Week 15

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:

ATLANTA FALCONS (4-9) vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-6)

Thursday Dec. 11 @ 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime

The Falcons have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, while the Buccaneers are in “win now” mode. The creamsicle uniforms are coming back on a prime time stage, but Tampa Bay cannot afford any more losses. The NFC South will be decided between them and the Carolina Panthers, who are lucky to play each other in two of the final three games of the season. For the Bucs to have the edge, they need to win on Thursday night by any means necessary.

In two games against Tampa Bay last year, Kirk Cousins threw eight touchdown passes and only one interception. When the Falcons played them on Thursday Night Football, he threw for over 500 yards and the game winning touchdown pass in overtime. If you’re Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, you cannot let that quarterback rip apart this secondary once again. However, Drake London has missed the last four games due to a knee injury and it will be a fifth straight on Thursday. Without him on the field, Atlanta’s passing game simply revolves around tight end Kyle Pitts because they don’t have the depth at wide receiver. As long as Tampa Bay slows down Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in the backfield, then the defense does not need to run anything too exotic. Just stick to your responsibilities and the rest will take care of itself.

My biggest concern with the Bucs is their offense. The good news is that they could potentially get Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan activated off of IR, but this group has not been the same since the bye week. They have lost four out of their last five games, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka haven’t been the same since they have returned from their injuries and even Baker Mayfield’s production is starting to dip. Last Sunday against the Saints, Tampa Bay went three for thirteen on third down and two for seven on fourth! In the second half, Mayfield completed just five out of thirteen passes. Atlanta’s defense might not be the strongest unit in the league, but they are third in sacks! For the Bucs to avoid another sloppy game, they have to ensure Mayfield has a clean pocket and run the ball well. If this turns out to be a low-scoring grudge match, they cannot make any mistakes at the worst possible time.

FINAL LOCK: I think this is going to be a pretty close game and both offenses are not going to look promising, but I trust Baker Mayfield in the fourth quarter more than Kirk Cousins. Atlanta should have the talent and depth to put up a strong fight, but without Drake London, I just don’t trust the passing attack to come through in the clutch.

FINAL SCORE: TB 20-17

THE 1:00 SLATE:

BUFFALO BILLS (9-4) vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (11-2)

It’s a little disgraceful that we have to watch the Cowboys and the Vikings on Sunday Night Football and not one of the biggest divisional games of the season. This is a huge afternoon for both teams. If the Patriots win, they clinch the AFC East. If the Bills split the series, then the division is still up for grabs. 

New England is coming off a bye week, so they are going to be re-energized and recharged at home. However, the last time this team was in this position was in 2021. They were 9-4 and had the number one seed in the AFC, but the minute they came back from their week off, they lost three of their final four games in the regular season and fell all the way to the sixth spot in the playoff race. When they played the Bills in the Wild Card, they didn’t just lose. They got demolished 47-17 and it cemented one of the biggest collapses in franchise history. Obviously, this Patriots team is a lot different and better than the one they had four years ago, but I don’t want them to fall in the same trap. The only way to avoid it is very simple: win. There is absolutely no margin for error against Josh Allen. Just ask the Bengals what happened to them last week. Understand that one slip-up and one mistake in a close game could be the one to give Buffalo all of the momentum. 

This is not going to be like Sunday Night Football in week five. Both teams know what the stakes are and they are fully aware that they have to lock in from the jump. For the Bills, we all know what Josh Allen is capable of on any given week. However, this defense really needs to step up the way they did in the final five minutes against Cincinnati. They have to zone in on the rushing attack and force Drake Maye to throw at least 40 passes, they have to bring enough pressure against one of the worst offensive lines in the league and all it is going to take is one takeaway for their quarterback to seize all the momentum. Buffalo hasn’t won in Gillette Stadium in the last couple of years and the crowd on Sunday is not exactly going to be welcoming. There’s no question they have the physical traits to make this a dogfight, but their mental stamina and toughness will be the biggest elements in play.

FINAL LOCK: This is going to be an extremely important game to watch because if the Bills lose, then they will be in the same boat as the Kansas City Chiefs and potentially miss the playoffs. New England hasn’t gotten the respect that they deserve this year, so if they pull off the sweep, then let’s see what everyone else has to say.

FINAL SCORE: NE 27-24

BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-7) vs. CINCINNATI BENGALS (4-9)

For the second time in three weeks, the Ravens and Bengals will play each other in what is essentially a do-or-die game for both sides. Baltimore is starting to fall apart and Cincinnati let a winnable matchup against the Bills completely fall out of their hands, so both sides are going to be incredibly desperate to get a victory and keep their season alive.

