New Orleans Saints (10-1) at Dallas Cowboys (6-5)

This game will be closer than people think. Both teams are riding win streaks and have a lot of confidence going into this primetime game. Most people would assume MVP frontrunner Drew Brees would blow out the ‘Boys with his cadre of undrafted no-names (unless you are a Saints buff, you would be lying if you said you knew Keith Kirkwood); however, the Cowboys do have a top-5 scoring defense that could go punch-for-punch against the Saints offense. The Cowboys have also recently reinvigorated their offense by feeding Ezekiel Elliott and unlocking Amari Cooper’s potential. Therefore, it is very possible that the Cowboys can keep it close with the New Orleans Saints, but in the end, the Saints will come out on top due to superior play calling by Sean Payton and an MVP caliber performance by Drew Brees.

New Orleans Saints 28, Dallas Cowboys 20

Sunday, December 2nd

Chicago Bears (8-3) at New York Giants (3-8)

Even if Mitch Trubisky doesn’t start, the Chase Daniel-led Bears will still get another win over the meager Giants. If the Giants couldn’t take advantage of the injury-decimated secondary of the Eagles last week, then how can they move the ball against the top defense in the NFL? Expect Khalil Mack feasting on New York’s weak offensive line and Eddie Jackson picking off Eli Manning for his 5th interception of the season. Daniel will do enough to lead the offense, but like last week, the Bears defense will ultimately lock away the game against the Giants, solidifying their lead in the NFC North.

Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 16

Arizona Cardinals (2-9) at Green Bay Packers (4-6-1)

While the Packers have been struggling as of late due to lackluster play calling from Mike McCarthy and subpar QB play from Aaron Rodgers, it is very unlikely that the Packers can lose to the lowly Cardinals. After putting up below average stats against the Vikings (198 yards, 1 TD), Aaron Rodgers will have a bounce-back game at Lambeau, softening the shards of criticism coming from Cheeseheads and TV analysts. The only thing Arizona needs to do through the remainder of the season is to find a way to make Rosen more comfortable and not allow him to lose his confidence moving on. Green Bay wins comfortably.

Arizona Cardinals 13, Green Bay Packers 30

Indianapolis Colts (6-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8)

Man, what has happened to the Jaguars? More importantly, how did the Jaguar’s Super Bowl window close so quickly? After losing to Josh “Trash” Allen the previous week, the Jaguars now need to prep against a white-hot Colts team that has won 5 straight with their new starting QB Cody Kessler. With Jalen Ramsey also hurt, the Jaguars’ chances of winning seem bleak. With a win, the Colts can solidify their wild-card spot and even catch up with closer to the division-leader Texans. Also, shoutout to the Colts offensive line who should get more credit than they get for doing such a great job in protecting Luck.

Indianapolis Colts 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 16

Cleveland Browns (4-6-1) at Houston Texans (8-3)

Hot take of the week: the Browns will beat the Texans. Since Hue Jackson was fired, Baker Mayfield has had the 2nd highest passer rating in the NFL (behind MVP frontrunner Drew Brees), and the entire Browns offense has been clicking under coordinator Freddie Kitchens. While Houston played its most complete game of the year on Monday, the team has not been consistent offensively throughout the year, barely beating Colt McCoy’s Redskins and the Denver Broncos. With Cleveland gaining momentum now after beating the Bengals and Falcons with ease, Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins must click on all cylinders to keep up with a “dangerous” Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb-led Browns team. It’ll be a tight game, but the Browns have what it takes to defeat the Texans.

Cleveland Browns 27, Houston Texans 23

Carolina Panthers (6-5) at Tampa Buccaneers (4-7)

Panthers will look to rebound against the Bucs after a three game-losing streak. The Buccaneers offensively have what it takes to compete with any team (as seen in Week 1 when the Bucs beat the Saints 48-40), but the success of the offense all rests on Jameis not making any boneheaded mistakes and throwing costly picks. Unlike the Bucs, the Panthers are still competing for a playoff spot, and it will be Carolina who will play with more motivation and win the game. By the way, don’t sleep on Christian McCaffrey. He’s playing like a top five back in the NFL right now.

Carolina Panthers 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24

Buffalo Bills (4-7) at Miami Dolphins (5-6)

Man, the Dolphins almost had the victory over the Colts last week when they led 24-14 in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the Dolphins might have to win out to secure a wild-card spot in the AFC, and their first win would have to come against Josh Allen and the Bills. The Bills, while mediocre on offense, have a phenomenal defense (the Bills defense is ranked 2nd on defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders) that will allow the Bills to stay competitive within games. In the end, the game will be decided on better QB play; therefore, the Dolphins will beat the Bills due to the fact that Tannehill will play better than Allen.
Hot Take #2: Josh Allen is better than Lamar Jackson in both passing the ball and running it.

