No team has been able to stop the Colts' running game this season no matter who is carrying the ball for them. They come into this matchup with a league leading 2704 yards on the ground! Washington is ranked 26th (124.36 YPG allowed) at stopping the run. The Commanders are in the middle of a brutal stretch run of games having lost their last two to the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks and with divisional rematches versus the Cowboys and Eagles after this one! They have dropped three of their last four and have not scored more than 25 points in any of their prior four outings. Washington is the only team in football that has more rushing touchdowns (20) than passing scores (17), although the 20 rushing TDs ranks #2 in the league behind, well, the Colts (24)!  Indy rookie QB John Mateer has slowly blossomed into the top freshman slinger in the PFL!

   Final Analysis: Indy leads the league in scoring (35.8 PPG) under HC Matej Orazem. Orazem's other team, the Bears, is second in the league in scoring. Hard to envision DC being able to generate enough offense to pull this one out. Indianapolis 32-16

1:00 PM-NEW YORK GIANTS (6-8) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (8-4-1)

Sagging Giants to Meet Surging Bengals

   New York has fallen upon a series of frustrating losses that may end up leaving them out of the playoffs. After starting their season 0-5, The Giants had gone 6-2 to get themselves right back into both the playoff picture as well as the NFC East race! But, with little wiggle room, they were upended last week, 38-17, by the Philadelphia Eagles as Philly hit some big plays in the third quarter to pull away. With the reality that they can win a maximum of 9 games now, New York can no longer win the NFC East and has seen their odds reduced dramatically, but not completely. Cinci, on the other hand, got a huge lift to their season as the Pittsburgh Steelers shocked the Baltimore Ravens! Cinci owns the divisional tie-breaker with Baltimore due to their 1-0-1 record. They have already clinched a playoff spot and, now, are totally focused on trying to win the division for the first time in many years. To accomplish that task, however, it is probable the Bengals will need to sweep their final three games with these Giants, then the Patriots, and season their finale versus the Indianapolis Colts. That scenario/goal is the likely route for them as Baltimore concludes their season against Houston, Jacksonville, and Carolina.

   Final Analysis: Cinci has been stingy against the run coming in #5 in the league (87.2 YPG) and the Giants want to run the ball a ton. The Bengals are on a roll and are hungry for a divisional title. Do expect this to be a close one. Cincinnati 26-23.

  1:00 PM-MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-12) AT CHICAGO BEARS (10-3)

Chitown Zeroes in on Top Seed

1:00 PM-MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-10) AT NEW YORK JETS (13-1)

Are Dolphs Next Meal For Jets?

    Miami has floundered much of the season and now gets to confront a Jets' team determined to get back to another Super Bowl. Many pundits felt New York might get upended by the Tennessee Titans last week due to the injury to QB Justin Fields. But New York inked veteran Russell Wilson and he would pace the Jets to a, 52-10, rout that included a heavy dose of running!

   Final Analysis: Coach Mike K seems to find ways to win no matter what talents he has under his command. New York 30-17.

1:00 PM-BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-4-1) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (6-8)

Stunned Ravens Still in Good Shape!

    A loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers last week hurt the Ravens' chances of winning another AFC North crown. However, they have a very winnable final three games and can still claim the division should the Bengals stumble against the Giants or Colts in week 18. QB Lamar Jackson would be intercepted 4 times in the, 31-17, defeat marking the second time this year he has tossed that many in a game. He has thrown 9 picks over his last five games. Houston has lost its last six games versus teams with a full-time coaching staff.

   Final Analysis: Baltimore cannot afford to lose any of their final three games and should be able to control this one. Baltimore 27-21.

   The Browns lost a big game to the Dallas Cowboys last time out, 37-24, as they blew a 24-16 half-time lead getting outscored 21-0 in the back half of the game. QB Shedeur Sanders would be intercepted 3 times and endure a season most 10 sacks in the loss. He has thrown 9 picks over his last four games. At 6-8, the playoff odds have diminished for Cleveland, but the truth is they are still, very much so, in the mix! If they can win out versus Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta in week 18 they have a great shot.

