbonnet rushed for 44 yards on nine carries in the loss. Seattle got 324 yards of offense in the game. It was a dominating effort by San Francisco. Brock Purdy got 19 of 27 passes for 368 yards with two touchdown passes but did have a pass intercepted. Deebo Samuel and George Kittle were the players that caught those passes from Purdy. Christian McCaffrey would do his thing and ran over the Seahawks defense with 145 rushing yards on 16 carries, including a 72-yard run. San Francisco would do some scoring on the ground as Jeff Mason got a touchdown while getting rushing 20 yards. Deebo Samuel would sneak into the endzone on a sweep 1-yard play. San Francisco got 527 total yards in the game. Brandon Aiyuk would forget his awareness for a moment as he fumbled the ball on a pass play and was recovered by Seattle. Other than that it near flawless victory for the Red and Gold. For the Seahawks, they drop to 6-7 losing their fourth game in the last five games. For the 49ers, they get to 10-3 and clinch the first playoff spot in the NFC. 

Next week: 
Seattle: vs Philadelphia (Monday night)
San Francisco: @ Arizona

TW: 4-5; CV: 3-6

Minnesota 3, Las Vegas 0: TW: Raiders; CV: Vikings

Greg Joseph is the hero for the Vikings in Vegas. Josh Dobbs would get the start for the Vikings. He hit 10 of 23 passes for 63 yards. He wouldn't finish due to a coach's decision. The coach's decision was to give Nick Mullens a jump start to the Vikings offense. Mullens got 9 of 13 passes to complete for 83 yards. Alexander Mattison got 10 carries for 66 yards. With two minutes left in the 4th quarter Vikings kicker Greg Joseph hit a 36-yard field goal that would give the Vikings the lead and eventually the win. Minnesota would have 231 total yards in the game. Aidan O'Connell got 21 of 32 passes completed for 171 yards with an interception. The interception was picked off by Ivan Pace Jr. Josh Jacobs got 34 rushing yards on 13 carries. Las Vegas would get 202 total yards in the loss. It wasn't pretty on 3rd down conversions as the Vikings got 8 of 20 3rd downs converted while the Raiders got 3 of 14 conversions on that down. The final score marks the 2nd time in the last 20 years where it was decided by one field goal. The first was a Dolphins-Steelers game back in 2007. Yeah that one Monday night game where the ball would just sit in the puddled field water of Heinz Field. 

Next week: 
Minnesota: @ Cincinnati (Saturday)
Las Vegas: vs LA Chargers (Thursday)

TW: 4-6; CV: 4-6

Denver 24, LA Chargers 7: TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers

Denver gets back on track in Hollywood but ends in tragedy for the Chargers. Russell Wilson was effective in the game as he hit 21 of 33 passes for 224 yards with two touchdown passes but also tossed an interception. The Broncos that caught those passes for scores were Cortland Sutton and Adam Trautman. Javonte Williams got 66 yards rushing with a touchdown. Denver put forth 322 total yards in the game. Justin Herbert started the game for the Chargers. He would hit 9 of 17 passes for 96 yards with an interception. He would feel the heat as he was sacked four times in the six drives that the Chargers would have. It would be one too many as he was injured while attempting a pass. Easton Stick would take over. The former North Dakota State Bison hit 13 of 24 passes for 179 yards. He would help lead the Chargers to their only touchdown drive in the game. Austin Ekeler would score that lone touchdown in the 4th quarter. Los Angeles had 283 total yards in the game. An interesting note is that the Broncos win over the Chargers is their first win against an AFC West opponent on the road since beating the same Chargers team in 2019. For the Broncos, they rebound after a heartbreaking loss and get to 7-6. For the Chargers, they fall to 5-8 with little hope of getting to the playoffs. 

Next week: 
Denver: @ Detroit (Saturday)
LA Chargers: @ Las Vegas (Thursday)

TW: 4-7; CV: 4-7

Buffalo 20, Kansas City 17: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

An offsides penalty would doom the Chiefs in Allen-Mahomes V. Josh Allen hit 23 of 42 passes for 233 yards with a touchdown pass to James Cook but also tossed an interception in the game. Allen would also score a touchdown while on the ground. He had 32 rushing yards. James Cook had 58 yards rushing on 10 carries while catching five balls for 83 yards. All in all, the Bills got 327 yards of offense. Patrick Mahomes got 25 of 43 passes completed for 271 yards with a touchdown pass to Rashee Rice but also tossed an interception. Clyde Edwards-Helaire got 39 yards rushing on 11 carries. Jerrick McKinnon got 19 yards rushing on four carries with a touchdown. Kansas City outgained Buffalo in yardage as they put up 346 total yards of offense. On a play that looked like the Chiefs would score a game-winning touchdown, the play was called back due to Kadarius Toney being offsides. Afterwards, Patrick Mahomes in a rare display of rage, was spouting out words to officials. As far as what words, is probably up to you. Chances are not safe for work words. For the Bills, they improve to 7-6 in a needed win to possibly reach the playoffs. For the Chiefs, they drop to 8-5 but still hold a game lead over the Broncos in the AFC West. 

