This is the time of the season when each game increases in significance. Atlanta has not been able to shake the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has a huge game on tap versus the Bucs next week. They do have the, seemingly, more favorable final few games on their schedule, but a loss here followed by a loss to Tampa Bay next week would find them 2 games out with just 3 games left. QB Michael Penix did throw for over 400 yards last week, but he would be sacked 9 times, get picked off once, and fumble the ball away as the Falcons were stunned, 28-22, by the Carolina Panthers. Seattle, meanwhile, pulled off a miracle win over the Las Vegas Raiders winning in OT, 26-20. With no time outs and time running out, the Seahawks would get a bomb completed to the Raiders' 1 yard line and then barely get a last second play off that resulted in the tying score. Then, in the overtime session, Seattle would get the ball first and get stopped. Vegas would march down into field goal range for the, apparently, winning field goal only to have the kick blocked by Nehemiah Pritchett and the ball scooped up by Julian Love who would sprint 66 yards to paydirt!

   Final Analysis: Seattle loves to run the ball with HB Kenneth Walker. Atlanta can be diverse, but if they are forced to the air too much, the Seahawks could feast. Tight one in the Pacific Northwest and the potential for inclement weather could hurt the dome team Falcs. Atlanta is in control of their destiny and could do themselves a major favor by taking this one. Seattle 27-21.

1:00 PM-TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6-6) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-10-)

Have Bucs Squandered Too Many Golden Opportunites?

    The path cannot be any clearer for the Buccaneers. A win here and a monster W over Atlanta in Georgia next week could give them a two game edge (Should the Falcons lose to Seattle this week) within the NFC South with just three games remaining. Obviously, though, they will need to win next week's showdown as Atlanta won the first meeting between the two clubs, 37-14. 

   Final Analysis: NO LINE But the big game is looming next week folks!

  1:00 PM-HOUSTON TEXANS (4-8) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-8)

Texan Guns Out of Ammo? Jags Looking Clawless

    Houston's season, in all liklihood, came to a close last week as they lost, 31-28, to an improving New York Giants' sqaud. They should get a W here, but it may be too little, too late. 

   Final Analysis: NO LINE

1:00 PM-NEW YORK JETS (11-1) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-8)

Champs Looking Like Top Fliers Yet Again. Punchless Pats Hosting

    The Jets just keep on winning. Last week, they upended the top NFC's squad, Arizona, by a, 24-7, margin as the New York D made life miserable for QB Kyler Murray. The Pats have no general in their camp.

  Final Analysis: NO LINE

1:00 PM-BUFFALO BILLS (6-6) AT CHICAGO BEARS (9-3)

Cold Weather Game in Windy City!

   Two teams accustomed to bad weather late in seasons clash at famed Soldier Field. The stadium sits right alongside Lake Michigan often leading to wind, rain, and snow games. Of course, while this would normally be a big home field advantage for Chicago, the Bills play in Western New York right off Lake Erie and play more than their share of games in similar, if not worse, conditions. Still, the Bears own almost every statistical metric in this matchup. There is a 9 point scoring differential (35.5 to 26.3) in favor of Chicago and the Bears are second in the league with 76 sacks compared to Buffalo's 28 which ranks as the fewest in the PFL! Buffalo goes as QB Josh Allen goes and it seems likely the Chicago pressure could be the major difference maker in this one.

   Final Analysis: The Bills are always dangerous, but this match seems to heavily favor the Bears in too many categories. Chicago 33-18.

    Dallas pulled away late last week in a critical, 29-7, win over the hated Eagles. Now, though, they have to turn right around and face another rival in the form of a much improved Giants' team that has, suddenly, positioned itself to make a playoff run! New York has gone 5-2 since an ugly 0-5 start to their season and are, currently, just 1 game out of a playoff berth! They were able to get by Houston last week, 31-28, as their patented running game ruled the day. HBs Cam Skattebo (13-83) and Tyrone Tracy (11-81) led a ground game that rolled up 236 yards. Dallas, meanwhile, was in a real war with the Eagles late and clinging to a narrow 12-7 lead before, finally, coming up with a few big plays to pull away in the fourth quarter. Speedy rookie WR Eric Singleton would take in a short slant pass from fellow rookie QB Diego Pavia and then burst upfield for a 50 yard score. Recently inked CB Justin Walley would seal the deal with a 66 yard pick-6 of Philly QB Jalen Hurts.

