Dave Golokhov has written for Playboy.com, BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
In a rematch of last week’s Week 17 finale, the Eagles and Cowboys continued their storied rivalry in the first round of the playoffs. Before last week’s loss to Dallas, the Eagles were the NFC team-to-beat, and with good reason. They had won six straight, were getting healthier each week and looked better than they had all season.
The Cincinnati Bengals what happened the last time they qualified for the playoffs. It looked like such a bright start as the Bengals looked like the perfect team to knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers…until Kimo Von Oelhoffen fell into Carson Palmer’s knee and threw the franchise off for years.
The Denver Broncos fired coach Mike Shanahan last year when the team lost its final four games, blew a division lead and missed the playoffs. Just one year later under a new coach and a new regime, the Broncos are poised to do the same.
The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this year and they are set to be this way for years to come. The Seahawks have been outscored 106-24 in their last three games and they have a look of a team that is ready to rebuild.
The Washington Redskins may have just hired a new general manager and may be in the process of hiring a new head coach, but they still aren’t playing for next year quite yet.
In the Redskins last five games, they have two wins over the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders, and three losses by a combined seven points (losses to the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints).
The San Francisco 49ers had their Super Bowl last week when they stopped the Arizona Cardinals from clinched the NFC West on Monday Night Football. Now, on a short week, the 49ers have to travel on the road to the East Coast and find a way to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a great shot to catch the New Orleans Saints for the top seed in the NFC but they do have an excellent chance to lock down the No. 2 seed in the conference.
The Dallas Cowboys have begun their annual December collapse and the cure for their ailments is not a road trip to face the lone undefeated team in the NFC. Nonetheless, the Cowboys will try to do what 13 other teams have failed to do: defeat the New Orleans Saints.
The Arizona Cardinals have a division title on the line when they head to San Francisco on Monday night, but there is a little extra incentive that they aren’t being so vocal about.
In Week 1, the Cardinals hosted the San Francisco 49ers and they eventually lost that game because of a shoddy overall team effort.
There will be more than just some good old-fashioned divisional hatred on the line when the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants meet up on Sunday night. The Eagles currently hold the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoff picture while the New York Giants are the No. 7 seed – just one game behind.
The New Orleans Saints are just one of two teams in the NFL that has yet to lose this season and as they head out on the road as a 10-point favorite in Atlanta, the odds makers don’t believe that this is the week that their perfection will end.
If you take a look at the Baltimore Ravens stats, you wouldn’t think that much has changed from last year’s daunting defense. While they are still the third best scoring defense, there has been a noticeable diminishing.
For example: Last week on Sunday night football, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost to Oakland this week with starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the lineup, nearly won on the road in Baltimore with third string starter Dennis Dixon.
The Arizona Cardinals may be without starting quarterback Kurt Warner this week, which would really hamper a matchup of two ageless quarterbacks in the NFC.
Warner led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl last year and Brett Favre is hoping to do the same for the Vikings this year.
The Atlanta Falcons will be very shorthanded this weekend as the Philadelphia Eagles visit. They’ll be without their starting quarterback and starting running back, which is already more starters than they missed all of last year.
Last season, the Falcons only missed one starter for any games as left tackle Sam Baker missed 11 starts. This year has been a very different story as the Falcons, who are already without Harry Douglas, William Moore, Brian Williams and Michael Schneck for the season, and have missed Ovie Mughelli, Jerious Norwood, Michael Turner and Brian Finneran for multiple games, will now be without Turner and Matt Ryan for this week.
The New Orleans Saints may be one of two undefeated teams in the NFL this year but you can rest assured that they will be measuring themselves against the New England Patriots, who are the barometer of success in the NFL.
The Saints have been impressive this year on both sides of the ball, which very well may be the difference in this game. Not only is the Saints offense dominating, the defense has been making plays as well as the additions of coordinator Gregg Williams and safety Darren Sharper have had a huge impact.
Time: 8:30 ET
Venue: Louisiana Superdome
Pats vs. Saints Monday Night Football Lines
MoneyLine: Currently OFF
Spread: Saints -1.5
Over/Under: 56.5
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens renew their rivalry this weekend and while we’ve seen some very physical, intense contests between the two teams in recent years, this week’s contest has the potential to be one-sided.
Time: 8:20 ET
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
Steelers vs. Ravens Sunday Football Lines
MoneyLine: Steelers +300 / Ravens -170
Spread: Ravens -7.5
Over/Under: 34
