The First big game of this week is truly the first game of the week: Thursday night’s contest between the Packers and the Cowboys. While neither of these teams appear to be in any peril about winning their division or making the playoffs, this game is significant because the winner will most likely gain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. PossessionPoints.com agrees with the odds makers who project the Cowboys to be a seven-point favorite.
The next big game, of which there are quite a few this week, is the Seahawks at the Eagles. This game will be in Philly, and PossessionPoints has the Eagles winning but not by a very large margin. The Seahawks have a two-game lead in their division, but a loss here could bring the Cardinals right on to their heels. Meanwhile, the Eagles are sitting on a 5-6 record and need a win here if they hope to revive their playoff hopes for this season. The Eagles have been aided in their playoff quest by the two recent Lions’ losses and find themselves just one game out of the number two wildcard position. We need to mention that this number wildcard spot is quite crowded. At present, there are six teams with a 5-6 record all hoping to catch the Lions who sit at 6-5 or the Giants who are at 7-4.
The one thing we can say about the Seahawks is that the Birds will win four of the remaining five games on their schedule. No, we are not psychic and don’t buy Super Bowl tickets yet, Seattle. We just looked at their schedule and noted that in their final five games, their foes include: the Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals and Ravens. Sorry, we could not resist.
The third big game on our list is the Bucs vs. Saints. The Saints trail Tampa Bay in the NFC South by two games. A New Orleans’ win would raise their record to 6-6 while dropping the Bucs to 7-5. This would put the Saints in the thick of that number two wildcard race as well as in striking distance for the division itself should the Buccaneers fall further. PossessionPoints current projections have the Saints winning this game and getting the second NFC wildcard spot with a record of 9-7. So, to put it bluntly: this game is huge for New Orleans. They blow this one, they are in deep trouble.
The Lions and Vikings game is the next important contest this week because these teams also are 5-6 and vying for that coveted second wildcard spot. Is any team not 5-6? Anyway, let’s face it. Neither the Lions nor the Vikings have a shot catching the 10-1 Packers even if Green Bay does lose this week.
Okay, on to the Browns and Cardinals. This game is big for (must we say it?) the 5-6 Cardinals as well as the 7-4 Browns. Cleveland is just one game behind the Steelers, and a win here against the Cardinals could land them in a tie with Pittsburgh should the Steelers “slip up” on their turf against the Bengals (That was our feeble attempt at humor at the weather conditions on Monday night).
Okay, no one laugh, but we cannot NOT list the Dolphins vs. Jets as one of our big games this week. This could be the Dolphins’ best hope for a victory this year. Isn’t everyone just rooting for them to win just one? What can it hurt? Even if they win, they are still in line for the number one draft pick next season.
Again, we welcome comments, feedback and opinions. Visit our site at PossessionPoints.com.
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