Mile High Report
Week 17 of the NFL regular season is upon us. Only two more weeks of regular season picks are left. My Week 16 picks were not optimal. I picked just 9 of 16 games correctly. Through fifteen weeks I’m now sitting at 160-80 with predictions. Let’s see if I can do better than I did last week.
Christmas Day (Early Game) —Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders
Winner: Cowboys
Had events played out differently in the regular season, this game could have been garnered huge playoff implications. Unfortunately, these NFC East rivals are both eliminated from playoff contention. I think the Cowboys end up winning this one on the road.
Christmas Day (Afternoon Game) — Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Winner: Lions
The only way the Lions can make the playoffs is by winning out and the Packers losing their final two games. It’s a longshot, but stranger things have happened. Not that he has been great, but J.J. McCarthy won’t be playing in this one. That being said, I think Detroit will win this one easily.
Christmas Day (Night Game) — Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Winner: Broncos
The Broncos lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. Denver still controls their own destiny and can earn the AFC’s top seed if they beat the Chiefs and Chargers the next two weeks. They’ve got a lot of mistakes to clean up, but I have a feeling they will deliver Broncos Country a present on Christmas night and beat Kansas City.
Saturday Football (Afternoon Game) — Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers
Winner: Texans
Both the Texans and Chargers are poised to make the postseason. The only question is will it be as a wildcard team or division champion. The stakes are huge for both of them. Houston’s defense has been the strength of their team and Justin Herbert has impressed despite numerous key losses to their offensive line. All things considered, I think DeMeco Ryans has his team ready to win this one.
Saturday Football (Evening Game) — Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers
Winner: Packers
The Ravens aren’t out of the playoffs yet, but their chances of making the postseason are slim. Currently, the Packers are the NFC’s seventh seed and can punch their playoff ticket with a win. With a back contusion suffered in Week 16, there is a good chance Lamar Jackson doesn’t play. If so, that should make the Packers heavy favorites in this one. I’m taking Green Bay at home.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals
Winner: Bengals
This Sunday game is an uninteresting matchup with two teams out of playoff contention. After laying a goose egg a few weeks ago, the Bengals kicked things into high gear last weekend and scored a lot of points. I think they will do the same on Sunday, as the Cardinals are in a tailspin having lost seven games in a row. I’m picking Cincinnati.
**Sunday Football (Early Game) — Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland...