Just like Thanksgiving night, the Bengals offense will be without Tee Higgins. They still managed to win 32-14, but 18 of their points came off the leg of Evan McPherson. However, there were some positives. Joe Burrow threw for over 260 yards with a couple touchdown passes, Ja’Marr Chase caught seven passes for 110 yards and Chase Brown totaled 100 yards from scrimmage as well. There’s no question Cincinnati can beat this team once again, but it will be way easier said than done. For starters, their red zone execution has to be ten times better. They made it inside the opponent’s 20 yard line six times and only cashed in once. More importantly, the Bengals cannot turn the ball over at the worst possible time the way they did last week. If they can just run a Xerox copy of what they did on Thanksgiving, this team can pull off an impressive sweep and send Baltimore’s playoff hopes into jeopardy. 

I hate to say this but the Ravens are a bad football team. I don’t want to hear that the refs cost them a win against the Steelers because they did not deserve to win on Sunday afternoon. Their offense was pathetic in the first half, the defense got torched in the third quarter and they failed to close the deal when they had multiple chances in the fourth. I truly thought Baltimore was going to do exactly what they did last year: recover from a slow start and dominate the rest of the season to win the AFC North in a heartbeat. Now, they are at the risk of missing the playoffs. I get that Lamar Jackson is clearly not healthy right now, but he’s still on the football field. Aaron Rodgers has a slight break in his left wrist and still threw for over 280 yards against that Ravens defense, so I don’t want to hear any other excuses. Entering Sunday afternoon, this is essentially a win or go home matchup. They won’t be eliminated from contention if they lose, but it’s going to be impossible for them to steal a playoff spot with a 6-8 record. 

FINAL LOCK: It’s hard to point out what each team specifically needs to do to win because both of them are incredibly flawed and don’t really deserve to make the playoffs. Whoever wins the AFC North is going to get crushed in the Wild Card. With all of that being said, I’m going to go with the wild card and say that Cincinnati pulls off the sweep. Knowing that Jackson is not 100%, the Ravens offense is an identity crisis. Their defense has pieces, but against Joe Burrow, it can only do so much. It’s going to require a momentum-swinging takeaway on either side for this game to get out of hand and if the Bengals could do it on the road on a prime time stage, who is to say they can’t do it again in the jungle?

FINAL SCORE: CIN 27-19

NEW YORK JETS (3-10) vs. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (9-4)

When these teams played each other in Duval in Week 15 last year, both of them had incredibly pathetic seasons and were competing for a top five draft pick. As a matter of fact, New York had the same record as they do right now. However, the Jaguars have turned their season around and are only a few more wins away from winning the AFC South. I would say this could potentially be a trap game, but then you remember that they’re playing the Jets.

It feels like Aaron Glenn overdramatizes the starting quarterback situation for this football team every week. Justin Fields is trash, Tyrod Taylor is just okay and Brady Cook is nowhere near ready to play in this league. Whoever starts this game is going to have a long afternoon. The Jaguars are tied for second in takeaways, they have the best rushing defense in the NFL and they are just outside the top ten in points allowed. As I say week after week, the Jets offense is literally one player and that is Breece Hall. All Jacksonville’s defense has to do is show up with a pulse and it will be enough to win. If Tyrod Taylor is indeed starting, just don’t let him hang around for too long because you never know what he can do when the game is on the line.

 Trevor Lawrence has looked solid in the last couple of weeks. He might not be putting up elite numbers, but he’s making enough plays to win and there haven’t been a lot of times where he’s been forced to do too much. Entering this home against the Jets, we should expect more or less the same thing. He doesn’t have to be the hero and try to make too much out of a play. Just trust the other guys around you and keep the ball out of harm’s way and the Jaguars should win this game handily. This Jets defense still hasn’t forced an interception all season long, so as long as Lawrence doesn’t become the first quarterback on that list, he’ll be fine.

FINAL LOCK: There’s a thought in the back of my mind telling me that this could be a closer game than expected, but the Jaguars took care of business in their last two matchups against Tennessee and Indianapolis, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt this time. As long as Jacksonville doesn’t play over their heads, this should be somewhat of an easy win for them.

FINAL SCORE: JAX 31-10

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (9-4) vs. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-7)

It says something when the Chiefs are the ones fighting for their lives in this one. Normally, a home game against the Chargers is easily winnable, but not this time around. The last time these two teams played each other, Justin Herbert outplayed Patrick Mahomes in a thrilling Friday night matchup in Brazil. Now that these quarterbacks will meet again in Arrowhead, it’s time to see what Kansas City will do in the biggest game of their lives.

