While the Dallas Cowboys' season will not end in a post-season appearance, the team can play spoiler and played a spirited game last time out against a tough Kansas City Chiefs' team before falling late, 48-45. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 351 yards and 4 touchdowns in the loss. The Lions had an early 10-7 lead over the Green Bay Packers, but saw that evaporate quickly as the club dropped a 35-13 clunker at Lambeau Field. Quarterback Jared Goff would suffer two safeties, be sacked 8 times, and throw for just 191 yards against the rugged Packer defense.

   Final Analysis: Detroit is still within striking distance of a playoff berth. However they must have this game here and cannot take Dallas lightly. HB Jahmyr Gibbs was stuffed for 1 yard rushing on 13 carries by the Packers last week and he will need to have a much better day if the Lions are to win. Detroit 28-22.

  1:00 PM NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (11-1) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-9)

NFC South Champs Eye Top Seed

    There really was never any doubt about the Saints' ascendency to the top of the NFC South Division. The only question that remains to be answered is if they will, now, also claim the #1 seed in the conference come playoff time? They do have a game slated with the AFC's top team, the New York Jets, coming up as well as a week 17 encounter with the Tennessee Titans so the issue is still, very much so, up in the air. Their hi-octane offense leads the NFC in scoring, averaging a hefty 36.9 points per game led by quarterback Spencer Rattler and his conference best 39 touchdown passes. Tampa Bay comes into this one with the league's second most porous pass defense surrendering 322.08 yards per game.

   Final Analysis: The poor Buccanneer pass defense means big time trouble for the Florida bunch this weekend. New Orleans 42-15.

1:00 PM-TENNESSEEE TITANS (7-5) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-7-1)

Titans Take Command in AFC South!

   For a few years now the AFC South has not so much been won by a team, as much as everybody else lost it! This season, though, might be different as the Titans have now won five in a row including taking all three divisional games versus the Colts, Texans, and Jaguars! They now hold a two game edge within the division as well as a 4 and 1 divisional record! Cleveland was able to salvage a convincing win over the sagging San Francisco 49ers last week as the team continued to show some steady improvement. 

   Final Analysis: Tennessee is one of the hottest teams in foorball right now and can smell a divisonal title and a top four seed in the playoffs. Cleveland just plays hard each week and is trying to improve. Tennessee 26-21.

1:00 PM-WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (5-7) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-9)

DC Bunch Still in Playoff Race. Improving Vikes Looking Forward to Future

    Despite not having a full time staff in place, Washington has stubbornly remained in the NFC playoff picture. They are, though, coming off back-to-back losses that snapped a four game winning streak. The Vikings are done for this season, but they have played with a great deal of pride and shown that there is some hope for a bright future. They have won two of their last three games that has included a week 11 upset of the Chicago Bears and a tight week 12 loss to the divisional front running Green Bay Packers, 20-17.

   Final Analysis: NO LINE

 1:00 PM- MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-4) AT NEW YORK JETS (12-0)

Dolphs Leery of Teams Catching Them in Playoff Race. Jets Try to Complete Perfect Season

    The Miami Dolphins will likely find their way into the post-season. However, they have now lost two of their last three and have a very difficult stretch of games to conclude their season. The tough run of games starts with having to face these powerful New York Jets. The two teams met in week 4 with the Jets narrowly edging Miami, 31-29. The final margin was the tightest the Jets have endured in any game played on-line this season. A big factor could be the Dolphins incredible propensity for getting the interception. They have an amazing 26 picks on the season and picked off Jet QB Justin Fields twice in the first meeting. Miami still has the Steelers, Bengals, and Patriots ahead of them and their is a host of teams right behind them that could make things interesting in the waning weeks of the season.

   Final Analysis: Miami's ability to get the interception might have the Jets going a bit more to their running game with Breece Hall. Still, New York is near unstoppable averaging over 40 points per game. Miami 40-25.

 1:00 PM- CHICAGO BEARS (7-5) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (10-2)

Oldest Rivalry in Football Resumes in Fabled Lambeau 

    There is never any love lost when these two meet on the turf. The Bears reeled off five consecutive wins to start their campaign and made it clear that they were going to contend for the divisional crown. But, since then, Chicago has gone 2-5 and enter this one on a three game losing skid. They lost a tough one last week, in a driving rain storm, at Philadelphia, 38-31. Green Bay has won five of its last six and defeated the Detroit Lions last week, 35-13. Quarterback Jordan Love saw his streak of 300 yard passing games end at three, but he did manage to throw for a season high 4 touchdowns. The defense won the day holding Lion quarterback Jared Goff to 191 yards passing, his lowest since a week 1 loss to, oddly, these same Packers when he had just 182 yards passing. Halfback Jahmyr Gibbs had his worst day running the ball gaining just 1 yard on 13 carries.

