The Observer, December 9, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 13
NFL Guru: Games with playoff implications abound in NFL
There are so many important games this week that I'm going to split my focus from just two games to touch on them all.
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers:
After winning eight straight games the Bears are a surprising 9-3 and leading the NFC North. Pittsburgh has lost their last three games, leaving them on the outside looking in at the playoffs. The Bears won a tight game against the Green Bay Packers by forcing turnovers and playing tough defense, the way they have won all their games this season. The Steelers have struggled against tough teams all season, with losses to Jacksonville, New England, and Indianapolis. The Steelers need a win to reverse their downward spiral, and the Bears make a good target. Chicago is not as good as its record would indicate, and Pittsburgh should be able to put enough pressure on Bears' rookie QB Kyle Orton to force some mistakes and give the Steeler offense a short field.
If Pittsburgh doesn't win here, they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye. Prediction: Pittsburgh, 20-17.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars:
The Colts have some big games ahead on their quest to go 16-0 in the regular season, and this game is the first. The Jaguars need to win to stay in the playoff hunt and would no doubt like to get some revenge for their 10-3 loss to the Colts in Week Two.
Jacksonville looked good last week while rallying late to beat the Cleveland Browns, but in the first half the team was terrible. If Jacksonville wants a chance to win, they're going to need to play a full game. Not that they'd win against the Indy juggernaut evaen if they did, though. Prediction: Indianapolis, 24-13.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers:
After thoroughly beating the Atlanta Falcons 24-6 last week, the Panthers established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC South. The Buccaneers aim to change that this week by beating Carolina, moving the two teams into a tie for first place in the division. Tampa held the New Orleans Saints to only three points last week, but the Bucs were never able to get any momentum on offense and were lucky to walk out with a 10-3 victory.
When these two teams met earlier in the season, Carolina walked out of Raymond James Stadium with a 34-14 win behind a grinding running game and four Buccaneer turnovers. If Tampa Bay can do a better job holding onto the ball this game will be close, but Carolina is just a better team right now. Prediction: Carolina, 21-10.
Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys:
The Cowboys were kicked out of the lead in the NFC East last week, losing 17-10 to the New York Giants. Now they host the Chiefs in a must-win game for both teams. Kansas City has won three in a row, putting itself back into the playoff race, but their last four games (including this one) are against teams with a combined record of 32-16. The Chiefs need every win they can get, because there is a definite possibility they will have to win out to make the playoffs.
Meanwhile, losing to the Giants put the Cowboys in a tough spot. Winning the division is likely the only way Dallas will be able to make the playoffs, and they will have to do it by playing against very strong teams.
The Chiefs high-octane offense meets the Dallas defense, and the Cowboy D will hold just enough to give the offense a chance to win the game. Prediction: Dallas, 30-28.
Cleveland Browns Matchup: Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
The Browns were dealt a tough loss last week, losing to the Jaguars 20-14 and getting shut out in the second half. And to make things even worse rookie WR Braylon Edwards, who was just starting to perform well, tore his ACL in the fourth quarter and will miss the rest of the season.
On the plus side, rookie QB Charlie Frye did an excellent job in his first career start, passing for 226 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
The Bengals come into this game after winning a big game against the Steelers to take control of the division. Cincinnati made a big statement, beating Pittsburgh in a shootout by capitalizing on key interceptions thrown by Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.
This game probably won't be a close one, unless the Bengals decide to blow off practice all week. But it will be a good test for the Browns, to see how they come back after last week's disappointing loss. Prediction: Cincinnati, 24-13.
