Alright, Washington is coming out of a much-needed bye week and is on the verge of clinching a playoff spot. However, It won’t be easy. The NY Giants are coming off a tough and embarrassing loss to Philadelphia. As a result, they are desperate for a win to remain alive in the playoff chase.
Additionally, we had the scathing congressional report on Washington’s toxic work culture. And it wasn’t good for Snyder. Plus, the Bruce Allen testimony was very reviling. But I will blog more about this report as I read through it some more.
The good news is that Carson Wentz was officially activated on the roster and will be backing up Heinicke. I’m uneasy with the idea of Heinicke getting hurt and having Sam Howell come in as the backup. Fortunately, having Wentz as our backup is a luxury not many teams have.
Unfortunately, Tyler Larsen was placed on IR, so his season is over. Also, there is no idea when Chase Young will play, but at least he is on the active roster and getting back into football shape. Hopefully, we can get critical players Benjamin St.-Juste, Antonio Gibson, Montez Sweat, Sam Cosmi, Jamin Davis, and Brian Robinson healthy enough to play Sunday.
Next up, Washington host the NY Giants. The formula remains the same; we need to contain Daniel Jones, stop the run game and keep Jones in the pocket, daring him to beat us through the air. We have multiple variables working for Washington. The recent losses from Tampa Bay and Seattle improve our playoff seeding. Washington needs to win this game decisively. Especially since we have to visit San Francisco on week 16, which will probably be our toughest test this season. Advantage, Washington Commanders.
And for the rest of the league,
DALLAS 27 — TEXANS 23
Dallas continues to luck out and win games they should lose. The Cowboys needed a handful of minutes at the end of the game to barely edge out a win over a wore down Houston team. Next, Dallas visits Jacksonville. Advantage, Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans had this game in the bag, but they ran out of gas in the 4th quarter. Nevertheless, Houston has the makings of a potential contender in 2023, especially if they grab one of the young QBs coming out on next year’s NFL draft. Next, Houston hosts Kansas City. Advantage, Kansas City Chiefs.
EAGLES 48 — NY GIANTS 22
The Eagles were leading 21-7 at halftime and never looked back. I can safely say that Jalen Hurts is now an elite running QB. Still, I’m not impressed with his arm talent, but he is deadly on the run. Next, Philadelphia visits Chicago. Advantage, Philadelphia Eagles.
The time has come to bench Daniel Jones and see if Tyrod Taylor can give NY a spark. At 7-5-1, the Giants are at risk of falling out of the NFC playoff hunt. Next, the NY Giants visit Washington. Advantage, Washington Commanders.
LA RAMS 17 — RAIDERS 16
Baker Mayfield arrived in LA 2 days before this game was played — and surprisingly, he looked pretty good moving the offense. The pairing of Sean McVay and Mayfield will be an exciting thing to watch in the coming weeks. Next, the Rams visit Green Bay. Advantage, Green Bay Packers.
The Raiders lost this game by taking the Rams lightly. This loss indicates the vanilla coaching McDaniels has demonstrated throughout this season. A team loaded with so much talent in all areas of the game should not be 5-8 this season. Next, Las Vegas hosts New England. Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders.
49ERS 35 — BUCCANEERS 7
Brock Purdy looked like an upgrade over Jimmy G. Surprisingly; the offense seemed to flow better with Purdy under center. Christian McCaffrey continues to shine, running for over 100 yards and 2 TDs. Next, San Francisco visits Seattle. Advantage, San Francisco 49ers.
This was a crushing defeat for Tampa Bay. Tom Brady had decent numbers but could not find the end zone until garbage time in the 4th quarter. At 6-7. the Bucs are at risk of missing the playoffs. Next, Tampa Bay host Cincinnati. Advantage, Cincinnati Bengals.
CHIEFS 34 — BRONCOS 28
The Chiefs had a hard time against an inspired Denver team. Patrick Mahomes threw for 352 yards with 3 TDs and 3 picks. Those picks were crucial for Denver to get back in this game. Mahomes has to clean that up for the playoffs. Next, Kansas City visits Houston. Advantage, Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos were down 27-0 midway through the 2nd quarter. But Denver showed grit, rallying back, and even briefly took the lead. This was Russel Wilson’s best game as a Bronco. However, he left the game with a concussion, and his status is doubtful. Next, Denver visits Arizona. Advantage, Denver Broncos.
BILLS 20 — NY JETS 12
The Bills are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the AFC East, and at 10-3, they seem to be in command of winning the Division. Next, Buffalo hosts Miami. Advantage, Buffalo Bills.
