NFL 2013 Season Predictions: Redskins, Ravens, 49ers, Playoffs, & Super Bowl

I guess its a better time than any to give my predictions for this year.  Last years predictions weren't too off, I projected the Ravens to finish 10-6 winning their division along with the Patriots, Texans, and Broncos.  My predictions for the Redskins were 8-8 and with a chance at the Wild Card slot, they stepped it up to 10-6 and won the division with their end of the year winning streak. Other than the 49ers, Falcons, and Packers my NFC Playoff picks looked off.  I predicted the 49ers would finish 10-6 and win the division.  It's a bit tough to predict a tie, so I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt.  My fandom Super Bowl prediction of Ravens vs 49ers actually happened, but my real prediction of Packers losing to the Texans in the Super Bowl fell short.

Ok so lets break down my picks for this year like the ESPN Experts did, well minus the Coach of the Year, MVP, and ROY predictions.

NFL Season Predictions

		My Fan Picks	My Actual Predictions
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION
AFC East		Patriots	Patriots
AFC North		Bengals	Bengals
AFC South		Texans	Texans
AFC West		Broncos	Broncos
AFC wild cards		Bills, Chiefs	Bills, Ravens
NFC East		Redskins	Redskins
NFC North		Packers	Packers
NFC South		Saints	Falcons
NFC West		49ers	Seahawks
NFC wild cards		Seahawks, Falcons	49ers, Saints
AFC champion		Texans	Broncos
NFC champion		49ers	Saints

Story book ending for Peyton Manning, he ascends into football heaven (retirement) with his 2nd Super Bowl ring then Ray Lewis jumps out of the stands and hugs him, which ends up looking more like a tackle because Peyton wasn't expecting it.

Ok time to do the Redskins, Ravens, and 49ers predictions.  I'll start with the local teams then finish with my favorite team.

The Redskins had a great finish to their season last year, their Rookie QB and Rookie RB combo was practically unstoppable, until the injury.  RG3's injury does worry me somewhat, but I think as long as he takes it easy and stays away from Clay Matthews and Ndamukong Suh in weeks 2 & 3, he'll be ok and return from the BYE at full speed.

1. Eagles - LOSS - I think the Redskins will start off somewhat refrained and the Eagles will be full steam ahead.
2. at Packers - LOSS - Home Advantage
3. Lions - WIN - Shoot Out game.
4. at Raiders - WIN - Not sold on the Raiders
5. BYE
6. at Cowboys - WIN - I hear that the Redskins own Cowboys Stadium
7. Bears - WIN - Depends on which Bears show up, but this is winnable.
8. at Broncos - LOSS - The Bronco's should have all of the parts of their defense at this point
9. Chargers - WIN - I don't believe in the Chargers
10. at Vikings - WIN - Refrain (you can't stop) AP, and this is a win in the bag
11. at Eagles - WIN - The offense will be at full speed and keep up with the Eagles for a very enjoyable game to watch
12. 49ers - LOSS - I'll be here in my 49ers gear, the 49ers are winning this one. (Fan Pick)
13. Giants - WIN - Home Advantage
14. Chiefs - WIN - Andy Reid will make this interesting, but the Redskins appear to have a better team than the Chiefs, plus they are at home.
15. at Falcons - WIN - They almost won it last year, I think they can win it this year with a healthy RG3.
16. Cowboys - LOSS - These last two games could flip flop, they are more so to make the NFC race for 2nd place more interesting as the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles chase the Wild Card slot.
17. at Giants - WIN

 That puts them at 11-5, one win better than last year and a much more balanced full season.  I think they will win the division by 1 or 2 games, it won't come down to divisional wins in the NFC East this year.  The other 3 teams will be scrambling for wins towards the end of the season to get a wild card spot.

The Super Bowl Champion Ravens, I think this will be a tough transition year for them.  That got younger, which ultimately will mean they will be faster and possibly healthier, but I think it will take some time to get all components of the team to gel properly.  I know that the preseason means nothing, but at times they looked like confused misfits.  All that tells me is that position ranks weren't really determined and the 1st team hasn't had a chance to get used to playing as a unit.  It will take time, luckily the AFC North and the AFC East have a few teams that should help build confidence.

