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 2020 Conference Championship Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. The final four teams that came into Sunday are now down to two as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs will play for the ultimate in North American team sports: the Super Bowl. In this post, I'll talk about the two games. Let's get to work!

Tampa Bay 31, Green Bay 26: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
Well, it wasn't a blowout but it wasn't a win either for the Packers. Tom Brady played well enough to win as he threw for 280 yards with three touchdown passes and had three interceptions that would lead to Packers points. Leonard Fournette ran the ball with efficiency as he rushed for 55 yards with a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers threw for 346 yards with three touchdowns and had an interception in the game. His protection was broken down fairly often as Rodgers was sacked six times. Aaron Jones wouldn't get too much going in the running game as he rushed for 27 yards. Jamaal Williams rushed for 23 yards. One call during the 4th quarter really stuck out to the rest of America: Why didn't Packers head coach Matt LeFleur go for it on 4th down instead of getting the three points? You have one of the greatest quarterbacks in a generation in Aaron Rodgers and you don't give him the task to convert a first down. C'mon man. Maybe his reasoning was that maybe the defense could get a turnover as Tampa had been struggling with turnovers during the 2nd half. Either way, give confidence to your quarterback that he can do it. Doesn't really matter now. For the Packers, its another season without a Super Bowl appearance. The window is starting to close even tighter. It'll be a long year for Packerland. 

Next week:
Tampa Bay: vs Kansas City 
Green Bay: eat cheese or something

Buffalo 24, Kansas City 38: TW: Chiefs; CV: Bills
The Chiefs were down 9-0 after the 1st quarter. Kansas City would go on a 38-15 run after the 1st quarter. Josh Allen threw for 287 yards with two touchdowns but also threw an interception in the game. Once again the Buffalo Bills would have to rely on the legs of Josh Allen as he rushed for 88 yards in the game. Devin Singletary would get 17 yards in the game. Buffalo would have to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns in this one but Tyler Bass would go 4/4 in field goals but 0/1 in PAT's. Patrick Mahomes was magical once again as he threw for 325 yards with three touchdowns. Kansas City's running game was just as stellar as the team combined for 114 yards rushing. Damien Williams rushed for 52 yards with a touchdown, Mecole Hardman rushed for 50 on one carry, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for seven yards with a touchdown run. For the Bills, it caps off one of their best seasons in two decades. If they can pick up a running back early in the draft, they could be a scary team to watch next season. For the Chiefs, they move on to the Super Bowl to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Next week:
Buffalo: fix broken tables
Kansas City: vs Tampa Bay

2020 Week by Week Record: 

TW's record:

Week 1: 8-8
Week 2: 15-1
Week 3: 9-6-1
Week 4: 11-4
Week 5: 9-5
Week 6: 7-7
Week 7: 12-2
Week 8: 7-7
Week 9: 10-4
Week 10: 10-4
Week 11: 7-7
Week 12: 11-5
Week 13: 10-5
Week 14: 7-9
Week 15: 12-4
Week 16: 8-8
Week 17: 14-2
Total: 167-88-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 10-6
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 8-7-1
Week 4: 7-8
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 11-3
Week 8: 7-7
Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 11-3
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 11-4
Week 14: 11-5
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 11-5
Total: 163-92-1

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019: 161-94-1

Will make the Super Bowl LV post sometime late this week or early next week. See you then!

-Tom

NFL 2020 Wild Card Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us! The regular season is over and 14 of the 32 teams remain in contention for the Lombardi Trophy to be hoisted come February 7th. It's the first round of the NFL playoffs, also called the Wild Card round. In this post, I'll make my picks for who moves onto the next round. Let's get to work!

Wild Card Picks

Wild Card weekend starts in Orchard Park, New York and finishes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There will be six games shown this round with three games on Saturday and three games on Sunday. Game times will be in three timeslots: 1:05 PM, 4:40 PM, and 8:15 PM (US Eastern time). Each of the NFL's television partners will have at least a game to air. Television networks CBS, FOX, and NBC will have the Saturday games and ESPN, CBS and NBC will have the Sunday games. Let's get to the picks!

