There is only one guarantee I will give you this week: I do not make a guarantee. Last week, I promised the Seahawks I would win with so much confidence that I promised to eat my words, which I did thanks to the Giants ‘ turnaround.
This week, I’m going to give my stomach a little breathing space and focus instead on league games that are going to come very close — and that could have a big impact on the NFL Playoffs. It’s hard to imagine the Playoffs being close, but it was such a strange year that the season felt very fast.
The biggest game of the week was strangely the Giants vs. Cardinals. Both Teams fight for their lives in the Playoffs under very different circumstances. A warm white Start for Arizona has now cooled, sitting at 6-6 with a very real risk of missing the Playoffs if they don’t push for a wild card. Meanwhile, the Giants started abysmally, and are now on a tear-winning their last four games, now fighting with the Washington Football team to win the NFC.
Likewise, the AFC has its own brutal game, but two Teams that make the Playoffs. The Bills and the Steelers will be featured in the Playoffs, and have largely played excellent football. The stakes at this point are the first round bye, and the potential-field advantage in the Playoffs. These are minor concerns than doing the Playoffs in the first place, but could be critical in the long run. It is a strange situation where staying at home is less than having a noisy crowd behind you, and more that there are serious threats in travel across the country.