1. at Broncos - LOSS - Offense vs Offense, I gotta pick Peyton and his deep WR core. This should be a great game, I can't see it being a blow out for either team.
2. Browns - WIN - I expect the Browns to do something this year, just not against the Ravens
3. Texans - LOSS - Texans Defense wins this one
4. at Bills - LOSS - A sleeper loss.  Bills have a decent defense, a better QB, a great RB, and good WRs, I think the Bills can sneak away with this one.
5. at Dolphins - WIN - All of Baltimore will be in Miami on Instagram for this game, the stadium will likely be 75% purple and the Ravens get a big confidence booster.
6. Packers - LOSS - I'm going with Aaron Rodgers on this one.  If the Ravens pass rush is effective, they can make this swing the other way.  Defense will need to be excellent to win this one.
7. at Steelers - WIN - Nice win going into the bye week
8. BYE
9. at Browns - WIN - Feeling fresh from the bye another win to OWN the Browns.
10. Bengals - WIN -  Home Win against the Bengals to feed Ravens divisional confidence
11. at Bears - LOSS -  This could go either way, Home Advantage
12. Jets - WIN -  Do you really want me to explain this?
13. Steelers - WIN - Steelers OWNership with a home win.
14. Vikings - WIN - Home Advantage, plus I trust Flacco more than Ponder.
15. at Lions - LOSS - The Lions high powered offense will out power the Ravens in this road game.
16. Patriots - LOSS -  I just made a bunch of people angry with this one, sorry. I think the Patriots will have a surprisingly good year, this game will put the icing on the season for them.
17. at Bengals - LOSS -  This will likely be a must win for a Wild Card spot, if the Bengals are still playing starters in hope to get a bye then they will get this home win.

Finishing their season at 8-8, I would venture to say that they can get 1 out of the either the Lions or the Bills to finish 9-7 with a chance at the Wild Card in the AFC.

The NFC Champion 49ers, fell short from a Super Bowl win.  Some say it was the refs fault, but I'll just say that the team with more big game experience came out and played harder from the very beginning.  Its hard to expect to win if you are trailing by so much with half of the game gone.  Plus you can never count on refs calls to win games, teams have to play hard all 4 quarters to win games.  I think it was a good experience for a young team, young QB, and a fairly new Coach.  With the emergence of the Seahawks, and a target on their mobile QB, this season will likely be tougher than last year.  The past two years I would say that we were somewhat under the radar, even after going to the NFC Championship most "experts" predicted a huge fall off. 

1. Packers -WIN -  I'll give the advantage to our defense.  Tough game to start the season.
2. at Seahawks - LOSS - Home Advantage plus Guinness World Book Record for loudest crowd might make this game unbearable to watch as a 49ers fan.  It would be awesome if we could silence them though.
3. Colts - WIN - Back home for a win.  Luck  likes to throw INTs, and we have a bunch of folks that like to catch them.
4. at Rams - LOSS -  I don't think we should lose any games to the Rams, but they knew us too well last year, I'll give them this home win.
5. Texans - LOSS - Fanship says we'll win, my gut says it will be close.  I'll give this to the veteran team.
6. Cardinals - WIN - We still have the Cardinals number, Carson or no Carson.
7. at Titans - WIN -  Another nice win to build confidence.
8. at Jaguars (London) - WIN -  Should be a very convincing win, might see BJ Daniels or Colt McCoy in this game at some point.
9. BYE
10. Panthers - WIN - I'll give this to the QB with more weapons and the team with the better offensive line.  Not to mention this is a home game coming off of a bye.
11. at Saints - LOSS - Saints have a vendetta against the Harbaugh led 49ers, with Sean Payton back I think they may have a chance to get this home win against us....maybe.
12. at Redskins - WIN - I already commented on this above.  Defense wins and contains.
13. Rams - WIN -  Bounce back from the week 4 loss with a home win.
14. Seahawks - LOSS -  This game will likely be the deciding game for who will win the division, and the Seahawks will likely have Percy Harvin at this point.  Fanship says we win, but to make things interesting I'll give the Seahawks the sweep. It will make it more fun if we meet in the post season.
15. at Buccaneers - WIN - Might see some backups in the game as well.
16. Falcons - WIN - Last game at Candlestick Park, going out with a West Coast Win over the Dirty Birds
17. at Cardinals - WIN - A strong win going into the post season.

