NFL Week 16 Cheat Sheet
Ahh, Christmas time is here, and the cabinets in our kitchen are covered with Christmas cards from family and friends. I can't remember the last time we sent out a family Christmas card. We probably haven't done it since we have had children.
Maybe we will get to it next year. A Hoosier on the Potomac marketing staff, however, will not miss an opportunity to communicate with you -- the faithful reader. Consider the photo below as the first-ever AHOTP e-Christmas card. Enjoy!
I ran across an incredible Christmas column by sports columnist Gregg Doyel of the IndyStar this week. Consider this the first-ever AHOTP Christmas present to you. Seriously, give this a read.
The Army Team is gifting West Point fans with a bowl appearance today versus San Diego State. Alex Funderburke of Forgotten5 has gifted us with a preview of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
And, as we do every week, we present the gift of the cheat sheet. Happy Holidays!
Indianapolis Colts vs. (-13.0) Baltimore Ravens: As an Indianapolis Colts fan living along the Potomac, this game is perfect. Right? I could throw on my Pat McAfee jersey, and be at the stadium within an hour. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Indianapolis is so bad I don't care to put any energy or money toward anything they do. Chris Schisler of Ravens blog the Ebony Bird, says he would be alarmed if the game is even close. Let's just get this Colts season finished as soon as possible. -- RAVENS
Minnesota Vikings vs. (+9.0) Green Bay Packers: Green Bay lost 31-24 last week to the Carolina Panthers. That loss coupled with an Atlanta Falcons win knocked the Packers out of playoff contention. The Packers then put QB Aaron Rodgers on the injured reserve list, and turned the offense back over to second-year QB Brett Hundley. I believe it is perfectly clear who to pick in this game. -- VIKINGS
Detroit Lions vs. (+3.0) Cincinnati Bengals: Detroit needs to win their last two games and get a little help to make the playoffs. Cincinnati is out of playoff contention, and has lost by 27 (Minnesota Vikings) and 26 (Chicago Bears) points over the last two weeks. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is not returning next year so this will be his last home game as head coach. I know Cincy fans can't stand Lewis because he went 0-7 in the playoffs, but he accomplished things that no coach had ever done with the Queen City footballers -- 57 more wins than any other coach in Bengals history to name one. So does Detroit, with the playoffs to play for, go to Ohio and beat a team with nothing to play for except their coach? -- LIONS
Los Angeles Rams vs. (+6.5) Tennessee Titans: Los Angeles lost a tough one to the Philadelphia Eagles 43-35 two weeks ago at home, but came back last week with a 42-7 thrashing of the Seahawks in Seattle last week. That is impressive. Tennessee can still make it to the playoffs by winning their last two games, but they didn't look like a playoff team last week losing in San Francisco, 25-23, to the 49ers. -- RAMS
Denver Broncos vs. (-3.5) Washington Redskins: Denver won their second in a row last week behind a great performance by QB Brock Osweiler in Indianapolis. Don't get intoxicated by that. It was against the Colts. Washington QB Kirk Cousins will be a free agent this offseason, and he knows the next two weeks are an audition worth millions and millions of dollars. -- REDSKINS
Atlanta Falcons vs. (-6.0) New Orleans Saints: The Falcons beat the Saints two weeks ago in Atlanta, 20-17. New Orleans lost star RB Alvin Kamara along with nine other players to injuries during that game. They also missed a critical field goal attempt. These teams are evenly matched, but the Saints probably won't have a replay of injuries and miscues like last time. -- SAINTS
Cleveland Browns vs. (-6.5) Chicago Bears: Both teams are awful. Both teams play rookie quarterbacks that aren't setting the world on fire. I will take the home team and the better rated defense. -- BEARS
Buffalo Bills vs. (-11.5) New England Patriots: Buffalo would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today, and that would be their first appearance in the playoffs since the 1999 season. The season doesn't end for two weeks, and this trip to New England is one of the two games remaining. The Bills are no where near out of the woods, yet. -- PATRIOTS
Miami Dolphins vs. (-10.5) Kansas City Chiefs: Last week I picked the Dolphins to win on the road, and the Chiefs to lose at home. I was wrong on both counts. Not doing that again. -- CHIEFS