Mike White was roughed up pretty badly during this game but showed some toughness by coming back and playing through pain. His status for week 15 is doubtful. Next, the NY Jets host Detroit. Advantage, Detroit Lions.
LIONS 34 — VIKINGS 23
Jared Goff is back in the elite QB conversation, throwing for 330 yards with 3 TDs and no picks. When Goff is well-protected, he is deadly accurate. Receivers DJ Chark and Amon-Ra St Brown are becoming solid receiving weapons for Goff. The playoffs are within reach for Detroit, but they have a tough road ahead. Next, Detroit visits the NY Jets. Advantage, Detroit Lions.
Kirk Cousins delivered the goods, throwing for an impressive 425 yards, 2 TDs, and zero picks. Nevertheless, Minnesota’s Defense continues to underperform. As a result, the Vikings are probably the most overrated 10-3 team in recent memory. Next, Minnesota hosts Indianapolis. Advantage, Minnesota Vikings.
JAGUARS 36 — TITANS 22
Trevor Lawrence was on fire in this game, throwing for 368 yards, 3 TDs, and zero picks. The Jaguars are getting hot, and at 5-8, Jacksonville is looking to challenge Tennessee for the AFC South. Next, Jacksonville hosts Dallas. Advantage, Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Titans have lost 3 games in a row, and at 7-6, they are still on top of the AFC South. But Jacksonville is creeping right behind them. Next, Tennessee visits the LA Chargers. Advantage, LA Chargers.
LA CHARGERS 23 — DOLPHINS 17
The LA Chargers finally looked like the team I expected at the start of the season. Justin Herbert had a very good night, throwing for 367 yards, 1 TD, and zero picks. The Bolts did their damage through the air, with Mike Williams grabbing 6 catches for 116 yards and 1 TD. However, the running game continues to struggle; Austin Ekeler had 15 carries with only 45 yards and 1 TD. Next, the Chargers host Tennessee. Advantage, LA Chargers.
The Dolphins could not get anything going offensively; Tua had a forgettable game, throwing for 145 yards and 1 TD and no picks. Nonetheless, Tyreek Hill had an outstanding game, hauling in 81 yards with 2 TDs, and one of those TDs was an impressive 57-yard fumble recovery. Next, Miami visits Buffalo. Advantage, Buffalo Bills.
PANTHERS 30 — SEAHAWKS 24
Carolina has won 2 games in a row. Suddenly, Sam Darnold is playing better than earlier in the season. The ground game is finding a rhythm and balance between D’onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard. At 5-8, Carolina is one game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South. Next. Carolina hosts Pittsburgh. Advantage, Carolina Panthers.
The Seahawks needed to win this game to keep pace with the NFC playoff hunt. Although at 7-6, things do not look promising for Seattle, their last stretch of the schedule will be a monster test for the Seahawks. Next, Seattle hosts San Francisco. Advantage, San Francisco 49ers.
RAVENS 16 — STEELERS 14
Without Lamar Jackson and with Tyler Huntley at QB, the Ravens are nowhere near as dynamic offensively. However, they did manage to run the ball effectively — J.K. Dobbins rushed for 120 yards and 1 TD. The ground game will be their best chance to keep pace with Cincinnati in the AFC North. Next, Baltimore visits Cleveland. Advantage, Cleveland Browns.
Kenny Pickett left the game in the 1st quarter with a concussion and was replaced by Mitch Trubisky. The Steelers kept this game close, but 3 picks by Trubisky and the inability to stop the Baltimore run game made all the difference here. Next, Pittsburgh visits Carolina. Advantage, Carolina Panthers.
BENGALS 23 — BROWNS 10
The Bengals are on a 5-game winning streak and are on pace to win the AFC North. Next, Cincinnati visits Tampa Bay. Advantage, Cincinnati Bengals.
Deshaun Watson is still working through the rust, so I don’t expect much from him. Nevertheless, it is frustrating to see a team with so much talent only come up with 10 points in a game. Next, Cleveland hosts Baltimore. Advantage, Cleveland Browns.
PATRIOTS 27 — CARDINALS 13
The Patriots got a few lucky breaks for things to go their way in this game. New England leaned on their ground game and their Defense to put Arizona away. Next, New England visits Las Vegas. Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders.
Kyler Murray left the game with a non-contact injury. Unfortunately, it appears that Murray will be out for the rest of the season. In any case, Colt McCoy took over and was roughed up for most of the game. The Cardinals scored 13 points in the 2nd quarter but were scoreless for the rest of the game. A massive overhaul is coming to Arizona, starting with Head Coach Kingsbury. Next, Arizona visits Denver. Advantage, Denver Broncos.
Rod Rioja 