Finishing the season at 11-5, but losing twice to the Seahawks could put us in a Wild Card position if the Seahawks play as expected.  As a fan I believe that we can beat the Texans, get the home win against the Seahawks, and possibly beat the Saints in their house again.  So I guess as a fan I'm saying 13 to 14 wins, but hey I'm a fan, what can I say.

Peyton Manning... On To The Next One

Ok as of 12:00pm 3/7/2012 Peyton Manning is no longer a Colt.  It seemed like it was going to happen but its still hard to believe that it happened.  The question now is where to go? Can he win a Superbowl with another team or will he just come up short? What's the best fit for him? Does he need star WRs, will he take Reggie Wayne with him? Does he need a warm weather team or a team in dome? Does the money even matter to him?  Can he be the first Elite QB to win a Super Bowl with one team then win another with a new team.  Kurt Warner, who wasn't even elite when he went to another team, came the closest to doing this with the Rams and the Cardinals. But remember he left the Rams as a backup and was a backup with the Cardinals at first as well, so this is a different situation.  You have to compare this Manning situation to Joe Montana (49ers to Chiefs), Joe Namath (Jets to Rams), and Johnny Unitas (Colts to Charger).

According to Adam Shefter at ESPN the "Final Four" teams for Peyton are the Redskins, the Jets, the Cardinals, and the Dolphins.  Out of that crew I'd shoot for the Dolphins.  Here's my least likely to most likely breakdown.

Redskins - Not sure the fans want another Vet QB experiment, plus what would happen to that system that they were always talking about, Kyle would have to let Peyton just run things.  Not to mention Peyton would face Eli twice a year and maybe a 3rd time in the playoffs.  That would be good for TV and sales, but Peyton seems too family oriented to want that type of public rivalry on a constant basis.  If it happens its because Snyder has deep pockets.

Jets - Maybe...but does he want to have that two year battle with Brady, both QBs are accustomed to winning their division this would throw a huge wrench in the game plan. Plus what happens to former 1st rounder Mark Sanchez, do they bench him for a couple years to learn behind Peyton or do they try to trade him, can they get any value from a trade for him?  This could happen though, I think the weather and making NY a two Manning town might influence him to go elsewhere. But this has more chance than the Redskins to me.

Cardinals - First off, I don't want this to happen! My 49ers finally get it together and then we gotta face Peyton twice a year. This could add some struggle to our next 2-3 years.  For Manning this is a great location, its warm, he can run the city, and he has Beanie Wells & Fitzgerald to help him and possibly help the Cards get over that hump.  Downfalls, facing a tough 49ers, sack happy, defense twice a year when everyone says you are "one hit away".  Also this is still the NFC so 2 games against Eli a year is very possible.  I don't think that will effect the decision as much as it would in DC.

Dolphins - Still in Brady's division but you are in a warm beautiful place called Miami.  A team that is in need of a QB and a team that is still fairly new as far as talent and coaches.  Doesn't everyone want to take their talents to South Beach?  Brandon Marshall is good WR that can be great with a great QB, Reggie Bush can catch out of the back field to help prevent Manning from getting sacked as much.  The defenses in the AFC East seemed mediocre at best last year, so it might be a safe place to play.

Some other teams that I would keep on the radar are the Seahawks, Titans, Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Broncos, 49ers, Rams, and pretty much anyone else who isn't the Patriots, Saints, Chargers, Giants, Eagles, Steelers, or the Packers have a slight chance at surprising people with a big on Peyton.

Seahawks - Need a QB.  They have decent WRs with potential plus the beast Marshawn Lynch.

Titans - Hasselbeck is nice, but Peyton would be a better vet QB to teach their rookie.