Miami Dolphins 23, Buffalo Bills 20

Denver Broncos (5-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-6)

One team is trending up after upsetting two great teams in the Steelers and Chargers while the other is falling like Newton’s apple. Even with A.J. Green projected to play, the Bengals would need Jeff Driskel (who has to fill in for the injured red rifle) to transform to Kenny Anderson in order for them to compensate for their horrendous defense. The face of Colorado, Phillip Lindsay, should have a comfortable day running the ball against the 2nd worst rushing defense in the NFL. After playing through two tough games, the Broncos will win comfortably against the Bengals.

Denver Broncos 27, Cincinnati Bengals 14

Baltimore Ravens (6-5) at Atlanta Falcons (4-7)

Even with their slew of injuries towards their defense, the Falcons should not be this bad. While the blame should be placed mostly on the ailing defense, Sarkisian should also take responsibility for their three-game losing skid as the offense has scored less than 20 points in those losses. Now having to play against an elite defense in the Ravens, the Falcons will continue their streak of scoring in the teens. The Falcons’ defense will do just enough to allow Lamar Jackson to lead the Ravens towards another victory and help Harbaugh save his job.

Baltimore Ravens 24, Atlanta Falcons 19

Los Angeles Rams (10-1) at Detroit Lions (4-7)

Wouldn’t it be the most Lions ever if they upset the 10-1 Rams? Unfortunately, the Rams aren’t playing the Lions; they’re playing Matthew Stafford. Seriously, how can Stafford succeed if he doesn’t have anybody besides Kenny Golladay to throw to? With Marvin Jones on IR, Eric Ebron becoming a scoring machine on the Colts after signing with them during free agency, Tate being traded to the Eagles, and Kerryon Johnson being hurt, the whole Lions offense has been stripped bare naked. Luckily, for Stafford, he already got his 135 million dollar contract; otherwise, he would be depressed with his situation on the Lions. The Rams will win easily and continue their campaign for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Los Angeles Rams 34, Detroit Lions 13

Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) at Oakland Raiders (2-9)

The hottest team in the AFC against the hottest garbage in the AFC. No way will the Chiefs lose against a high school team. This game will only be significant for the Chiefs as it will allow Mahomes to pad his stats to stay within the MVP race.

Kansas City Chiefs 38, Oakland Raiders 20

New York Jets (3-8) at Tennessee Titans (5-6)

Will the Jets ever be good again? If they want to be a playoff contender in the near future, the first step would be to fire Todd Bowles and hire an offensive mastermind as their next head coach. The Titans, two weeks removed from upsetting the Patriots, should be able to win against an inferior Jets team. The Titans will also be the more desperate team as they would need to win out to claim a wildcard spot. Another loss would put Mike Vrabel’s rookie head coaching season in jeopardy. The game will be close, but the Titans will come out to survive another week.

Tennessee Titans 23, New York Jets 17

Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1) at New England Patriots (8-3)

The Vikings should be a little disappointed with how their season has gone after their preseason expectations. However, if they are able to beat a surprisingly vulnerable Patriots team on Sunday, the hype surrounding the Vikings will come back. While Tom Brady and the Patriots have slowed down this season, they are still a juggernaut that should be feared by other teams. In order for the Vikings to beat the Patriots, they would need Kirk Cousins to play up to his money-tag and have the offense click together (something that has not yet been truly seen from the Vikings this season). Expect a close game in which the better team (Patriots) comes on top.

New England Patriots 30, MInnesota VIkings 23

Seattle Seahawks (6-5) at San Francisco 49ers (2-9)

Remember the hype surrounding Nick Mullens a few weeks ago? Well, that hype must have dissipated when the 49ers couldn’t put up any points against an inept Bucs defense. If the 49ers can’t score on the Bucs, they shouldn’t be able to score against a good Seahawks team. After being dismissed in the offseason as being a mediocre team, the Seahawks have shown that they are still a worthy challenger in the NFC. The Seahawks will win and solidify their chances for a playoff spot.

