Denver 17 @ San Diego 31
Neither team plays for anything. San Diego, after losing last week, is eliminated from playoff contention, while Denver is locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC. So Denver won’t be playing their starters, while San Diego will. Look to San Diego to easily take this game.
New York Giants 35 @ Oakland 13
This is a must win for the Giants. They need this to secure the division title. Look for Ely Mannining to have a big day against Oakland’s lackluster defense. Oakland hasn’t played well at all this year, so this one should be over soon.
Carolina 27 @ Atlanta 10
Don’t look for Atlanta to do anything offensively. Mike Vick has had a horrible year. When the two teams met in Week 13, Atlanta was held to just 6 points and Vick threw for just 171 yards, zero TDs and two INTs. Truly, Atlanta is out of luck. Steve Smith will take some TDs.
Baltimore 10 @ Cleveland 13
It’s not going to be a fun game to watch. Two teams playing in a meaningless game. I think Cleveland will bounce back after losing 41-0 in Week 16 against Pittsburgh. Look for this game to shut down, maybe overtime.
Arizona 17 @ Indianapolis 34
Manning, Harrison, James, Wayne and Freeny don’t even have to play an instant for Indianapolis to steam up Arizona. How many of you can name 5 players on the Arizona team? Let’s look at Kurt Warner, Fitzgerald, Boldin, Shipp. . . I can’t even do it and I’m a sportswriter. Manning should play a couple of series and then Sorgi, who looked pretty good last week against Seattle, comes in.
Cincinnati 31 @ Kansas City 34
Expect a lot of offense in this game, although Kansas City will win. I think this is a matchup of a team not as good as their record (Cincinnati 11-4) and a team better than their record (Kansas City 9-6). This game means everything to Kansas City. They need to win just to have a shot at the playoffs. (They would need Detroit to beat Pittsburgh on top of the win)
Miami 23 @ New England 24
Beware, Miami has won five in a row and is now 8-7. Imagine if they were in the NFC, they’d be in the hunt for the playoffs. This is a matchup of two of the best team, look for an Adam Vinatieri field goal to be the game winner. Ricky Williams had 172 rushing yards last week; watch out for them next year.
Buffalo 21 @ NY Jets 10
Buffalo is coming off an upset, upset victory in Cincinnati, why can’t they do it in New York? No, Curtis Martin, where are the Jets going on offense?
Detroit 10 @ Pittsburgh 31
I’m sure it’s bad news for Kansas City fans, but the bus, Jerome Bettis, will be racing all over Detroit. This game has a huge playoff implication, so Detroit will be looking to play the role of spoiler. However, it took a final second field goal, at home, against the lonely Saints to win last week, so Kansas City will go home.
New Orleans 6 @ Tampa Bay 34
At the beginning of the year, the main players in New Orleans were McAllister, Brooks and Horn. None of the three has done anything this year. Tampa Bay will get away with the New Orleans defense, whose only practice field is a high school football field.
Seattle 20 @ Green Bay 28
Something tells me Brett Favre will get his magic back in this game, because it could be his last. On the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, against his former coach Favre, he will have his best game of the season. Oh yeah, this game means nothing to Seattle, which will bench its starters.
Tennessee 13 @ Jacksonville 27
It looks like Leftwich will return for a playoff tune-up, though his action will be limited. There is not much you can say. Jacksonville is simply a better team. The defense won’t let Tennessee do anything.
Houston 21 @ San Francisco 10
Come on Alex Smith, you haven’t thrown a TD yet, which is hard to believe when you consider that LT has thrown three and is a RB. Houston really doesn’t want to win. Houston has two wins and San Francisco has three wins, so if Houston loses they get the first pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. If San Francisco loses, they will have an even record, which means it all comes down to the tiebreaker.
Chicago 17 @ Minnesota 10
This game means nothing to either team. Minnesota blew a golden opportunity by losing to Baltimore last Sunday night, so expect Chicago to stop Brad Johnson and Chicago’s offense to score enough.
Washington 30 @ Philadelphia 14
Washington has been playing very well lately, winning five in a row. This season literally couldn’t have gone any worse for Philadelphia. Santana Moss will catch some bombs and Washington will pack up for the playoffs.
St. Louis 13 @ Dallas 24
The final game of the regular season, and it should be an easy win for the Cowboys who are rolling after last week’s win. Terry Glenn has been reborn this year and has put up incredible numbers. The Rams don’t have Bulger yet, so his offense won’t do much good.