Next week: 
Buffalo: vs Dallas 

Kansas City: @ New England

TW: 4-8; CV: 4-8

Philadelphia 13, Dallas 33: TW: Eagles; CV: Cowboys

Dominating effort by the Cowboys on Sunday night. Jalen Hurts got 18 of 29 passes completed for 197 yards. D'Andre Swift got 39 yards rushing on 11 carries. Hurts would have 30 yards on five carries. Philadelphia got a fumble-six by Jalen Carter that lead to the Eagles only touchdown in the game. Jake Elliott got two field goals in the game. The Eagles on offense got 324 total yards in the game. Dak Prescott was quite effective in the game as he got 24 of 39 passes completed for 271 yards with two touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup were the Cowboys that got those touchdown passes from Prescott. Tony Pollard got most of the carries in the Cowboys running game with 16 carries for 59 yards. Rico Dowdle got 12 carries for 46 yards with a touchdown run. Brett Aubrey got four field goals in the game. Dallas excelled in offense as they got 394 total yards. Penalties were huge for the Eagles as they were flagged 10 times for 95 yards. Turnovers hurt the Eagles as they gave up the ball three times via fumbles. All in all, the Eagles could do nothing on offense. For the Eagles, they drop to 10-3 with two big losses with a combined scoring margin by 43 points. For the Cowboys, they reach the mark of 10-3. 

Next week: 
Philadelphia: @ Seattle (Monday night)
Dallas: @ Buffalo

TW: 4-9; CV: 5-8

Green Bay 22, NY Giants 24: TW: Packers; CV: Packers

Randy Bullock's late field goal gives the Giants the win. Jordan Love hit 25 of 39 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown pass to Malik Heath that happened on the Packers last drive in the game. Love would toss an interception in the game. AJ Dillon did most of the work on the ground game with 15 carries for 53 yards. Jayden Reed would score a touchdown on the ground while getting 38 yards rushing. Anders Carlson hit three field goals in the game. The Packers would have some miscues including a missed two-point conversion late in the 4th quarter and a muffed punt that would help give the Giants a score. Green Bay got 326 total yards in the game. The legend of Tommy DeVito continues as he hit 17 of 21 passes for 158 yards with a touchdown pass to Isiah Hodgins. DeVito also rushed for 71 yards on 10 carries in the game, including a 26-yard run. Saquon Barkley was a force to be reckoned with as he put forth 86 rushing yards while running it in for two touchdowns. New York would have miscues of their own as they fumbled twice while going 3 for 10 on 3rd down conversions. Randy Bullock's game-winning kick came on a 36-yard game decider that gave the G-Men the win. They finished with 367 total yards. For the Packers, they miss an opportunity to get some traction in the NFC playoffs but falter with a 6-7 record. For the Giants, they improve to 5-8 and play the spoiler role. 

Next week: 
Green Bay: vs Tampa Bay
NY Giants: @ New Orleans

TW: 4-10; CV: 5-9

Tennessee 28, Miami 27: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins

The Titans would fight and claw their way to a win. Will Levis hit 23 of 38 passes for 327 yards with a touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins. Levis also threw an interception in the game. Derrick Henry wouldn't get the yards but he got the touchdowns to prove it with two scores while putting forth 34 yards rushing. At least the Dolphins could do something about that. DeAndre Hopkins had one of his best games as a Titan in this one, catching seven passes for 124 receiving yards. Tennessee got 403 total yards out of their offense. Along with the interception, they also fumbled twice. Tua Tagovailoa hit 23 of 33 passes for 240 yards but didn't throw a touchdown pass. The touchdowns came from Raheem Mostert who rushed for 96 yards while scoring two times. Miami got a touchdown from a Will Levis interception that came from Zach Sieler who turned it into a pick-six from 5 yards. Jason Sanders got two field goals in the game for Miami. The Dolphins really missed out on an opportunity to put to bed the Titans as the turnovers alone should've doomed the Titans. Sadly the Dolphins helped them stick around. For the Titans, they get their first win on the road while improving to 5-8. For the Dolphins, they miss an opportunity to stay even with the Ravens with the #1 seed and fall to 9-4. 

Next week: 
Tennessee: vs Houston
Miami: vs NY Jets

TW: 4-11; CV: 5-10

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 6-8

Week 11: 7-7

Week 12: 9-7

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 5-10

Total: 114-94

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 7-7

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 8-8

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 4-11

Total: 123-85

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all on Wednesday/Thursday for the Week 15 Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom