My two picks (see below for scenarios):
Seattle/San Francisco (Saturday)
Green Bay/Denver (Sunday)
My picks (regardless of point spread):
Seattle
Green Bay (sentimental choice)
Comments:
Lots of dog games this weekend. Only one game (GB/DEN) matches two teams with winning records. I can't ever remember seeing that before -- every other game is either winning record vs. losing record or two losing records. Three playoff spots left, two (CINCY and BALT) playing for one spot in the AFC and three (SEAT, MINN, and GB) playing for two spots in the NFC. Seattle at San Francisco on Saturday is a fair fight with playoff implications and on national tube, so we'll start with that one.
The playoff scenario is:
Seattle Seahawks (9-6): Would be eliminated from playoffs with a loss at San Francisco (Saturday). Can clinch a playoff berth with a win at San Francisco (Saturday) AND any of the following: a Green Bay loss vs. Denver, a Minnesota loss at Arizona OR both a Dallas loss at New Orleans and winning the strength of victory or subsequent tiebreakers over Dallas (Seattle currently leads by two victories).
• Can earn the No. 5 or No. 6 seed or miss the playoffs.
sports.yahoo.com
That leaves one more game. If Seattle loses on Saturday, the two Sunday NFC games are meaningless. If Seattle wins, Green Bay and Minnesota must win to make the playoffs. A Minnesota win (likely against a weak Arizona team) assures them a spot. A Green Bay win probably gets them into the playoffs, provided Dallas wins OR maintains its tiebreaker lead over Seattle. Dallas needs to win to get a first round bye, so they will play with intensity. With Favre returning from the funeral and the Green Bay/Denver matchup being the best one of the weekend, I will pick that as my second game. It could end up being a meaningless game if Seattle craps out before then, but the Minnesota game is being played in the same time slot and it's likely that each team will need to win to get in. The Dallas game is earlier, so GB will go into their game knowing the implications.
I am signing off now for most of the holidays, though I will probably be able to stop by long enough to pick my games for next week.
Happy Holidays to all NFL fans out there. |