Texans - They are almost there, Schaub has been good but injury's slowed him down, if the Texans can trade him to say...the Redskins to link him back up with Kyle Shanahan and "the system", the Texans would open a spot at QB for Peyton and would be immediate Superbowl Contenders. Adarin Foster, Andre Johnson, Peyton Manning...whoa.

Jaguars - They need a QB. Peyton and MJD plus maybe a tag along from Reggie Wayne to go a long with some of the decent WRs that have potential on their team.  They could be a force to be reckoned with.  Plus it would give him a chance to save a franchise, almost Drew Brees like.

Chiefs - Yeah they got a couple good QBs, but they have a lot of weapons in place that a QB like Peyton Manning could easily assist them in winning their division next year, and not an 8-8 division winning record either.  Healthy Jamaal Charles plus Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breston, and emerging star Jonathon Baldwin.  Thats  4000 yard season easily each year in his contract in a very weak division.

Broncos - How do you shut fans up about Tebow Mania you bring in Peyton Manning. Tebow who?  Why wouldn't John Elway want a QB that is more of a traditional style QB to lead his team.  Tim Tebow took them to the second round of the playoffs, WWPD? 

49ers - The team seems to be coming together the defense and special teams can win games, Alex Smith had a decent year with less errors, an elite QB could take the team to the Super Bowl without a problem.  Well wait there is one problem, no WRs to throw to. Josh Morgan might be back, Ted Ginn should be back, Crabtree will be there.  You got some speed, but none of these guys are #1 WRs.  Peyton would need to bring Reggie Wayne with him or the 49ers would have to make a huge play at a Free Agent WR to make this appealing for Manning.  The other thing, Jim Harbaugh was a QB, he lost his job because the Colts drafted Peyton and even though Peyton stunk his first year, he went on to be the greatest Colt of all time.  That being said it would make for a good "full circle" story but who knows if these guys even get a long. Not to mention that Jim Harbaugh as a former QB likes to puppeteer his offense and has claimed that Alex Smith is his guy.  I think this situation is least likely but it has to be brought up due to the lack of a concrete QB.  But as a fan I think that if the Cardinals or Seahawks go after him, then the 49ers need to be active in that bidding process as well.

Rams - Why not? Sam Bradford has potential but we haven't seen it all yet.  He's has rocky moments and injuries.  He has great potential, but didn't they say that about Alex Smith the frist few seasons?  If you can get an elite Hall of Fame QB to take your team over the top or continute an experiement that hasn't gotten you to the playoff yet, then that might be the way to go.  But I also don't think this is that likely, I also don't think they will draft a QB, probably trade their pick to get more 1st rounders.

Ok I'm done, my favorites are the Chiefs, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Texans in that order.  It would be smart to make some Vegas bets on division winners before he goes to his next team and hope you pick the team that he goes to. 

At 4pm Peyton Manning is official a free agent, let the bidding begin!

Week 17 Picks & Final Playoff Placement

Ok here's my final picks for the regular season.

Lions over Packers - I think the Packers will end up resting some of their key players to avoid injuries, and the Lions want to go into the playoffs still hot.

49ers over Rams - Unless the Niners decide to rest players because they don't value the bye week, then I believe that they should win this game w/o any issues.

Dolphins over Jets - The Dolphins have been hot lately, I'm rolling with them. Not sure about Sanchez when the pressure is on, especially if the run game and defense aren't backing him up.

Vikings over Bears - Bears seems depleted, Vikings seems to have some steam behind them.

Patriots over Bills - Can't see them losing to the Bills twice in one season even if their starters don't play the whole game.

Panthers over Saints - this is a selfish pick, I just want to make sure the Niners get the #2 seed. Plus I like Super Cam as much as I like Brees.  I want him to finish his year off strong and this is an important divisional win to have under his belt.

Eagles over Redskins - I'm just really picking the home team, its nasty up in Philly, plus the Eagles have slowly been coming into their own lately.  So finishing the season with a couple wins to end at .500 would make sure Andy keeps his job. I say they are playing for him.

Jaguars over the Colts - The Jags are still playing to find their identity, the Colts should be playing for Andrew Luck, even if they end up trading the pick or something, that #1 pick holds a lot of weight.

Titans over Texans - The Texans playoff position is set, I'm sure they should be resting their stars for the playoffs.