   Final Analysis: In the two team's first meeting, Dallas would win the turnover battle, 2-0, while holding QB Jaxson Dart to a season low 40% (10-25) completion rate. It is not likely the Cowboys will be able to duplicate those types of numbers again and that may allow the Giants to control the game with their running attack versus a Dallas' defense that ranks dead last in the league at stopping the run (166 YPG). New York 24-21.

1:00 PM-CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-7) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (5-7)

Panthers Still Have Claws in NFC South! KC Looks to Reclaim AFC West

    Not too long ago, it seemed the Kansas City Chiefs were dead in the water in the AFC West. But, neither the LA Chargers or Vegas Raiders have taken advantage of a myriad of opportunities to pull away in the division and, now, here are the Chiefs perched right at the door to take the division yet again! Last week, they would rally in the final quarter, and score a touchdown with almost no time remaining, against the Chargers. They would then elect to go for the win, and would get it, via a successful 2-point conversion! Now, with a 5-7 slate, they stand just 1 game out! The Panthers remain without ownership, but still managed to upset the Atlanta Falcons, 28-22, last week.

   Final Analysis: NO LINE. KC will be favored in all of the games still left on their schedule and seem in line to take the AFC West.

1:00 PM-NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4-8) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-8)

Disapponting Campaigns For Both Clubs

    Things have not gone according to plan for both of these franchises. The Saints have not been able to recapture the magic of their Super Bowl season from five years ago nor been as successful as departed HC Mike Kleinknecht supplied the organization.   Saints' QB Spencer Rattler has had a precipitous decline from his amazing season of last year. To date, he has now thrown more picks (13) than TD passes (8). Those numbers become even more remarkable when one considers he tossed 52 TD passes last season with just 9 interceptions! Pittsburgh has had to live with some quarterback woes of their own although there are signs that rookie Ty Simpson might be slowly evolving into the type of signal caller they had drafted. He had, arguably, his best game of his freshman season last week throwing for 426 yards and 3 touchdowns in his club's, 38-31, loss to Cincinnati. He has now posted four 100+ QBR games out his last four outings.

   Final Analysis: The quarterback play is a key here. Do feel Simpson appears to be on his way, giving Steeler fans hope for a bright future. Not sure about the status of Rattler despite the numbers suggesting he should be a solid performer. Pittsburgh 26-23.

4:05 PM-ARIZONA CARDINALS (9-3) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (8-4)

'Zona loses control of #1 seed with loss to Jets! DC Starts Brutal Stretch of Games

   Arizona's, 24-7, debacle against the Jets last week left them in the #2 seed spot behind the Chicago Bears. The two clubs have identical records, but the Bears upended them, 31-21, in week 11 and own the tie-breaker. They should be more than ready to get after a good Washington team that is, at the moment, sitting atop the NFC East. The Cards come in ranked #1 in scoring defense (17.42 PPG) and face a Commanders' team that is 4th in the NFC scoring at a 27.4 PPG clip. DC comes in with a +5 turnover margin compared to Arizona's -3 ledger. The real factor, though, will probably get down to the success, or not, of the Washington running game. The team has used a trio of backs to power a good ground attack. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (162-695), along with veterans Antonio Gibson (82-495) and Austin Ekeler (63-383), have made life miserable for opposing defenses. They have formed a unit that ranks #2 in the NFC, and 4th overall in the PFL, averaging 149.4 YPG rushing! However, Arizona's run defense is pretty stout ceding just 79.6 YPG.

   Final Analysis: A win by the Commaders would be massive, but they have struggled in games where the running game cannot dominate and that could spell big trouble against a very good Cardinal run defense. Turnovers could keep this one close, though, as QB Kyler Murray has shown a propensity for being generous at times. Arizona 30-17.   

4:05 PM-TENNESSEE TITANS (7-5) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (6-6) 

Big Time Pressure in Vegas! Which Team Gets the Dice Rolling Their Way?

