The playoff picture in the NFC became a lot clearer after last week’s games. Even though the top two seeds lost, four teams have clinched a spot and three teams are fighting it out for the final two berths. New Orleans’ bid for a perfect season came to an end after Dallas beat them 24-17 last Saturday night. The most amazing aspect of this game was the fact that the Cowboys held their high powered offense to just 17 points on their home turf. They are still in great position to clinch home field throughout the playoffs after Carolina stunned Minnesota 26-7 in a game where they wanted to bench Brett Favre because of the physical beating the Panthers were putting on him. The Vikings still clinched the North by virtue of Green Bay’s 37-36 loss to Pittsburgh. The Packers fell to 9-5 but are still in control of a wildcard spot. Philadelphia clinched a berth in the playoffs with a 27-13 win over San Francisco. Depending on what happens the next two weeks they could be anywhere from a #2 seed all the way down to #6, but they are in. Arizona clinched the West with a 31-24 last minute win over Detroit and will most likely be the #3 or #4 seed. The Cowboys currently hold down the final wildcard spot, but New York’s crushing 45-12 win over Washington on Monday night kept the Giants in the hunt.
Moving onto week 16 in the NFC, the key match ups we will be reviewing are; Carolina @ N.Y Giants, Dallas @ Washington, and Minnesota @ Chicago.
Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants (-7) Current Over/Under 42.5
Carolina did not look like a 5-8 team when they completely man handled Minnesota on Sunday night to get their sixth win of the year. They were much more physical on both sides of the ball as Jonathon Stewart was the first running back to gain over 100 yards on the Vikings in the last 36 games. Defensively, DE Julius Peppers spent all night in the Minnesota backfield tossing Brett Favre around like a rag doll. If they would have played like that all year long they would be headed back to the playoffs. The Giants went up and down the field like a hot knife through butter in their lopsided win over the Redskins. For the first time in 10 weeks, they actually looked like the team that started the season 5-0. With both teams coming off playing at such I high level, I have to defer to the fact that New York is still very much in the playoff race and they are playing at home. I’m taking the Giants and the OVER.
Dallas Cowboys (-7) @ Washington Redskins Current Over/Under 43
Dallas salvaged their season with the win over the Saints last Saturday night. For at least one more week they do not have to listen to any talk about a December swoon and more importantly they are still in the thick of the NFC East division race. It is hard to know what to make of Washington’s performance last Monday night. After playing such inspired ball even after losing week after week, it appeared they had finally raised the white flag on a season filled with way to many distractions both on and off the field. While the Redskins always seem to play the Cowboys tough, I do think there is anything left in the tank to put up a legitimate fight in this game. Head coach Jim Zorn already has one foot out the door and injuries to so many starters on both sides of the ball have finally taken their toll. Stick with the Cowboys and the UNDER in this one.
Minnesota Vikings (-7) @ Chicago Bears Current Over/Under 41
Three weeks ago Minnesota was 10-1 and seriously challenging the Saints for the top spot in the conference. Since then they gave lost two out of three and suddenly look very beatable, especially on the road. MVP candidate QB Brett Favre is starting to look and play his age, but more concerning is the fact that RB Adrian Peterson, the bread and butter of this team has been held to a total of 151 yards these last three weeks. While they are still the third highest scoring team in the league averaging 28.3 points per game, in this span they have been held to an average of just 18. The main thing in their favor this week is they are playing Chicago. The Bears have to be one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year as they have played below expectations all season long. QB Jay Cutler has been a bust and their vaunted defense is a mere shell of their former selves in the absence of LB Brian Urlacher. The Bears will give it their all as pride is on the line, but it will not be nearly enough. Go with the Vikings and the OVER.
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