Los Angeles Chargers vs. (+6.5) New York Jets: The Charges are on the brink of playoff elimination. They need to win their last two, and see some other teams lose. They need either the Ravens or Titans to lose out, and finish at least tied with the Bills. The Jets, at 5-9, have already exceeded their most optimistic preseason prognostications. With Bryce Petty now playing quarterback for the Jets, optimistic predictions in New York will cease. -- CHARGERS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (-10.5) Carolina Panthers: Prior to the season, I predicted the Buccaneers would be a Wild Card team, and the Panthers would not make the playoffs. Wrong on both counts again. I like what Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston said to the press after their 24-21 Monday night loss to the Falcons ("...all we can do is grab our lunch pail and keep working."). Talk won't win this game though. -- PANTHERS
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. (+4.0) San Francisco 49ers: I really struggled with this one, and I am not in love with my pick. I am going with the stellar defense, and the "trash" quarterback. -- JAGUARS
New York Giants vs. (-3.0) Arizona Cardinals: I watched a large portion of the Cardinals game against the Washington Redskins last weekend. Arizona would have won that game by two touchdowns if it wasn't for awful play by QB Blaine Gabbert. Well, Gabbert is out this week, and an equally awful Drew Stanton will start for the Cards. Good enough for me. Don't watch this flaming manure pile of a game. -- CARDINALS
Seattle Seahawks vs. (-5.0) Dallas Cowboys: Since beating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-10 and moving to 8-4 on Dec. 3, Seattle has lost two straight games to fall to 8-6. Dallas, on the other hand, has won three straight to attain their 8-6 record. The Seahawks defense is riddled with injuries, and the Cowboys are getting RB Ezekiel Elliott back from suspension, too. It looks like these teams' opposite trajectories will continue. -- COWBOYS
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (+9.0) Houston Texans: Pittsburgh lost a close one last week to the Patriots, 27-24. That loss drops the Steelers into the #2 seed for the AFC Playoffs, meaning the road to the Super Bowl runs through Foxboro, Massachusetts. Pittsburgh lost more than a game last week though as WR Antonio Brown went down with a calf injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. A lot of bad stuff getting piled on the Steelers right now. Lucky for them they get the Texans this week. -- STEELERS
Oakland Raiders vs. (-9.0) Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles lost MVP-candidate QB Carson Wentz two weeks ago against the Rams, but backup QB Nick Foles played very well last week in a 34-29 win over the Giants. Philadelphia can clinch the NFC #1 seed with a victory Sunday. The Raiders have nothing to play for beyond pride as they finish out a disappointing season. -- EAGLES
Maybe we will get to it next year. A Hoosier on the Potomac marketing staff, however, will not miss an opportunity to communicate with you -- the faithful reader. Consider the photo below as the first-ever AHOTP e-Christmas card. Enjoy!
The Army Team is gifting West Point fans with a bowl appearance today versus San Diego State. Alex Funderburke of Forgotten5 has gifted us with a preview of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
And, as we do every week, we present the gift of the cheat sheet. Happy Holidays!
Indianapolis Colts vs. (-13.0) Baltimore Ravens: As an Indianapolis Colts fan living along the Potomac, this game is perfect. Right? I could throw on my Pat McAfee jersey, and be at the stadium within an hour. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Indianapolis is so bad I don't care to put any energy or money toward anything they do. Chris Schisler of Ravens blog the Ebony Bird, says he would be alarmed if the game is even close. Let's just get this Colts season finished as soon as possible. -- RAVENS
Minnesota Vikings vs. (+9.0) Green Bay Packers: Green Bay lost 31-24 last week to the Carolina Panthers. That loss coupled with an Atlanta Falcons win knocked the Packers out of playoff contention. The Packers then put QB Aaron Rodgers on the injured reserve list, and turned the offense back over to second-year QB Brett Hundley. I believe it is perfectly clear who to pick in this game. -- VIKINGS
Detroit Lions vs. (+3.0) Cincinnati Bengals: Detroit needs to win their last two games and get a little help to make the playoffs. Cincinnati is out of playoff contention, and has lost by 27 (Minnesota Vikings) and 26 (Chicago Bears) points over the last two weeks. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is not returning next year so this will be his last home game as head coach. I know Cincy fans can't stand Lewis because he went 0-7 in the playoffs, but he accomplished things that no coach had ever done with the Queen City footballers -- 57 more wins than any other coach in Bengals history to name one. So does Detroit, with the playoffs to play for, go to Ohio and beat a team with nothing to play for except their coach? -- LIONS
