The only big game in the AFC this week is the Colts vs. Titans on Sunday Night. The Colts have made it clear that they could care less about the outcome of this game. Tony Dungy will not keep Peyton Manning in the game for long, and he will rest many of his starters to keep them healthy for the playoffs. This is a big plus for the Titans who need this win to get into the playoffs.
Should the Titans lose by some strange chance to the Colts’ second and third string, the Cleveland Browns will take the Playoff Spot. If the Titans are a potential playoff team, there should be no problem securing this victory, but once again, the NFL is always full of surprises.
On the NFC side, the Redskins vs. Cowboys is probably the biggest game on the slate. As with the Titans, if the Redskins win, they secure the final playoff spot in the NFC. The Cowboys’ situation mirrors the Colts. In recent weeks, they too have suffered costly injuries and need to nurse key players back to health especially, Romo and Owens. While Wade Phillips has not mentioned how he will play his starters, it stands to reason that he will provide them with some rest to get them back to as close to 100% as possible. Unlike the Titans, the Redskins have the home field advantage.
Should the Redskins falter, the Vikings vs. Broncos game in Denver is the next big contest to watch. Should Washington lose and the Vikings win, The Vikings would get the last playoff spot. Without Washington losing, Minnesota does not stand a chance of sneaking into the playoffs.
For those of you who enjoy the real long shot or maybe a miracle would be a better term, there is another team praying that Washington and Minnesota both take a dive. That team is the New Orleans Saints who will be playing in Chicago against the Bears. This is not an easy win as Chicago has turned up their playing heat for no other reason than pride or maybe just to be a nudge to anyone who has a chance to make the playoffs.
We can’t let this blog close without mentioning the last game on this week’s schedule that has any significance. The Saturday night game where the Patriots visit the Meadowlands to visit the “how-did-they-get-so-far-playing-as-they-have” Giants. This game’s significance is only because of New England’s perfect record. We have seen the Giants pull many games out of the magic hat this year, but this one victory would truly shock us because both teams should be thinking about protecting their star players for the postseason. Although the Patriots say they have no quest for perfection, we cannot imagine that they would let the last game of “the perfect season” slip away.
This is our last Big Games blog of the regular season. After this week, we will obviously blog on the playoffs which are all big games. Also, keep in mind that PossessionPoints will blog on NFL issues and teams during the offseason.
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