   Final Analysis: NO LINE

1:00 PM-PITTSBURGH STEELERS (5-9) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-7)

Improving Steelers Hoping to End Season On Positive Note. Bucs Trying to Stay in Playoff Picture

    The Steelers are coming off a huge upset of the rival Baltimore Ravens. Rookie QB Ty Simpson posted, yet another, 100+ QBR performance and has given Steeler fans major hope for the future. Tampa Bay lost a huge game, 28-24, to the Atlanta Falcons and will likely have to win at least two of their final three games in order to have a viable chance at making the playoffs. That would mean two wins over a trio of clubs that includes these Steelers as well as the Chicago Bears and a week 18 match with the LA Rams.

   Final Analysis: Not much in the way of surprises here. The Steelers are very dangerous and the Bucs are desperate. If Tampa Bay can finish 9-8 they might sneak in. At 10-7 they would have a significantly better chance. Kinda feel Pittsburgh is playing the better overall football. Pittsburgh 26-24. 

1:00 PM-ATLANTA FALCONS (8-6) AT DETROIT LIONS (5-9)

Birds in Control in NFC South. Lions licking Wounds

    Atlanta took care of business last week and clipped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 28-24, and, in so doing, took total control of the NFC South. QB Michael Penix would likely be an NFC MVP winner if not for Chicago's Caleb Williams and Arizona's Kyler Murray. Penix has thrown for 4138 yards, 30 touchdowns, and has a 103.1 QBR! His primary target has been TE Kyle Pitts who leads the PFL with 108 receptions and 1462 yards! The Falcons' +8 turnover margin rankes 6th in the league. Detroit has struggled much of the season esepcially on defense where the club has given up the second most points (388) in the NFC and is tied for last in the PFL with just 36 sacks.

   Final Analysis: Detroit relegated to spoiler role probably just running out the string. Atlanta has their division under their wings, but they could snag the #3 seed by winning their final three games versus the Lions, Saints (5-9), and Browns (6-8). Atlanta 28-16

1:00 PM-NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-10) AT BUFFALO BILLS (7-7)

Bills Seeking Late Season Playoff Push!

4:05 PM-PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (8-6) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-8) 

Can Philly Win Another NFC Crown? Niners On Edge of Playoff Elimination

   Desperate times have come to San Francisco. A 9th loss would almost assuredly leave them outside the playoff field. They were thoroughly outclassed last week losing to Arizona as the team could get nothing going on offense and simply could not slow down the 'Zona attack. They get a tough Philly squad this week that is coming off a solid, 38-17, crunching of the New York Giants that ended a brief 2-game losing skid. At 8-6, the Eagles are just 1 game behind the front running Dallas Cowboys and could claim, yet again, the division if just a couple of things fall their way. The big factor for the Eagles has to be the somewhat erratic play of QB Jalen Hurts. He sparkled last week versus the G-men throwing for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even more significant, however, was the fact he did not throw an interception and HB Saquon Barkely got loose for 175 yards. Barkley ran for 192 yards the week prior! Philadelphia is 5-1 in games in which Hurts does not throw an interception and 3-5 when he has at least one pick.

   Final Analysis: Philly is back on track and can win the division with just a small amout of good fortune. They should be able to get after Niners' QB Brock Purdy, be able to run the ball, and keep Hurts Humming along. Philadelphia 30-17.

4:05 PM-DENVER BRONCOS (4-10) AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (8-6)

Bolts Energized For Stretch Run!

   After having dispatched the defending AFC West Champion Vegas Raiders, 33-14, last week the Chargers are in position to, perhaps, claim their first divisional championship in many years since legendary HC Jim Hatzis retired. However, they have two more games against the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs in which they would be heavy underdogs and a 9-8 record might not be good enough to win the division or even make the playoffs! KC can claim the division by beating the Raiders this week, Miami next week, and then knocking off the Chargers in week 18! Vegas cannot catch the Bolts as the best they can do is tie LA, but the Chargers swept the season series.

   NO LINE

4:15 PM-LOS ANGELES RAMS (2-12) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (11-3)

Cards Crossing Feathers They Can Still Cop Top Seed?