Indianapolis (11-5) @ Buffalo (13-3) (CBS): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
Both teams won last week as the Colts beat the Jaguars and the Bills beat the Dolphins. Both teams head into this matchup with heads high. They're evenly matched despite that Philip Rivers is not a mobile quarterback compared to Josh Allen. For Rivers' sake, he does have a legit talent in Jonathan Taylor behind him in most snaps. Indy will need to do is to not have any turnovers and no costly penalties. If you give Josh Allen any advantage he will do it via his legs and arm. Buffalo will need to get its running game going and prove to the world that they belong and that their AFC East crown means something. I think the Bills get it done and get their first playoff win since 1995. 

LA Rams (10-6) @ Seattle (12-4) (FOX): TW: Seahawks; CV: Rams
Both teams won last week as the Rams beat the Cardinals and the Seahawks beat the 49ers. For the 2nd time in two weeks, these two teams will duke it out. Los Angeles comes into this game with a question at who will start for them at quarterback. Two weeks ago, Jared Goff injured his thumb against these same Seahawks. Or will it be the fairly decent John Wolford? These questions make me hesitant in thinking the Rams have a large chance of winning. They'd have to have a great game against these Seahawks. Seattle will need to get better protection of Russell Wilson and keep him upright. Offensive line issues have been a problem and the last thing you'd want is your quarterback to get injured. 

Tampa Bay (11-5) @ Washington (7-9) (NBC): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
Both teams got wins last week as the Buccaneers beat the Falcons and the Football Team beat the Eagles. If you wanted Tom Brady, Chase Young, you're gonna get him. Tampa Bay seems to have the advantage in this game due to better quarterback play and a solid running game to match. The Buccaneers defense isn't that bad as well. I'd like to pick the underdog in this one but Washington could barely beat an Eagles team that benched its young star quarterback in the 4th quarter. Sorry but I'm going with Brady and the Bucs. 

Baltimore (11-5) @ Tennessee (11-5) (ESPN/ABC): TW: Ravens; CV: Titans
Both teams won last week as the Ravens beat the Bengals and the Titans beat the Texans. Round #2 in the Music City. Both teams will make it obvious on where they stand on offense: pounding the rock! Derrick Henry maybe the best running back in the NFL but the Ravens have three legit running backs plus Lamar Jackson to contend with. Both teams defenses will need to step up big in this one if they want any shot to play next week. Better defenses seem to lean towards the Ravens in the game. I'd personally take the Ravens. 

Chicago (8-8) @ New Orleans (12-4) (CBS/Nickelodeon): TW: Saints; CV: Saints
The Bears lost to the Packers and the Saints beat the Panthers last week. Chicago comes into this game lucking their way into the playoffs. Their defense has been pretty good this season and their offense well has been inept in doing what it needs to do. Mitchell Trubisky will need to play out of his mind against one of the better defenses in the NFC in New Orleans. I like the Saints in the game based on what the Bears don't have. Seems pretty simple on who I like. I'll take the Saints.

Cleveland (11-5) @ Pittsburgh (12-4) (NBC): TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers
The Browns beat the Steelers and the Steelers lost to the Browns last week. It'll be the 3rd meeting between these two rivals. Both teams really feeling lucky to be in it for the long haul. Cleveland is ending its 18-year playoff drought while the Steelers finished 12-4 when they had a 11-0 start this season. Cleveland had trouble stopping the Steelers backups. Cleveland will need to play error-free football and keep their emotions in check as if you give the Steelers any leg up, they will be in your face all day. I like the Steelers but they need to get their running game going. 

2020 Week by Week Record: 

TW's record:

Week 1: 8-8
Week 2: 15-1
Week 3: 9-6-1
Week 4: 11-4
Week 5: 9-5
Week 6: 7-7
Week 7: 12-2
Week 8: 7-7
Week 9: 10-4
Week 10: 10-4
Week 11: 7-7
Week 12: 11-5
Week 13: 10-5
Week 14: 7-9
Week 15: 12-4
Week 16: 8-8
Week 17: 14-2
Total: 167-88-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 10-6
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 8-7-1
Week 4: 7-8
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 11-3
Week 8: 7-7
Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 11-3
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 11-4
Week 14: 11-5
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 11-5
Total: 163-92-1

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019: 161-94-1

I'll see you guys on Monday for the Wild Card Recap post! Enjoy the games!