Bengals over Ravens - The Ravens have been up in down, usually losing the game they should win, but winning the big games.  Not sure what category this one falls in for them, but its a big game for the Bengals and I think they will show up today.

Browns over Steelers - I'm picking this game because I picked against the Ravens above, but I still want them to win the division.  Plus I think the Steelers should be resting Ben and some other players instead of worrying about the bye.

Falcons over Buccs - The Buccs suck and the Falcons playoff positions isn't solidified so a win helps them somewhat.

Broncos over Chiefs - Tebow time, I guess... Orton is a better QB but the Broncs defense has been tough, I would actually like to see the Chiefs win, but I'm going to say based on the press behind this and the magnitude of this game that Buffalo Wild Wings will have the final decision in this game to help the Broncos get the win.

Raiders over the Chargers - the Raiders are still actually playing for a playoff spot so I think they will bring their best today at home to get that final playoff push.

Cardinals over Seahawks - who knows... I just picked the home team.  The Niners may have cooled the Seahawks down a lil last week so maybe they won't bring it like they have the past few weeks.

Giants over Cowboys - I'm picking the home team, the team that plays better later in the season, the team with the better clutch QB.  I think this game will be a shoot out, least turnovers and last to score wins, I'm going with the G-Men.  Although with my team in the playoffs I think I'd rather see the Cowboys win this one but I'm stick with the Giants as my pick.

My NFL Week 8 Picks

This week I'm going to do it a little different, it seems like the majority of the games are highly favored to one team this week so I'm only going to touch on a couple of the games.  My Spotlight game is one that looks like  a AFC Playoff game in the makings, The New England Patriots travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers.  Earlier this week ESPN (AFC East Blog) spotlighted this game as well but spoken like a fan they named the article "Why Tom Brady Owns the Steelers" where they laid down valid points and stats about past games and why the Steeler have a 1-7 losing record against Tom Brady. Also they mentioned points about no matter how great the Steelers defense is playing that Brady single handedly pulls them apart. 

I'm a believer in Brady, I believe he is the best QB in the league right now (with Aaron Rodgers pulling at his coat tail).  I also believe that at their primes he's better than Peyton Manning, but I'm not going to argue that point because it would go on for days with no resolution.  But with all that said I'm completely going against Vegas and ESPN and picking the getting hot Steelers to win this one at home.  Why? Man I just got a feeling.  The Patriots are good this year, but they are flawed, they have shown vulnerability.  The Steelers are my 2nd least favorite team in the NFL, but I think they will make the needed adjustments so that Brady doesn't make them look like the Miami Dolphins.

I'm also Picking The Eagles at home to win over the Cowboys.  I have a feeling that this will be a mistake heavy game and the game will be won on the ground and not through the air like most people probably believe.  The Eagles have a stronger ground game and their defense might actually be coming together after all of these weeks.

San Diego Chargers over Kansas City Chiefs at home.  I believe the Chargers have the better offense but for some reason it doesn't seem like they have been able to put it all together this year, but I think they will step it up to hold their grown in the division.

I'll also take Cincy over Seattle in Seattle.  Now most people probably don't care about this game.  Cincy on the low has proven to have a solid defense this season, not sure if that will take them anywhere with a Rookie QB, Rookie WR, and RB running from the law in a division with the Ravens and the Steelers, but it will win them some games.  Seattle is considered one of the toughest places to play, the noise level in Detriot caused multiple offsides and bad snaps for the past few weeks, Seattle is that time 10 for every game.  I'm sure it has to be the accoustics in the stadium, I can't believe a Seattle team would have more rowdy fans than any team that has actually been winning the past few decades.

Thats All Folks, if any of the other upsets win, just know that I didn't pick the underdog this week (minus the Steelers).