   Final Analysis: The Bears can light up the scoreboard and roll into Lambeau Field averaging 36.36 points per game which ranks fourth in the league. They are one of just three teams in the PFL that averages over 300 yards per game passing and over 100 yards per game rushing! The Packers rank second in the PFL in scoring defense allowing 20.04 points per game. A big factor in this matchup could be Green Bay's lack of defensive takeaways. They are tied for 30th in the PFL with just 7 on the season and are one of only two teams to have not recovered a single fumble all season long! That problem mandates the team to often have to march the entire length of the field in order to score touchdowns and could have them not scoring enough to stay with the hi-octane Bears. Chicago 31-21.

   1:00 PM- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (1-11) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (1-11) 

Draft Pick Game! The Loser Could be the Big Winner?

    Dreadful seasons are winding down for these two clubs. The Seahawks have been annual playoff participants, but just could not get their defense settled this season. The Falcons are the defending AFC South Champs, but little has gone right for them except for the running of halfback Bijan Robinson and the receiving duo of tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver D.J. Turner. The two have more receptions than the rest of the team combined! 

   Final Analysis: Atlanta can run the ball well averaging 142.75 yards per game on the ground. Seattle is last in the league at stopping the run ceding137.33 yards per game. Big day for Robinson. Atlanta 30-20.

1:00 PM-INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-7-1) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (5-7)

Ponies and Cats in Must Win Mode?

    Realistically, the loser of this one likely has seen their playoff chances go by the wayside. Even the winner will still have some major work to do, and will probably need a bit of good fortune to make it in. Indy's main problem has been the inability to keep their quarterbacks upright. Anthony Richardson has been sacked a league most 90 times on the season, while rookie Riley Leonard has been dropped another 11 times! That has led to a dismal 201.5 yards per game passing rate that ranks as the second worst in the AFC! The team can run the football, though, with halfback Jonathan Taylor coming in with 947 yards on the ground and 11 rushing scores. The Colts have, nonetheless, gone 2-0-1 over their last three games averaging a whopping 41.33 points per game in that span. Jacksonville, on the other hand, has lost its last two games by narrow margins. The defense has played well much of the season limiting opponents to 24 or fewer points six times on the year including the team's last three outings. The problem, though, is an offense that is plodding along scoring just 23.58 points per game.

   Final Analysis: Colts' offense was on fire last week racking up 505 total yards. The defense, however, was on vacation and the team had to settle for a wild, 34-34, tie with the Houston Texans. This one is as close to a do-or-die game as there is and the loser might see their playoff door shut. Indianapolis 27-24.

GAME OF THE WEEK

 1:00 PM-PITTSBURGH STEELERS (7-5) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-5-1)

Will Ravens Claw All the Way Back? Steelers Clinging to Top Spot in AFC North

   They don't call the City of Baltimore "America's Comeback City" for nothing! The once left for dead Ravens have hung in there all season long and, now, find themselves battling to win yet another divisional championship! After starting their season going 3-4-and 1, the Ravens have won three of their last four to get back into the divisional picture. The club got a huge game out of halfback Tyler Allgeier last week. The third year back rushed for 106 yards on 27 carries as Baltimore swept aside the Cincinnati Bengals, 30-9. The defense came up big with two interceptions of Bengal quarterback Joe Burrow and also forced two fumbles. Pittsburgh has been able to stay on top of the division much of the season. They come in winners of their last two games. What has made the two wins impressive is they came against the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills! Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns in the victory over Buffalo last week. It marked the eighth consecutive game in which he has thrown for over 300 yards!

   This is the first of two key meetings between these two teams. The two are slated to meet back in Pittsburgh for the final game of the regular season in a contest that could be epic. Baltimore is ranked dead last in the league against the pass allowing some 344.08 yards per game. That could prove decisive if Rodgers can continue his play of his prior eight weeks. Pittsburgh has been pretty solid on D too, giving up just 80.25 yards per game against the run whcih is the fourth best in football. They also own an impressive +5 turnover ratio compared to the Ravens' -5 turnover margin. Pittsburgh 31-25.  

4:05 PM-DENVER BRONCOS (3-9) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (9-3)

Pillaging Raiders on Cusp of Second Straight AFC West Title!

    Any naysayers concerning the legitimacy of the Raiders had better head for the exits. Vegas is for real, folks, employing a relentless running game, efficient passing game, and a defense that shortens games and gives the team a chance to win every week. Las Vegas has now won five games by four points or less. Halfback Ashton Jeanty would get the ball 17 times last week for 107 yards, while backup tailback Raheem Mostert added 17 more carries for 70 yards as Vegas narrowly escaped the Los Angeles Chargers, 20-17. The Raiders were in deep trouble, trailing 20-13 in the fourth quarter, and forced to punt. However, the ensuing kick would bounce backwards and catch a Charger blocker in the heel and the fumbled ball would be recovered deep in LA territory! Vegas would quickly tie it up and then win the game on a Daniel Carlson field goal. Denver ended a long seven game losing plunge with a solid, 28-7, victory over the Washington Commanders last week. It has been a grim campaign for the Mile High Gang and the end cannot get here fast enough. The defense has actually been quite good this year relinquishing only 22.32 points per game, which ranks as the sixth best in football! But the offense has scored 30 or more points in a game just twice all year.