-Tom 

NFL 2019 Divisional Picks

Hello readers! The Divisional round of the playoffs is almost here. One of my favorite weekends in the NFL calendar. It's the David vs Goliath, the battle tested vs the rested, if you make it past this weekend, you're one game away from going to the Super Bowl. In this post, I'll talk about the great Jerry Rice in the NFL 100 spotlight and my picks for the weekend's games. Let's get to work!

NFL 100: A Spotlight

The history of the NFL has had many great names. Many of them dominated in eras where offense was subpar compared to the defense, and vice versa. Only one player in the history of the game dominated from the first snap to the last snap of his career. He played from 1985 to 2004 on three teams. His statistics are records and the 2nd closest player is nowhere near him. He is arguably the greatest player in NFL history, Jerry Rice.

Jerry Rice was born on October 13th, 1962 in Starkville, Mississippi. He was the son of a brick mason. He would attend high school at B.L. Moore High School in Oktoc, Mississippi.

He wouldn't start playing football until his sophomore year. He wanted to play the game in his freshman year but his mother denied the request. After an incident of Rice being truant, the school principal contacted the school's head coach about Rice's speed and was allowed to join the team. Rice would also excel at track and field and basketball.

He attended college at Mississippi Valley State University for four seasons. He quickly became the standout receiver on the Delta Devils, gaining the nickname "World" for how he could catch anything thrown to him. He also set a single-game record for catching 24 passes in a game against Southern University in 1983.

His play in college gained the attention of many scouts but both the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys wanted to draft him. On Draft Day, the 49ers traded two picks to New England for the Patriots first-round choice. Dallas held the 17th pick in the first round. With the draft trade the 49ers selected Rice at pick #16. The Cowboys missed out on him by that much.

Jerry Rice wouldn't take long to impress his team and the rest of the NFL. He was particularly effective in a 10 catch, 241 yard receiving performance against the Los Angeles Rams. Despite early struggles like dropping man catches, Rice earned the NFC Offensive Rookie Of The Year award in his rookie year.

Some of his best football came in the biggest game of all. He was part of three Super Bowl teams with the 49ers in 1988, 1989 and 1994. He won Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXIII.

When he retired, he set career records in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. His 1,549 receptions, 22,895 receiving yards, and 197 touchdowns are all NFL records and no one has come close to it. What really truly made him great was his YAC (Yards After Catch). It was that that made him truly great. He was a great runner with a great catching ability. Arguably the greatest of all time.

Divisional Picks

The Divisional Playoff weekend starts in Santa Clara, California, and ends in Green Bay, Wisconsin. NBC and CBS will have games shown on Saturday and CBS and FOX will have games on Sunday. Let's get to the picks!

Minnesota Vikings (10-6) @ San Francisco 49ers (13-3) (NBC): TW: 49ers; CV: Vikings

The Vikings beat the Saints in the Wild Card round and the 49ers were on a bye last week. The weekend starts with a pretty intriguing game. On paper, it seems that the 49ers should get a win as they do have a better offense in my opinion but their defense is suspect in comparison against the Vikings defense. History should offer a warning to the 49ers as the Vikings once beat the #1 seed 49ers once in the 1987 playoffs (Vikings also beat the Saints on the road as well). Could Stephon Diggs put up Anthony Carter type numbers in the game? Its a possiblity. Its also possible that Adam Thielen could be out for the Vikings in the game as he is questionable. Minnesota will also be without Mackensie Alexander for this game but could return to play in the next game should Minnesota advance. I feel the more rested team will get the win as I tend to like the 49ers running game as a whole with Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, Deebo Samuel, and Tevin Coleman. I think the home team will win on solid defense but I can't stress enough how much of an upset this will be if history repeats itself.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) @ Baltimore Ravens (14-2) (CBS): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens

The Titans beat the Patriots in the Wild Card game and the Ravens were on a bye last week. Mark Ingram is unlikely to play in the game which means much of the workload will fall on Gus Edwards to get the Ravens a win. The Titans could make this a very interesting game with Derrick Henry as running back. If the Titans can control the clock and keep the Ravens offense off the field, this could be a very wild game. Ryan Tannehill is a decent quarterback but I can't think of him having a big game in this one. I'd be surprised if the Titans win this game. Lamar Jackson isn't 40 years old after all.

