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Broncos Look to Wrap Up Home Field Sunday Versus Lowly Oakland
The Oakland Raiders will attempt to close out a miserable 2013 campaign in style Sunday when they host a banged up Denver Broncos team that will be without Vonn Miller on defense and perhaps Wes Welker again on offense. Oakland has been terrible the last half of the season and they did lose 37-21 to Denver in September.
Disappointment Bowl – Giants and Skins Close it Out Sunday
Pride and only pride will be on the line when the Washington Redskins travel to New Jersey to take on the New York Giants in Week 17.
Steelers Continue Improbable March Toward Playoffs – Host Browns in Week 17
It is hard to believe but the Pittsburgh Steelers are still alive in the AFC playoff picture. They will need a win Sunday and a lot of help but the fact that they are still standing is a testament to this team.
Seahawks Look to maintain Home Dominance Over Rams in Week 17
The Seattle Seahawks will be looking to start a new home winning streak Sunday after their 14-game CenturyLink streak was snapped last week at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals.
The New Orleans Saints had a chance to make this game moot but couldn’t finish out a close game against the Carolina Panthers last week.
Both of these teams won important games last week, affecting who is going to make it into the AFC playoffs. For the Buffalo Bills they played spoiler against Miami, shutting them out in a display that showed they haven’t quite quit on this season yet.
Detroit frittered away every chance to assure a playoff spot and now the final week of the season against Minnesota is totally meaningless…and it looks like their coach is likely to be fired.
Chiefs and Chargers Meet With Tons on the Line in Week 17
AFC West foes Kansas City and San Diego wrap up their 2013 Regular seasons Sunday with a pivotal showdown in San Diego – pivotal fort the Chargers who are still barely alive in the playoff race.
This game looks meaningless on the surface but the Indianapolis Colts will be looking to finish strong so they can improve their playoff positioning.
It is the final week of the season and there are lots of scenarios in play with Miami tied with Baltimore and San Diego in the AFC. Only one of those three teams can advance to the playoffs and it is obvious your chances are enhanced if you win your final game.
The favorites carved out a slight 9-7 edge against the spread in Week 16 of the NFL regular season with the total staying UNDER in 11 of the 16 games on the slate.
Needing to win out, the Chargers will play host to their bitter division rival Oakland who arrive in San Diego on Sunday in the midst of a four-game losing skid, but no less determined to sweep this year’s series.
When: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013 at 4:25 p.m. EST
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
TV: CBS
LINE: -10 (Chargers), O/U 50.5
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Oakland (4-10) handed the Chargers a 27-17 defeat at Oakland on Oct. 6, a game in which the Raiders capitalized on five San Diego turnovers.
But since then, the Raiders have lost seven of nine, including last week’s 56-31 pummeling by Kansas City in which they set a franchise record for most points allowed in a game.
The Raiders defense is mired in a major tailspin, allowing around 41 points in the last three games. And the offense isn’t any better. Quarterback Matt McGloin turned in his worst performance of the season last week, throwing four interceptions against the Chiefs
Nevertheless, there is some optimism for the Raiders, who could return Darren McFadden back in time for their trip to San Diego.
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With McFadden out, backup running back Rashad Jennings has done a solid job, rushing for 91 yards last week, while notching his second straight two-touchdown game.
Defensively, the Raiders are ranked 24th against the pass and are tied for the second-fewest interceptions in the league. Not good news as they face San Diego’s Philip Rivers, who has compiled a 28-6 career mark in the month of December.
Needing to win out and have Miami and Baltimore each drop their final two games to secure the AFC’s final playoff slot, the Chargers (7-7) postseason hopes appear distant.
Still, they will enter Sunday’s contest with lots of hope and momentum after a surprising 27-20 upset in Denver last week.
Rivers threw a pair of touchdown passes, while running back Ryan Mathews tied his season high with 127 yards and went over 100 yards for the fifth time in the past nine games against the Broncos.
Meanwhile the defense held the Broncos to only 18 rushing yards on 11 attempts and came up with a key fourth-quarter interception to hand Denver its first home loss of the season.
The Raiders are a mess, and San Diego seems to be surging towards a desperate attempt at a playoff spot.
If the same Chargers’ defense that held Denver in check shows up to this one, the party’s over for Oakland an may be just getting started in San Diego.
Chargers 28, Raiders 21
The AFC South is all weirded up this year. Houston was supposed to be good enough to compete for A Super Bowl but they stink; Jacksonville was supposed to be worst team in NFL history but they are just medium bad; and Indianapolis was supposed to falter but they are in first place.
If Matthew Safford and the Detroit Lions want any shot at the playoffs, they will need a big win over the struggling New York Giants on Sunday.
Green Bay will aim to extend its string of 13 consecutive regular-season home game wins in December or January, when they host the Steelers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
When: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013 at 4:25 p.m. EST
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
TV: CBS
LINE: -7 (Packers), O/U 44.5
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It will be the first meeting between the Packers and Steelers since Green Bay’s 31-25 victory in Super Bowl XLV three years ago.
The Steelers (6-8) haven’t been eliminated from the postseason yet, and after a second half season surge, find themselves just two games out of the final AFC playoff spot.
Despite its sub .500 record, Pittsburgh has played well, losing four games by a touchdown or less, including a 34-28 defeat to Miami two weeks ago. However, the Steelers rebounded to kept their playoff hopes alive with a 30-20 win over division rival Cincinnati last week.
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Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger needs just 85 passing yards to reach 4,000 for the third time in his career, and has played well against Green Bay, throwing for a career-best 503 yards and three TDs in his only previous regular-season meeting with the Packers.
Defensively, Pittsburgh has been unpredictable, but was excellent last week, holding the Bengals to 279 total yards. They will however, be tested by the Packers, who despite being without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who broke his collarbone in Week 9, have rode a steady wave of rookie running back Eddie Lacy all the way to a chance at the NFC North title.
Lacy, who has rushed for 1,028 yards and eight scores, will be a huge factor in this matchup, as Rodgers’ status is still yet to be determined for Sunday’s contest.
In the meantime, Green Bay (7-6-1) has soldiered on without their captain, bouncing back from a 26-3 halftime deficit to beat Dallas last week behind a solid effort from backup quarterback Matt Flynn, who threw four touchdown passes against the Cowboys.
Nevertheless, if Green Bay wants to stamp its title ticket, it will need an appearance from the defense that shut down Dallas last week.
The Packers have won their final regular-season home game in eight straight seasons and 20 of the last 21 and in one of the biggest games of the year for both teams, I expect them to get it done at home with a steady dose of Lacy, and maybe a slim possibility of a shot or two of Rodgers.
Regardless, Green Bay gets it done.
Packers 28, Steelers 24
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will make the trip over to Missouri to take on the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Both teams are out of the playoff picture but there is still plenty of pride on the line.