Have a Happy and safe Halloween

Week 7 NFL Picks: USC Bowl & Superbowl Rematches

The USC BOWL - If newly aquired Raider Carson Palmer starts on Sunday he will be facing his former backup Mat Cassel, who is pictures on the right as the back up of Matt Leinart.  Carson was at one point mentioned as a top 3 QB in the league, has never seem to fully recovered from his season ending injury a few years back.  Leinart has been to the Superbowl but only as a backup, he has failed to establish himself as a starter.  Cassel on the other hand got the opportunity to shine when Tom Brady missed an entire season and was able to lead the Patriots to a 10 win season, I believe that they missed the playoffs that year.  But that year earned him faith from other teams and the Chiefs made the move to make him their starter and paid him a pretty penny. As a starter for the Chiefs Cassel won his division and took the team to the playoffs.

Can the Raiders be a bounce back team for Carson, I believe so.  They are an established running team and they really just need someone to manage plays. Carson can do that and he can get ball down the field to his young and fast WRs.  I'm picking the Carson Palmer Raiders to beat the Matt Cassel Chiefs on Sunday.  But if Carson doesn't start, I'm not as confident in this pick.

Now for the Superbowl Rematches this weekend. We have The Saints vs. The Colts and The Steelers vs. The Cardinals in Superbowl Rematches, the only issue is the teams that lost these particular Superbowls are also losing a lot of games this year and aren't anywhere near a Superbowl or Playoff quality team.

Pittsburgh over Cardinals - Only this time the Steelers defense won't have to contribute as much to win this game.

New Orleans over Indy - No Special Teams trickery needed just an easy stroll in the park should be enough for the Saints to win this one.

Seattle over Cleveland - I really don't want the Seahawks to win, but I think they are a better team than they appear and I really don't think Cleveland has what it takes to win.

Detroit over Atlanta - The Lions are one of the NFL's toughest teams, great defense and dynamic offense, The Falcons have just been OK this year.

Tennessee over Houston - I'm going with the home team in this divisional battle.  The fact that the Texans are missing a few key players makes this decision easier to make.

Miami over Denver - Miami has to get a win at some point, Matt Moore didn't look terrible against a good defense, so I think he will look better against a subpar defense. He was able to get the ball there but the coverage of the Jets was very good against the pass.  Even though its Tebow Day in Miami, I feel that the Dolphins can win this one.

San Diego over NYJ - This was a tough pick but I think a rested Philip Rivers will do better at leading his team to victory than Sanchez. For the Jets to win this game they would need to do it on the ground and on defense, not just one, but both of those and I don't see it happening.

Tampa Bay over Chicago - Eh.... Who knows, I just picked the underdog in this one, if they stick to their formula and run the ball as well as the Lions did against the Bears, the Buccs can control the clock and win this game.

Carolina over Washington - I really want the Skins to win this game, but I'm looking at the close games against tough team that the Panthers have loss.  They have the ability to put up points, I haven't seen that yet from the Skins.  Hopefully they prove me wrong.  The Skins best bet as winning is to just run the damn ball, the Panthers suck against the run. If they get away from that and attempt to make a name for John Beck, then it will be a long ride back to DC.  Skins Please Prove Me Wrong.

Dallas over St. Louis - The Rams are an average team with a lot of injures which makes them a bad team.  They also appear to have the toughest schedule in the west, this game isn't any easier.  The Cowboys can have multiple turnovers and mistakes, but still win this game.

Green Bay over Minnesota - Neither Ponder or McNabb stand a chance against this unreal Packers team. The Packers score at will, the Vikings aren't able to do that.

Baltimore over Jacksonville - The Jaguars are another team that just don't seem to have it together enough to win tough match ups. The Ravens are one of the top 3 or 5 teams in the league this year, wins like this should be easy.

My NFL Week 17 Picks & Playoff Predictions

My NFL Week 17 Picks 

& 

Playoff Predictions

Ok here we go with the quick rundown and just so you know my picks are submitted into a pool every week so I do think about my picks before I make them because at the end of the games I like to collect money.  I have only won once this year, but I've been amongst the people battling for the pot on Monday Night several times.  With that said he's the quick rundown.

Atlanta over Carolina: They are in Atlanta, yeah they lost to the Saints but the Saints are the Superbowl champs, who are the Panthers? Road Kill.

Pitt over Cleveland: This will be a tough matchup but I think the Steelers will have the most heart and the most to play for to pull this one out.