Los Angeles Rams vs. (+6.5) Tennessee Titans: Los Angeles lost a tough one to the Philadelphia Eagles 43-35 two weeks ago at home, but came back last week with a 42-7 thrashing of the Seahawks in Seattle last week. That is impressive. Tennessee can still make it to the playoffs by winning their last two games, but they didn't look like a playoff team last week losing in San Francisco, 25-23, to the 49ers. -- RAMS
Denver Broncos vs. (-3.5) Washington Redskins: Denver won their second in a row last week behind a great performance by QB Brock Osweiler in Indianapolis. Don't get intoxicated by that. It was against the Colts. Washington QB Kirk Cousins will be a free agent this offseason, and he knows the next two weeks are an audition worth millions and millions of dollars. -- REDSKINS
Atlanta Falcons vs. (-6.0) New Orleans Saints: The Falcons beat the Saints two weeks ago in Atlanta, 20-17. New Orleans lost star RB Alvin Kamara along with nine other players to injuries during that game. They also missed a critical field goal attempt. These teams are evenly matched, but the Saints probably won't have a replay of injuries and miscues like last time. -- SAINTS
Cleveland Browns vs. (-6.5) Chicago Bears: Both teams are awful. Both teams play rookie quarterbacks that aren't setting the world on fire. I will take the home team and the better rated defense. -- BEARS
Buffalo Bills vs. (-11.5) New England Patriots: Buffalo would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today, and that would be their first appearance in the playoffs since the 1999 season. The season doesn't end for two weeks, and this trip to New England is one of the two games remaining. The Bills are no where near out of the woods, yet. -- PATRIOTS
Miami Dolphins vs. (-10.5) Kansas City Chiefs: Last week I picked the Dolphins to win on the road, and the Chiefs to lose at home. I was wrong on both counts. Not doing that again. -- CHIEFS
Los Angeles Chargers vs. (+6.5) New York Jets: The Charges are on the brink of playoff elimination. They need to win their last two, and see some other teams lose. They need either the Ravens or Titans to lose out, and finish at least tied with the Bills. The Jets, at 5-9, have already exceeded their most optimistic preseason prognostications. With Bryce Petty now playing quarterback for the Jets, optimistic predictions in New York will cease. -- CHARGERS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (-10.5) Carolina Panthers: Prior to the season, I predicted the Buccaneers would be a Wild Card team, and the Panthers would not make the playoffs. Wrong on both counts again. I like what Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston said to the press after their 24-21 Monday night loss to the Falcons ("...all we can do is grab our lunch pail and keep working."). Talk won't win this game though. -- PANTHERS
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. (+4.0) San Francisco 49ers: I really struggled with this one, and I am not in love with my pick. I am going with the stellar defense, and the "trash" quarterback. -- JAGUARS
New York Giants vs. (-3.0) Arizona Cardinals: I watched a large portion of the Cardinals game against the Washington Redskins last weekend. Arizona would have won that game by two touchdowns if it wasn't for awful play by QB Blaine Gabbert. Well, Gabbert is out this week, and an equally awful Drew Stanton will start for the Cards. Good enough for me. Don't watch this flaming manure pile of a game. -- CARDINALS
Seattle Seahawks vs. (-5.0) Dallas Cowboys: Since beating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-10 and moving to 8-4 on Dec. 3, Seattle has lost two straight games to fall to 8-6. Dallas, on the other hand, has won three straight to attain their 8-6 record. The Seahawks defense is riddled with injuries, and the Cowboys are getting RB Ezekiel Elliott back from suspension, too. It looks like these teams' opposite trajectories will continue. -- COWBOYS
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (+9.0) Houston Texans: Pittsburgh lost a close one last week to the Patriots, 27-24. That loss drops the Steelers into the #2 seed for the AFC Playoffs, meaning the road to the Super Bowl runs through Foxboro, Massachusetts. Pittsburgh lost more than a game last week though as WR Antonio Brown went down with a calf injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. A lot of bad stuff getting piled on the Steelers right now. Lucky for them they get the Texans this week. -- STEELERS
Oakland Raiders vs. (-9.0) Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles lost MVP-candidate QB Carson Wentz two weeks ago against the Rams, but backup QB Nick Foles played very well last week in a 34-29 win over the Giants. Philadelphia can clinch the NFC #1 seed with a victory Sunday. The Raiders have nothing to play for beyond pride as they finish out a disappointing season. -- EAGLES
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