Tagged As: NFL, Cowboys, Giants, Steelers, Sports, Falcons

Week 15 has already officially started. It started with the Bears outlasting the Saints in overtime in the battle of whose defense could be less effective down the stretch. Really, the most valuable players in that game had to be the turf for making any break away plays on the outside of the field impossible and the coin toss that kicked off the overtime. Whoever won that flip was going to take the ball down the field. It just so happened that the winner was the Bears. That and a huge pass interference make up call put the Bears in field goal range and ended the game.

The rest of the slate is not with out its share of pointless games (Yeah Seattle and St. Louis, loser gets the better offensive lineman in the draft), but there are plenty of games that have tremendous playoff implications.

The biggest and the best game of the week has to be between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. This game is filled to the brim with meaning. They are division rivals, they are historical rivals, and the Cowboys are barely holding on to the last wild card spot in the NFC. I called the Romo collapse last week, but I completely missed the Eli’s collapse. I think with all the fighting in the Cowboys locker room and the Giants wanting to prove that they are not distracted by the banality of their remaining three games will be enough to deliver a death blow to Dallas and cause Jerry Jones to immediately fire Wade Phillips and hire another figure head as head coach.

The game with the most dire standings implications is the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens game. The Steelers have a one game lead, so this game could tie the division for the final two weeks. The number 1 and 2 defenses take the field, so I like to pick the tougher team. That team is the Steelers, but the Pittsburgh offense has failed to impress even Pop Warner teams, so I have no clue. Joe Flacco had his back-to-Earth game last week, so I think he throws a last second touchdown pass and becomes the newest it quarterback in the AFC North.

The underrated game of the week has to be the Tampa Bay Bucs-Atlanta Falcons game. Atlanta is just on the peripheral of the playoffs with an identical record as the Cowboys and the Bucs do not want to lose ground after losing to the AFC South leading Panthers last week. Michael Turner has not been able to punish teams with good lines, so I pick the Bucs and the Tampa-2 to win a squeaker.

The fantasy game of the week is probably the Minnesota Vikings-Arizona Cardinals game. The Vikings are battled to maintain the lead in the NFC North, but the division is pathetic and the winner gets to be trounced in the first round so I see no real playoff implications if they lose.

I do see a chance for Adrian Peterson to increase his lead over the rest of the NFL running backs. He could dominate the Cards for his first multi-touchdown game since Week 7. The Arizona run D does not look bad on paper, but when you consider teams have to pass so much on them just to keep up, well that 96.5 yards a game needs to be inflated. The Arizona offense has enough weapons to pass on any team, so the Vikings top-ten pass defense is not safe.

This Sunday is going to be one of three remaining mad dashes by teams looking for validation with a playoff spot. Desperation is always fun to watch (thus reality television). Enjoy on your couch or with NFL Tickets.