Seattle Seahawks 27, San Francisco 49ers 10

Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1)

This is the game of the week. Two great teams pummeling each other for AFC glory. The Steelers, after two consecutive weeks of playing lousily on the offensive side of the ball, need to rebound against an upstart Chargers team that just blew out the Cardinals. While both teams have talent on the offensive side of the ball, the Chargers have the advantage in this one as they have the momentum coming into this game and the better defense. While Melvin Gordon will be missed, Austin Ekeler will comfortably fill in the void for the Chargers running game. Chargers will win in a shootout and will stay competitive against the Chiefs in the playoff race.

Los Angeles Chargers 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 26

Monday, December 3rd

Washington Redskins (6-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-6)

What a lousy matchup on Monday Night Football a week after the legendary Chiefs-Rams game. The Eagles, with the better offense, will beat out the team led by Colt McCoy and old man Adrian Peterson. While the Eagles have holes in the secondary, the Redskins will not take advantage of it due to poor quarterback play from McCoy. The Eagles will stay in contention for the NFC East division.

Philadelphia Eagles 20, Washington Redskins 17

Image Source: Chaz Palla / Trib Total Media

The post NFL Week 13 Predictions appeared first on The Spax.

Does anybody remember when the Bengals were surging at 4-1 and looked to pounce into the playoffs with a prolific offense composed of a lightning-hot Andy Dalton, rising star running back Joe Mixon, and great receivers like A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd?

Yeah, I don’t either.

Can you believe that this team was once a playoff hopeful just about 2 months ago? Now, starting QB Andy Dalton was placed on IR this week and fans are once again calling for the firing of long-time head coach Marvin Lewis. Let’s dissect what went wrong for the Bengals since their promising start in early October.

Harsh Schedule

Cincinnati fans and the team itself must’ve felt the hype growing around their team and therefore expected a win when they entered the game against the struggling 2-2-1 Pittsburgh Steelers. While Cincy held it close and led 21-20 with a minute on the clock, Cincinnati’s defense unfortunately choked away the game, letting Antonio Brown score the game-winner in a 28-21 letdown for the Bengals. Cincinnati failed to rebound the following week as they got embarrassed 45-10 on national television by an explosive Chiefs team led by MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes. Shortly after, another humiliating loss to New Orleans must have erased all the hype surrounding the team. Sitting at 5-4, the team and its fans must have felt the season slipping away. Momentum had shifted from the Bengals’ feet, and they would subsequently lose winnable games against the rookie-led Ravens and Browns. If the Bengals were able to secure a win against the Steelers, they could’ve had a comfortable 7-4 / 8-3 record. Unfortunately, the Bengals now sit in limbo with a 5-6 record and their playoff aspirations have almost completely dissolved.

Historically Inept Defense

If you had to choose one reason why this team is underperforming, you could single-handedly fault the team’s defense. The Bengals are playing astronomically poorly on the defensive side of the ball, ranking last in yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. At one point, the Bengals were on pace to break the single season yards allowed record held by the 2012 Saints, something that did not even seem possible. The 2018 Bengals are also the only team to allow 500 total yards in three consecutive games. They proceed to allow 400 yards to a Ravens offense led by Lamar Jackson and gave up 4 passing touchdowns to Baker Mayfield and the Browns. While the Bengals had to play against top-ranked offenses in the Chiefs and Saints, these results are inexcusable for a team contending for the playoffs. Hiring Hue Jackson has not seemed to help either.

Encumbered With Injuries

One final reason that the Bengals have slowed down is because of their injury bug. Tyler Eifert, Carl Lawson, and Preston Brown being placed on IR are significant losses, especially Lawson and Brown on an already struggling Bengals defense. Joe Mixon and Vontaze Burfict have also floated around the injury report, but the more significant loss is A.J. Green. The loss of Green, who is one of the NFL’s most reliable receivers, was a tough blow to an offense that needed playmakers to step up to compensate for their shoddy defense. Now that Dalton has also been added to injury reserve, it seems like the Bengals’ dim playoff chances are have officially been put to rest. While Dalton had been struggling for a few weeks now, he was still a reliable starter in many games. Relying on an inexperienced Driskel and Savage is not a recipe for success. Injuries always plague teams, but it bit deeply into the Bengals.

Conclusion

A tough schedule, a lack of a competent defense, and injuries have all contributed to the record the Bengals now sport. With games against the Broncos, Chargers, and Steelers up ahead, the best possible record for the Bengals might be 7-9 or 6-10. Unfortunately for Cincinnati fans, even this win-loss record would not lead to Marvin Lewis’ departure.

One year, the Cincinnati Bengals will hopefully escape mediocrity and compete for the Lombardi. It just doesn’t seem to be this year.

The post What Went Wrong With the Cincinnati Bengals? appeared first on The Spax.