Obviously, everybody knows what Patrick Mahomes is capable of on any given week, but even he can’t do it alone. Just this past Sunday, their offense got absolutely neutralized by the best defense in the league. Mahomes completed 14 of 33 passes with no touchdowns and three interceptions, their offensive line got overwhelmed with injuries and the receivers dropped at least six passes. Five of six Kansas City’s wins have been at home, two of them to Detroit and Indianapolis. That’s not too bad. However, they’re not as feared as they’ve been in the past and that is why they have seven losses. This is what happens when you keep the gang around together and not make any notable changes in the offseason. To use a Taylor Swift reference, this is just karma. There’s a lot of things the Chiefs need to do to win the game, but from an offensive standpoint, they need to run the ball. When they beat Indianapolis, Kareem Hunt carried the ball 30 times and totaled over 100 yards. Last Monday night, the Chargers allowed Saquon Barkley to rush for 122 yards on 20 carries. Slowing down the run hasn’t been a glaring flaw, but it’s not exactly a huge strength for this defense. If Kansas City can implement a ball-control strategy, then they can keep LA guessing on almost every drive and it will pay off to their advantage.

Just like the Patriots and Bengals, the Chargers have a chance to sweep their most hated division rival in a regular season. Justin Herbert was the hero in week one, but he will have to do it again in December. Unfortunately, given the state of his offensive line, Herbert is going to face even more pressure than he did last Monday against Philadelphia. Steve Spagnuolo didn’t have a lot of answers in the first meeting, but it has been three months since these two teams met in Brazil. LA’s offense is going to be in for another messy performance if they don’t give their quarterback a clean pocket. If things pick up where they left off last week, then that defense will need to have another spectacular performance for this team to have a chance of winning.

FINAL LOCK: It’s hard for me to say that Patrick Mahomes is going to get swept by a division rival, especially when it’s essentially a win or go home game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs might not be as great as they have been in the past, but as long as you have that quarterback under center, there’s always a chance.

FINAL SCORE: KC 23-20

ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-10) vs. HOUSTON TEXANS (8-5)

This is another game where both teams are heading in opposite directions. The Texans have won five in a row and are en route to another playoff berth, while the Cardinals have lost five straight and could potentially move on from Kyler Murray at the end of the year. On the surface, Houston should win by double digits, but how much fight does Arizona truly have left in them?

The most glaring weakness for the Cardinals offense in this matchup is their line. Since Jacoby Brissett has been the starter, he has been sacked 29 times, which is tied for the seventh most in the league. Patrick Mahomes has been taken down as many times and that was the quarterback Houston just beat last week. Arizona’s offense has complimentary pieces that could muster up a ton of yards, but they have only scored 17 points in their last two games. The Texans, meanwhile, are eighth in sacks and they allow the fewest points in the NFL. Michael Wilson might be a stud and Trey McBride is surely one of the best tight ends in the league, but unless Brissett has the game of his life, they don’t have the personnel to win this type of game. It’s either going to be a blowout or they will come up just short in the fourth quarter.

As great as the Texans defense has been this year, I am not completely confident in their offense moving forward. In the five game winning streak, with the exception of the comeback against Jacksonville, they have let their opponents hang around longer than they should. It took a walk-off field goal to beat the Titans, they only beat the Colts and Bills by four and they were tied with Kansas City midway through the fourth quarter. That’s why I am not going to be surprised if this turns into a tight finish once again. I keep hoping to see the CJ Stroud that I saw in his rookie season, but I haven’t found him and I’m scared that he’s been figured out as a quarterback.

FINAL LOCK: Because the Texans are at home, I will say that their defense leads the way from start to finish once again. I don’t expect their offense to be fantastic, but as long as they hold onto the ball and string together a few promising drives, it will be enough to win.

FINAL SCORE: HOU 23-17

CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-10) vs. CHICAGO BEARS (9-4)

I’ll actually be amazed if the Bears find a way to win this game by double digits, but that’s like asking Zooey Deschanel to sing at my birthday party: it’s just not going to happen. The Browns might be a team on the downswing once again, yet their defense is still a dangerous unit and they just announced that Shadeur Sanders would be the starting quarterback the rest of the season. Honestly, who knows what will happen in this game?

Caleb Williams had his moments against the Packers, but at the end of the day, he failed to close the deal when it mattered most. This week, he just has to make sure he doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way. Cleveland’s defense had a really hard time slowing down the worst rushing team in the National Football League, which is perfect for Chicago because that is the bread and butter of their offense. All I really want from this team is consistency. I’m tired of them slumping their way through the first half, building momentum in the third quarter and then coming to life in the fourth. If they are going to start fast, their foot needs to be kept on the gas, especially with Myles Garrett on the other side of the line.