   Final Analysis: Denver has one of the better run defenses in the AFC allowing only 99.25 yards per game. Vegas has been excellent at stopping the run giving up just 91.75 yards per game. The Raiders lead the league in rushing with Jeanty and Company galloping for 171.08 yards per game. The Broncos, conversely, are one of the worst running teams in football, ranking 30th, rushing for a meager 79 yards per game. Las Vegas 27-16.

    4:25 PM- LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-9) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (11-1)

NFC West Champs Again, But Cards Pursuing Loftier Goals

    Winning a divisional title is always sweet. But for the Arizona Cardinals that is not good enough. Last season, under then head coach Mike Kleinknecht, the Cards would suffer a frustrating loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. This year, the team has not missed a beat, with new HC Luka Livojevic, and has steam rolled the league for 11 straight wins and counting. Livojevic and Kleinknecht have each won three PFL championships in their tenures with Livojevic being the only coach in league history to win three in a row! As a franchise, Arizona was one of just four PFL teams to have never gotten to a Super Bowl until coach Jeff Beyel, now with Green Bay, took the beleaguered team to SB 43 only to lose to the great Pete Russo and his Miami Dolphins, 28-27. The Cards' NFC title loss last season was also the second time the franchise was stopped there. Oddly, the first time pitted Beyel's Cardinals against Mike Knleinknecht's Dallas Cowboys. The Pokes would go on to claim their first PFL Championship that season.

Final Analysis: The Rams are not likely to pose any serious obstacle to this runaway flock of Cardinals. Arizona 37-13.

4:25 PM-CINCINNATI BENGALS (6-6) AT BUFFALO BILLS (6-5-1)

Major Playoff Implications in Western New York Clash!

    The Cincinnati Bengals lost a crucial AFC North matchup last week to the Baltimore Ravens, 30-9. The running game could not get untracked and quarterback Joe Burrow would be intercepted twice in the defeat. The defense has, overall, been very good this season, however there is a disturbing trend. While the unit is ranked #1 in the AFC for scoring defense, the truth is the defense has relinquished 30+ points in five of its six losses while, at the same time, has held every single one of its opponents to 21 or fewer points in all six of its wins! The Bills have been a truly amazing enigma. Beyond all belief, Buffalo is dead last in the league in turnover margin with an ugly -16 number that is 9 more then the next three teams following them!  Not only that, consider that the team is also last in the league in scoring defense yielding a stunning 40.83 points per game! Despite all of that, here they are right in the middle of the playoff race just a half game off the final Wild Card slot!

   Final Analysis: This is a very interesting game and could easily be the League's Game-of-the-Week. Buffalo had strung together six consecutive victories until getting upended by Pittsburgh, 31-24, last week. This one should get down to the Bengals' defense against the Bills' offense. Buffalo has scored 30 or more points in a game some six times going 5-0-1 under those circumstances! Buffalo 27-24.

8:20 PM-HOUSTON TEXANS (3-8-1) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-5)

KC Still in AFC West Contention, But Also Feeling Heat From Other Playoff Hopefuls

8:15 PM-PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (10-2) AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (5-7)

Eagles On Top in NFC East For Third Straight Year. Can They get Back to SB Again?

   The Eagles copped their third consecutive NFC East crown last week as they dumped the Chicago Bears, 38-31, at rain drenched Lincoln Financial Field. They can do no worse than a 10-7 record and the second place New York Giants already have 7 losses including being swept by Philly in the season series.  Last week was yet another typical Eagles' win with quarterback Jaylen Hurts making huge plays with his ability to escape the pocket and then find receivers downfield. The running game has really perked up recently, which is bad news for the league, as halfback Saquon Barkely ran for 112 yards on 20 carries and crossed the endzone twice. Barkley has now posted five rushing touchdowns over his prior three games. The defense was not stellar, but it did manage to get to Bear quarterback Caleb Williams for 7 sacks and limit Chicago to a woeful 6 for 16 third down coversion rate on the day. The Chargers looked like they were about to knock off the AFC West leading Raiders last week, but then disaster struck. Leading, 20-13, the defense had just gotten a key stop forcing a punt. However, the ball would bounce backwards and hit a blocking Charger on the heel and the fumble would be recovered by Vegas deep in LA territory. A quick score evened the game up and the Raiders would then go on to edge the Bolts, 23-20. 

   Final Analysis: Los Angeles has not been able to get their offense going all season long. Quarterback Justin Herbert has been a main culprit throwing 12 interceptions compared to just 18 touchdowns. His 95.2 QBR ranks 23rd among all PFL regulars. Hurts has been magnificent using his skills to avoid trouble and then making big plays downfield. The uptick in the running game makes this team even more difficult to stop. Philadlephia 31-17.

TEAMS ON A BYE