Minnesota over Detroit: This could be a close joint, but the Viks looked good last week if they can keep that going they should be able to win without any issues.

Oakland over KC: Oakland has been amazing against divisional opponents this year and they will be the first team to be undefeated in their division but not make the playoffs.

New England over Miami: The Dolphins can't beat the Patriots, unless they decide not to show up today because they got their #1 seed clinched.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay: this was a hard pick for me but I think the Saints will be able to pull this one out mainly because they are at home.  I have a feeling it will be down to the wire though...

NY Jets over Buffalo: The Jets know they need this to make the playoffs and I think they won't allow the Bills to come into NY and play the spoiler role.

Baltimore over Cincy: Cincy has played the Ravens hard in the past few years but I'm confident that the Ravens who are now aware that they have the best WR core, will run the Bengals out of town.

San Diego over Denver: Honestly I picked this because Rivers said its a privilege to play in the NFL and even though his team won't make the playoffs he's going to play today.  And because in one of my fantasy football leagues I'm in the championship with Rivers as my QB (I added Tebow on the bench to give Rivers some encouragement to do better, it worked for Aaron Rodgers in my other Championship I won last week).  

Green Bay over Chicago: The Packers at home will show the Bears why they were predicted to win the division before all of the injures and what not.  Aaron Rodgers has been amazing this year and he will show his talent today against the Bears to give his team playoff hopes.

Indy over Tennessee: The Titans stink and Indy knows if they lose this and the the Jags win, then they are out of the playoffs, its not going to happen.

Philly over Dallas: Vick will use this game as a bounce back game to prove to the people that have started to talk and doubt him based on last weeks performance that him and his young teammates can take this all the way.

San Francisco over Arizona: The Niners beat them in Arizona, I expect nothing less than that from them at home.  Plus I think this year every first game for the new coaches that take over teams, they have won, I expect this to continue for this last game of the season.

NY Giants over Washington: The Giants are an up and down team and have looked more down than anything lately, but I think they will win this game today but it won't be a blow out. I think it will be a game that has a difference of one score in the end.  The win will mean nothing because they still won't make it to the playoffs.

Houston over Jacksonville: If MJD isn't playing I don't think the Jaguars will have what it takes to beat Houston for the 2nd time this year.  They need this win and Indy to lose to make the playoffs, the chances of both happening are probably Vegas odds that could win someone their whole salary by betting just a weeks worth.  

Seattle over St. Louis: I'm only picking this because of home field advantage and as most people know the 12th man in Seattle has helped them win plenty of games.  On top of that the Rams have been horrible on the road this year.  But on the other hand if the Seahawks are smart they will throw this game so that they don't go down in history as the worst team to ever make the playoffs at 7-9, in my opinion.

My NFL Playoff Predictions as of Week 15

NFL Playoff Predictions

as of week 15

My Predictions are exactly the same after week 15, the only thing that is a flip flop, based on week 17 games. I now have Oakland beating KC in week 17 which allows the Chargers to become the #3 seed in the AFC.   Everything else remains the same.

NFL Playoff Predictions

as of week 14

My friend put me on to this playoff predictive page that ESPN is on, and my quick predictions as of now look like this...

click on the image to enlarge

The 49ers will be the first team to enter the playoffs at below .500 based on this prediction.  This is with them losing on Thursday against the Chargers in San Diego but winning in St. Louis then beating the Cardinals in San Francisco to end the season.  Of course in my weekly picks I'm still picking the 49ers to win the game on the Thursday but for this Playoff Predictions page I went with a little more logic than faith.  But honestly the Chargers have lost to a few teams this year that people didn't think they would lose to, and we have had close games with with NFC 3 NFC teams that are for the most part playoff bound.  Greed lost us the game against the #1 seeded Falcons.


No matter how I picked the games the following teams were in it no matter what, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Jets, Falcons, and Philly.  The teams that need the most from their own teams and loses by other teams were the Packers, Jacksonville, and Kansas City.  There was one way that I picked it where the NFC playoffs included Atlanta, Philly, Chicago, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and SF.


The Giants, Chargers, Colts, and Buccaneers were the teams that seemed like they were really on the bubble depending on several factors.