Houston Texans (10-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) (CBS): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

The Texans beat the Bills in the Wild Card game while the Chiefs were on a bye last week. Houston barely managed to beat a team that shot themselves in the foot in the 2nd half last week. Quite honestly the Texans offense outside of DeShaun Watson needs to play better. He pretty much saved your butts last week. The same in general goes to Patrick Mahomes. He needs to put up better stats than the past few weeks, at least with more passing yards. I like the Chiefs offense a bit more than the Texans offense and in terms of defense I like the Chiefs offense a smidge better than the Texans as they have been playing better as well. I'll take KC.

Seattle Seahawks (11-5) @ Green Bay Packers (13-3) (FOX): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks

The Seahawks beat the Eagles in the Wild Card game while the Packers were on a bye last week. Out of the teams that had a bye last week, Green Bay is probably the most vulnerable of being a one-and-done. The running game is capable of putting up numbers and Aaron Rodgers is good in the playoffs but which of his wide outs are going to step up and put up yardage. Outside of Davante Adams, who can Rodgers rely on? I feel the Packers defense will get tired of the offense going three and out in the game. Seattle has a running game and a capable receiving corp to get them far. If the Packers can't get to Russell Wilson then this game will be very much in Seattle's favor. I hope I'm wrong but I can't trust the Packers offense to put up more points than Seattle. Definitely hope that I'm wrong.

See you guys on Monday for the Divisional round recap.

-Tom

NFL Week 17 Picks

Hello Readers! The final week of the regular season is upon us! Bringing with much intriguing matchups and a look ahead into next week's start of the playoffs. The blog will feature all the regular stuff as well as which head coaches could be seeing a spot in the unemployment line come January 1st.

The playoff picture going into last week was still hazy but with the Seahawks win over the Cowboys, Big D will be watching the playoffs at home after a disappointing season. The Rams win over the Titans last week gave them the NFC West division crown. The first time since 2003 since they were the St. Louis Rams (sorry St. Louis) and 1985 when they were the Los Angeles Rams. Here's a look at the playoff picture at the moment:

AFC:

#1: Patriots (12-3)
#2: Steelers (12-3)
#3: Jaguars (10-5)
#4: Chiefs (9-6)
#5: Ravens (9-6)
#6: Titans (8-7)

Wild card:
Titans @ Jaguars
Ravens @ Chiefs

In the hunt:
LA Chargers (8-7), Buffalo (8-7)

Eliminated:
Every other team not mentioned

NFC:

#1: Eagles (13-2)
#2: Vikings (12-3)
#3: Rams (11-4)
#4: Saints (11-4)
#5: Panthers (11-4)
#6: Falcons (9-6)

In the hunt:
Seattle (9-6)

Eliminated:
Every other team mentioned.

The playoff picture boils down to this: In order for Buffalo to get in they would need to win, and the Chargers + Titans to lose. Chargers beat the Bills earlier in the season so they would be ahead of the Bills due to head-to-head record. For the Seahawks to get into the playoffs, they would need to win and an Atlanta loss to get in. Much more easy to get into the playoffs if you were the Seahawks than the Bills.

Once the regular season is over and every game has been played 12 of the 32 teams will move on to the playoffs while the other 20 teams look for answers to get back to the playoffs for the next season. Much of these decisions loom largely on the coaching staff, or rather the head coach. There's a phrase used in the National Football League for head coaches that get fired/sacked the following Monday after the final week, BLACK MONDAY! Here's a list of head coaches who's on the hot seat, or have already made plans to step down:

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati: The league's second longest tenured head coach made plans to step down back on December 17th of this year. Despite being the Bengals head coach since 2003, he has made the playoffs in 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. However, the name of the game is did you win the Super Bowl that season, and all those playoff appearances mean nothing if you don't win a playoff game. Sadly this news of stepping down should've happened a few years ago.

Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis: The Colts head coach has certainly been dealt with a bad hand especially this season. With no Andrew Luck to help the Colts this season, the brass at the Colts camp could be looking to get rid of Chuck Pagano. Bad draft picks, bad personnel decisions could be seeing this head coach out the door despite making the playoffs in 2012, 2013, and 2014 (making the AFC Championship game in 2014, mind you).

Hue Jackson, Cleveland: The season for the Browns has been horrible (which doesn't say much) and questions of Hue Jackson's tenure at Cleveland once again surfaces. The Browns are sadly a mess that can't necessarily be fixed in a day's time. It seems every time the Browns try to do something good, it comes back to haunt them twofold. For example, the AJ McCarron botched trade earlier in the season. Hue Jackson doesn't necessarily see eye-to-eye on upper management either which could play into it as well.

Other head coaches to look out for: Dirk Kotter (Tampa Bay), John Fox (Chicago), and Jay Gruden (Washington).

A fun contest that has also been had during this season is the pick-em contest between me and my roommate, Cardinal Viking. The winner doesn't get a fancy trophy, money, or get put into the higher echelon of Pick-Em's, nope. The greatest glory is the glory to BRAG! The beginning of the season saw dominance from me while down the stretch it was Cardinal Viking that has been the dominating factor. The last time I did a column for picks we were back to the deadlock tie. Let's take a look at last week's results:

My record:
12-4 (Packers lost, Lions lost, Giants and Cowboys lost, GRRR)

Cardinal Viking's record:
14-2 (only losses were the Lions and Cowboys)

Make a note that in the event of a tie when I write next week's column I'll go to the week results and determine who won.

Week 17 of the regular season will have no Thursday night games, no Saturday games, and no Monday night games. The week will have 7 early games and 9 late games. There won't be a Sunday night football game due to apparently this Sunday will be New Years Eve and who watches football in primetime (uh makes sense I guess). It would be the first time since 1977 that there won't be a prime-time game to end the regular season. Certainly the NFL could've at least gave NBC the Titans-Jaguars game or Panthers-Falcons which has some playoff implications on it. Current TV rules gives both CBS and FOX 8 weeks each to have a doubleheader and the final week will have both TV partners a doubleheader to finish off the week. The week will feature only division games. HERE ARE THE PICKS:

Chicago @ Minnesota: Vikings. Both teams took wins last week as the Bears beat the Browns and the Vikings beat the Packers. The Vikings stellar season finishes off by beating the Bears at home.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh: Steelers. The Steelers got a win against the Texans and the Browns lost to the Bears last week. The 0-16 parade will happen for the Browns as the Steelers beat the Browns handily, even if the Steelers rest their starters.

Dallas @ Philadelphia: Eagles. The Cowboys lost to the Seahawks while the Eagles beat the Raiders last week. The Cowboys could play spoiler to the Philly faithful but when it comes to the Eagles/Cowboys rivalry, I don't think they could possibly let the Cowboys off easy with a win.

Green Bay @ Detroit: Lions. Both teams took losses last week as the Packers lost to the Vikings and the Lions lost to the Bengals. The Lions won easily the previous meeting of the two teams and I hope the Lions beat the Packers so bad, that Dom Capers (defensive coordinator of the Packers) hands his resignation letter and that Aaron Rodgers gives him the bird. Go Lions!

Houston @ Indianapolis: Texans. Both teams took losses last week as the Texans lost to the Steelers and the Colts to the Ravens. The Colts barely won the last time these two teams won and this will change this week as the Texans despite not having DeShaun Watson at QB. Give him something to cheer for!

NY Jets @ New England: The Patriots. The Jets lost to the Chargers and the Patriots beat the Bills last week. The Jets-Patriots rivalry reaches its conclusion for this season as I feel the Patriots will beat the Jets. If the game gets out of hand I feel the Pats could bench their starters in favor of having a healthy Brady come playoff time.