And boy-oh-boy did Week 13 live up to the hype. There were some duds, but there were a lot more amazing, memorable games (Oklahoma-West Virginia, LSU-Texas A&M) to counteract those lopsided affairs.

Now that Rivalry Week is over, let’s digest what just happened and answer some remaining questions.

Who gets that final CFP spot: Oklahoma or Ohio State?

Both Alabama and Clemson solidified their spot in the College Football Playoffs. They are undeniably the two best teams in the FBS right now. Unless upsets concur next week during the conference championships, both teams will get in without hesitation. Notre Dame ended their undefeated campaign with a sloppy win over a struggling 5-6 USC team, but they still deserve the #3 spot in the CFP bracket due to their 12-0 record. Now the question is: who gets that final spot?

After #6 Oklahoma beat #13 West Virginia in a shoot-out on Friday, #10 Ohio State delivered a statement win over #4 Michigan in Columbus during the Big Game. Who deserves it more? While both teams have strong victories over ranked teams (Oklahoma has beaten Iowa State and West Virginia while OSU has beaten Penn State and Michigan), both have also struggled against lesser teams. Ohio State had been struggling over the stretch since losing to Purdue, barely winning against a 4-8 Nebraska team and going to overtime with a 5-7 Maryland team while Oklahoma had close games against a 5-7 Texas Tech team and a 6-6 Oklahoma State team. Right now, Oklahoma seems to have more credentials than Ohio State starting with the fact that Oklahoma only loss came from a good Texas team while Ohio State got blown out by a 6-6 Purdue team. Also, according to ESPN, Oklahoma also sports a better strength of schedule than the Buckeyes.

However, who gets in will be clarified next week during the Big 12 and Big 10 championships. If Oklahoma wins against Texas, it will serve as redemption for their close loss during the Red River Showdown in October and solidify their superiority over Ohio State. Ohio State must not only defeat Northwestern to get in, but also hope that Oklahoma loses again to Texas. 

One final thought: why not 11-1 Georgia? Well, if Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Championship, Georgia would get in automatically. However, that seems like a longshot with how Alabama has been playing this year. Therefore, the scenario in which Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma all have one loss should not be entertained because frankly, it is unlikely to occur.    

Is UCF still the best Group of 5 team even after star quarterback McKenzie Milton went down?

Even after Milton’s gruesome leg injury, UCF should still be considered the premier Group of 5 team. Look no further than their game against USF. After Milton went down, UCF still delivered a thrashing as the game ended 38-10. Of course, Milton’s loss cannot be overlooked as he was the heart of UCF’s prolific offense. He accounted for 79 offensive touchdowns for the team. However, no other Group of 5 team compares to UCF even after Milton’s injury. The next highly ranked Group of 5 team on the CFP rankings was #21 Utah State who just lost to a 2-loss Boise State. Boise State’s 10-2 record just doesn’t compare with UCF’s 12-0 record. If UCF loses to Memphis in the AAC Championship Game, there is a chance that an 11-2 BSU might overtake UCF in the CFP ranking systems, but it would take a monstrous effort in order for Memphis to upset UCF. UCF still looks like the best Group of 5 team and will contend in their New Year’s Six Bowl game.

Who is in line to play in the New Year’s Six Bowls? Will LSU be in it?

LSU went into College Station looking destined for a New Year’s Six Bowl, but after falling to Texas A&M in 74-72 burnout, LSU’s hopes for those prestigious games may have dissipated.

Here are the bowl projections for the New Year’s Six Bowls:

Cotton Bowl (CFP Semi-final): #1 Alabama vs. #4 Oklahoma

Orange Bowl (CFP Semi-final): #2 Clemson vs. #3 Notre Dame

Peach Bowl: #12 Washington State vs. #12 LSU

Sugar Bowl: #5 Georgia vs. #9 Texas

Rose Bowl: #6 Ohio State vs. #10 Washington

Fiesta Bowl: #7 UCF vs. #8 Michigan

While Florida after Week 13 is ranked higher than LSU by one spot in the AP poll, LSU should have the advantage as they beat a higher ranked opponent in #5 Georgia while losing to 3 ranked teams. Florida lost to an 8-4 Missouri team that is not ranked while also losing to Georgia (a team that only lost to LSU) and Kentucky. In the end, it might be a toss-up on who gets selected and who won’t between Florida and LSU.

Image Source: Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer

The post Let’s Recap Week 13 of College Football: OU or OSU for CFP? LSU Still in Contention for New Year’s Six? UCF Still Best Group of 5 Team? appeared first on The Spax.