Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay Packers, 1:00 P.M. ET
Spread: Atlanta by 1
Total: 47.5
If we could switch out the Monday night clash between NFC West also-rans Arizona and San Francisco for another game, this would be the one that should get primetime billing.
On one side, you have the homestanding Falcons, who have the best record in the NFC. The Falcons have won four in a row, and they own wins over three of the league’s 7-3 teams – at New Orleans, vs. Tampa Bay, and vs. Baltimore.
On the other side, you have the Packers, who might actually be the best team in the NFC. The Packers have outscored their last three opponents by a combined 85-10, and they own the signature win of signature wins, a road shutout of the 8-2 Jets.
When you look at the talent on both sides and crunch the numbers, there isn’t a lot separating these two talented teams, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sunday’s showdown go down to the wire. Speaking of numbers, if you are great at crunching numbers and sports stats, check out accounting degrees online
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Given the path that both of these teams appear to be on, we could well see them meet up again in the postseason, so let’s hope that this one lives up to its potential. I expect that it will, and I think it will come down to the final minutes. And in the end, I look for the Packers to pick up another impressive road win and really stake their claim as the team to beat in the NFC.
SPREAD PICK: GREEN BAY +1 (Strength Rating: 5.5/10) – Green Bay has road wins against the Eagles, Jets, and Vikings, and they let wins slip away at Washington and Chicago after leading in the fourth in both, so there’s no fear for Green Bay when it comes to tough road games. They’ll be prepared and ready, and they’ll take care of business.
TOTAL PICK: OVER 47.5 (Strength Rating: 4.5/10) – This one is a tough call. Green Bay has been downright stingy defensively lately, but I think we’ll see the offenses take center stage at the Georgia Dome.
Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 P.M. ET
Spread: Pittsburgh by 6.5
Total: 43
For a bad team, the Bills sure are fun to watch, aren’t they? After notching their first win of the season in Week 10, Buffalo stormed back from a 31-14 halftime deficit to stun Cincinnati 49-31 on Sunday and make it two wins in two weeks.
Beating the Lions and Bengals isn’t exactly something to have a parade about, two wins are two more than what they had this time two weeks ago. Can they make it three in a row by beating the NFC North co-leaders? Don’t discount the possibility, that’s for sure. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has thrown for 1,961 yards and 18 touchdowns in eight games, went for 382 and four scores as the Bills gave the Ravens a fight ‘til the end in a 37-34 overtime loss in Baltimore in Week 7, so they can certainly hang with the best of the best.
Can they slow down Pittsburgh’s offense enough to give themselves a chance? It might actually play into Buffalo’s hands more if they make it a shootout, because the more they throw, the better, it seems, with Fitzpatrick having the hot hand right now. Speaking of hot hands, Ben Roethlisberger is hot right now, with 662 yards and six touchdowns in his last two games, and look for Rashard Mendenhall to have a huge, huge day against the league’s worst run defense.
Buffalo could keep this one close for a while, and they may be able to do so the whole way through, but in the end, I look for the Steelers to score the road win and move to 8-3.
SPREAD PICK: BUFFALO +6.5 (Strength Rating: 5/10) – The Bills have been competitive in a number of their losses, and even if this ends up being another L, I think they can hold their own against the Steelers.
TOTAL PICK: OVER 43.5 (Strength Rating: 8/10) – Defensive stalemate this will not be.
New York Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 P.M. ET
Spread: New York by 7
Total: 44.5
Two team, one record, two different outlooks.
The Giants are 6-4, but that’s not something you can expect Tom Coughlin to be happy about. After standing at 6-2 after Week 9, the G-Men come into Sunday’s showdown with Jacksonville off the heels of back-to-back losses to NFC East opponents to drop a game back of the streaking Eagles.
The Jaguars are also 6-4, but they no doubt feel a lot better about their mark than the Giants do. Jacksonville has won three in a row to move into a tie atop the AFC South with Indianapolis, scoring late touchdowns in each of the last two weeks to score the win.
Can they do it three weeks in a row? I don’t think so.
SPREAD PICK: NEW YORK -7 (Strength Rating: 8/10) – I think we’ll see a much, much improved Giants team this week, much like what we saw after they started 1-2.
TOTAL PICK: UNDER 44.5 (Strength Rating: 7/10) – I think it’ll duck just under here. 27-17 New York.
Washington Redskins vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 P.M. ET
Spread: Washington by 2
Total: 43
I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that the Vikings are a heck of a lot better than their atrocious record, and I’m sure I’m not the only who thinks that we’ll see proof of that now that Brad Childress is no longer calling the shots.
But will better be good enough to take down the Redskins on Sunday? It all depends on which Redskins team decides to show up. Will it be the one that beat Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Chicago? Or will it be the one that lost to St. Louis and Detroit?
With so much still at stake for the ‘Skins, with the NFC East or a postseason berth not out of reach, I think it’ll be the former that shows up. It might not be pretty, but it will be a ‘Skins win in the end.
SPREAD PICK: WASHINGTON -2 (Strength Rating: 6/10) – I wouldn’t be surprised if Minnesota went in and blew the Redskins away, but I think Washington will find a way to get the W.
TOTAL PICK: OVER 43 (Strength Rating: 6/10) – The Redskins put up 465 at Tennessee last week, and until the Vikings start to improve defensively, then I don’t see any reason to expect them to get the job done. The same can be said of the Redskins, who may have held Tennessee to only 16 points on the road…but it must be taken into consideration that for a large stretch, the Titans were playing with a rookie quarterback getting his first significant NFL action.