Washington @ NY Giants: Redskins. The Redskins beat the Broncos last week and the Giants lost to the Cardinals. The game could be close as all division games get in the NFC East but the Giants have had a terrible season and maybe they could win, but I won't give them a benefit of the doubt. HTTR

Arizona @ Seattle: Seahawks. Both teams picked up wins last week as the Cardinals beat the Giants and the Seahawks beat the Cowboys. The Cardinals could play a bit of a spoiler in the season finale but it seems to me that the Seahawks look to get hot at the right time and have momentum at their side come playoff time, should they get in.

Buffalo @ Miami: Bills. Both teams took losses last week as the Bills lost to the Patriots and the Dolphins lost to the Chiefs. The Bills look to get back into the playoffs since 1999 and I feel they can do it in this game as the Dolphins aren't particularly great. However, its the Bills and they can choke, still if they win, half the battle is over as they need help to get in.

Carolina @ Atlanta: Falcons. The Falcons lost to the Saints while the Panthers beat the Buccaneers last week. The last time these two teams met the game was very close and the final result came at the end of the game. The Falcons faithful will be loud as the Falcons make it back to the playoffs despite all the 28-3 jokes. I won't let that meme go.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore: Ravens. Both teams got wins last week as the Bengals beat the Lions and the Ravens beat the Colts. The game boils down to the whole spoiler vs hungry teams again. The Ravens look to get momentum on their side as they have a solid offense, great defense and special teams that could make a run into the playoffs. The Bengals however I don't trust them.

Jacksonville @ Tennessee: Jaguars. Both teams took losses as the Jaguars lost to the 49ers and the Titans to the Rams. The Jaguars will have a rebound week as they send the Titans packing out of their own building. The Titans could be out of the playoffs as well.

Kansas City @ Denver: Chiefs. The Chiefs beat the Dolphins last week and the Broncos lost to the Redskins. The Chiefs have had a limp season after starting 5-0, and I think they'll limp their way to a 10-6 record going into the playoffs.

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay: Saints. The Saints took a win last week against the Falcons and the Buccaneers lost to the Panthers. Drew Brees and company look to make a run to the playoffs as they hand their division rival a loss. The Saints could rest their starters as well.

Oakland @ LA Chargers: Raiders. The Raiders lost to the Eagles and the Chargers beat the Jets last week. The Raiders have the power to play spoiler to the Chargers postseason plans and I think I'll take them. Oakland has had a dreadful season with Derek Carr's injury early in the year and I think the Raiders can salvage their record to a 7-9. The game has playoff implications for the Chargers.

San Francisco @ LA Rams: Rams. Both teams got wins last week as the Rams beat the Titans and the 49ers beat the Jaguars. The last time these two teams met was way back in Week 3. The 49ers were a different team then and I don't think they'll quite get over the hump against their division rival. Jimmy Garoppolo of the 49ers hasn't had a loss yet, interesting fact.

Local TV Schedule (vis 506sports.com, subject to change)

CBS Early:
NY Jets @ New England
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

CBS Late:
Kansas City @ Denver
Beth Mowins, Jay Feely

FOX Early:
Chicago @ Minnesota
Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis

FOX Late:
Carolina @ Atlanta
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

For more information on which game is shown in your area check out: NFL Week 17 Maps

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Week 8: 12-1

Week 9: 6-7

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 8-6

Week 12: 14-2

Week 13: 12-4

Week 14: 8-8

Week 15: 14-2

Week 16: 12-4

Overall: 156-84

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Week 8: 11-2

Week 9: 7-6

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 12-2

Week 12: 13-3

Week 13: 10-6

Week 14: 9-7

Week 15: 13-3

Week 16: 14-2

Overall: 158-82

Here's a cool video of some of the best Week 17 playoff clinchers in NFL History. May your team get into the playoffs. The video also features the choke job of the 2003 Vikings (muahhahaha):

See you next week for the Wild-Card picks and playoff predictions, as well as what I got right and wrong back in the Week 1 column.

-Tom