    This is one of several major matchups within the PFL this week. The winner here is in great shape as the season winds down, whereas, the loser could find itself positoned just outside the playoff window. It could be argued, though, that a Vegas' loss would present more of a difficult task for the Raiders than a Titans' L. The Raiders have games on their plate that includes the Chargers, Chiefs, and Cardinals, whereas the Titans. who would still have a record above .500, would conclude their season versus the Jets, Jags, Texans, and Giants. Tennessee bounced back nicely from their week 12 loss to Dallas with a convincing, 30-10, whipping of the Cleveland Browns. The defense, in particular, played extremely well dropping Browns' QB Sheduer Sanders 5 times while intercepting him 4 times as part of a 5 takeaway day. Vegas, sadly, lost in horrific fashion as they allowed a last second hail mary bomb to be caught at their 1 yard line that led to the Seattle Seahawks rushing up to the LOS and scoring the game tying TD with 1 second left in regulation. Then, in overtime, the defense would stop Seattle on their first possession drive and turning the ball over to the offense to go get the win. The Raiders would drive the ball deep and set up for, what appeared to be, a game winning field goal by K Daniel Carlson. But Seattle DB Jeremiah Pritchett would fly in and block the kick and fellow DB Julian Love would pcik up the loose ball and see nothing but 66 yards of grass in front of him on his way to the endzone!

   Final Analysis: Neither team is particularly good at stopping the run and that favors the Raiders who have top back Ashton Jeanty to hand the pigskin to. Jeanty is well on his way to a second straight PFL rushing title. He powered for 174 yards last week and could be on his way to another 100+ yard effort here. Las Vegas 28-23.

4:15 PM-SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-7) AT DENVER BRONCOS (4-8) 

Niners Might Be Running Out of Time?

4:15 PM-PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (7-5) AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (0-12)

Eagles' Fans Getting Restless Following Loss to Rival Pokes. Rams Still Seeking Win #1

    The playoffs and NFC East title are still, very much so, in play for the Eagles. Yes, they dropped a tough, 29-7, game to hated Dallas last week, but they are still in the driver's seat for the playoffs and have, quite frankly, a solid schedule ahead of them to secure the division outright. The Philly rushing stats versus the Cowboys are a bit deceiving however.. HB Saquon Barkley was bottled up for much of the game and it would be QB Jalen Hurts' 91 yards on 8 scrambles and runs that pushed the numbers up. This matchup does feature Ram rookie HB Julian Love (161-892-5.5) and Eagle back Barkley (203-850-4.2).

   Final Analysis: Been a long season for the Rams for sure. Philly will need to get back on track and should here. The Eagles are in great shape for not only making the playoffs, but for taking the division as well. Philadlephia 36-15.

8:20 PM-BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-3) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (8-4)

The Game of the Century For Bengals' Fans!

    The Ravens have ruled the AFC North roost for quite some time now much to the chagrin of the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and these Bengals. But, now the Bengals get their chance to steal the Baltimore crown and bring the championship to Ohio! Cinci shocked Baltimore thee weeks ago, 15-10, and a win here would tie them with the Ravens but, obviously, give Cinci the tie-breaker. They do have some tough games ahead versus Kansas City, the New York Giants, and Indianapolis, while the Ravens would be favored in all of their remaining tilts. The Bengal victory over the Ravens is the only blemish on Baltimore's resume over the team's last five games and the club has gone 9-2 over its prior 11!

   Final Analysis: This is their shot folks and the Bengals are chomping at the bit. They will need to stay composed and, even with a win, will have a tough road ahead of them. They got a terrific defensive effort in the last meeting, but can they do it again? The Ravens have experience and expectations. Baltimore 30-22.

   The Detroit Lions have not viewed as a serious playoff threat for much of the season, but they have quietly stayed in the weeds all year long and, remarkably, still have a real chance at the playoffs especially if they can knock off the Packers in Lambeau this week. They are coming off a, 48-7, drubbing by the Chicago Bears, but they only lost, 27-20, when these two teams met earlier this season and the Lions were without top back Jahmyr Gibbs. The Packers were also thumped last week, as they were unable to check the Indianapolis Colts' running game, while still having issues running the ball themselves. The Colts rushed for over 200 yards as Green Bay could only get 36 yards out of aging back Josh Jacobs. The inabilty to run the football has been plaguing the Packers for a few seasons now and will, in all probabilty, be an off-season area to improve upon.

   Final Analysis: If the Lions can bottle up the Packer run game and limit QB Jordan Love a bit, they can pull off the upset. Green Bay has not been good at stopping the run (127.42 YPG allowed) and that could open the door for Gibbs to get rolling. Detroit 25-23?

TEAMS ON A BYE