   The odds are not in their favor, but the Arizona Cardinals could still earn the top seed if they can win out and then have somebody dump the Chicago Bears. That scenario, though, is highly unlikely as only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand in the way of Chicago completing a 14-3 regular season. This one has all the makings of a lopsided affair with the Cards holding the advantage in virtually every stat imaginable. 

   Final Analysis: Arizona should win their final three games, secure the #2 seed, and avoid playing coach Matej and the Bears until the two meet in the NFC Championship game. Arizona 40-10.

4:15 PM-KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-8) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (6-8)

Arch-Rivals Duel. Somebody Is Not Gonna Have a Seat When the Music Stops!

    Quite simply, the loser of this one is, in all liklihood, going to miss the playoffs while the winner has a great shot at securing a playoff berth. In the case of Kansas City, though, a win here will pave the way for them to reclaim the AFC West after having their long time grip on the division ended last season by these Raiders. The Vegas running game was completely shut off last week by the Chargers as top back Ashton Jeanty was held to his lowest rushing total of the season (19 carries for 18 yards). He rarely has back-to-back poor games and he could be a huge factor in this matchup. Turnovers could also prove decisive with KC coming in with a -6 ratio compared to the Raiders' +6. In their tension filled first meeting, the Chiefs would pull out a white-knuckler, 28-24, victory as backs Isaiah Pacheco and Brashard Smith combined for 118 yards on 22 carries and the KC defense would pick off Raider QB Dante Moore twice.

   Final Analysis: A real pressure cooker of a game. The issue could be decided by whichever team wins the turnover battle. Vegas, though, is not as balanced as Kansas City can be. The Raiders' Dante Moore is certainly no Patrick Mahomes and Pacheco is capable of matching Jeanty on any given Sunday. If Jeanty cannot run the ball effectively, then Moore's talents become more significant. Kansas City 24-22.  

    These two teams find themselves matched up in one of those typical PFL high stakes late season clashes. Dallas is desperately trying to find a route to the playoffs and perhaps, with some good fortune, win the NFC East. Seattle has no shot at catching the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West, but a win here would all but wrap up a Wild Card berth. The Cowboys have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games as the defense has slowly improved and the running game with tailback Jaydon Blue has begun to gel a bit. Rookie QB Diego Pavia has has had a bit of an up and down campaign. To date, he has thrown 2 or more TD passes in nine of his last eleven outings. He has also posted three games this season where he has completed over 80% of his attempts! However, the other glass has often been half full has Pavia has now flipped 9 interceptions over his last five games and has rolled up 18 on the season which is the fourth most in the league! Seattle is powered by the talented backfield duo of Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. The tandem has compiled 345 carries for 1500 yards and 12 touchdowns between them! Seattle QB Sam Darnold's 215 pass completions rates 27th in the league among all regulars. 

   Final Analysis: Seattle has the top turnover margin (+15) in the NFC, while Dallas lugs in a -6 number. In addition, the Cowboys are dead last in the NFC at stopping the run (158.8 YPG allowed) and is facing one of the best running teams in the league. Seattle 31-21.

8:20 PM-GREEN BAY PACKERS (8-6) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-9)

Packer Run to the Playoffs Starts Now!

   Few folks have been paying much attention to Green Bay this year. Yet, they will be heavily favored in all three of their remaining gaems and should finish 11-6 and perhaps as high as the #5 seed! If they run the table, they would roll into the playoffs having won 7 of their last 8 and a team to be reckoned with. All-world edge Micah Parsons has blasted opposing QBs into the turf some 21 times this season, thus far, which is third in the league trailing only Arizona's Jaelen Phillips (23.5) and Chicago's Boye Mafe (23)!  New Orleans is still a dangerous club and is capable of the upset here. To accomplish that feat, though, QB Spencer Rattler would have to improve upon his dreadful season stat line. 

   Final Analysis: Green Bay is more than likely going to win out and make the post-season. New Orleans could pull off the stunner but...Green Bay 24-17.

8:30 PM-JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-10) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (8-6)

Seasaw Titans Eye Playoffs Despite Their Vicissitudes