Many Browns fans want to point the finger at Kevin Stefanski for the loss, but the reality was that their team made too many mistakes to win. If they want to have any chance of playing spoiler, this team has to do the exact opposite. That’s asking for a lot considering this is Cleveland we are talking about, but they honestly have nothing to lose. Sanders has slowly been improving as a quarterback and the defense is still only allowing 165 passing yards per week, so if they can ruffle a few feathers on Sunday, anything is possible. 

FINAL LOCK: The last thing I want is the Bears to look ahead to their “revenge game” against the Packers and not take the Browns seriously. This is going to be a scrappy fight and it is not going to be easy for either side, so Chicago better get over that loss in Lambeau Field quickly and find out how to win this one. Otherwise, it could send their season into a spiraling freefall and who knows if they make the playoffs?

FINAL SCORE: CHI 24-20

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-10) vs. NEW YORK GIANTS (2-11)

God bless the fans at MetLife Stadium that will bother to show up for this game. The Giants have been so bad over the last decade and yet their fans still spend a lot of hard-earned money for tickets to witness sheer pain on a football field. The Commanders, just a year after making the NFC Championship, are on an eight game losing streak and will probably not have Jayden Daniels the rest of the season. This is truly going to be a horrible game, but if there’s a silver lining, one of them will finally get a win. Actually no it isn’t because it just costs them a higher draft pick.

I am curious to see how both defenses are going to look because they have been extremely bad all season long. Washington is horrible against the pass, while New York is worse against the run. They each only have seven takeaways, which is tied for the second fewest in the NFL. The Giants are 30th in points allowed, the Commanders 28th. If you enjoy watching this side of the ball, then you’re not going to be in for a fun afternoon. On the contrary, Jaxson Dart and Marcus Mariota are mobile quarterbacks that can be difficult to slow down. These offenses rely on their rushing attacks to stay on the field, but their offensive lines still leave a lot to be desired when it comes to pass protection. This should be a high scoring game and not only will it come down to which quarterback has the ball last, but who won’t give the other a chance to finish the job?

FINAL LOCK: When these teams played each other in week one, we thought the Commanders would easily beat the Giants, which is exactly what happened. Three months later, this could honestly go either way. I’d have to pick Washington for now just because I trust their offensive depth a little more, but they just lost their security blanket in tight end Zach Ertz to a torn ACL, so they better hope Marcus Mariota is the biggest reason why they win on Sunday.

FINAL SCORE: WAS 34-31

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-11) vs. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (8-5)

Let’s not lie to ourselves: this is a trap game. It’s not just because the Eagles offense is lifeless and their defense is starting to wear out from being on the field for too long. It’s because Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Raiders, has never lost a game to Philadelphia since 1999, when he was with the Patriots. 

On paper, the Eagles should win in a landslide, but their season just brings up flashbacks to the collapse they suffered in 2023. As a matter of fact, one of their more humiliating losses was to the Seattle Seahawks when Carroll was still there and Drew Lock was the starting quarterback to fill in for an injured Geno Smith. Two years later, the circumstances are almost identical. Philadelphia is in a must-win game against a terrible opponent, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett will most likely be the starter and Carroll is the opposing coach on the sideline. If the Eagles had a top five offense and number one defense like they did last year, this wouldn’t even be a conversation. 

FINAL LOCK: I’m rolling with the upset and I have the Raiders winning this game in a tight finish! The Eagles shouldn’t lose this game, but their offense is too frustrating to watch for me to have any faith in them. Nick Sirianni still hasn’t taken the play-call sheet out of Kevin Patullo’s hands, Lane Johnson is injured and the group keeps losing more confidence in each other by the week. The only way I can see Philly winning is if Pickett throws four interceptions and they win 23-3.

FINAL SCORE: LV 20-17

THE 4:25 WINDOW:

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-5) vs. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-3)

I’m still trying to process the fact that Philip Rivers is back in the NFL. A 44 year old grandfather that hasn’t taken a snap since 2020 is on Indianapolis’ practice squad. I knew that losing Daniel Jones was going to be a huge blow to this team’s playoff hopes, but I never thought they would be this desperate. After all, they did bring in Jeff Saturday to be the interim head coach in 2022, so I can’t be too surprised. With that being said, this is going to be a hard game to watch.

Shane Steichen hasn’t announced who the starting quarterback will be this week. Riley Leonard is dealing with a strained ligament in his right knee but fully participated in practice on Wednesday. My gut feeling is that they’ll try to start him on Sunday, but just like Sean McVay did with Baker Mayfield a few years ago, Steichen will have Rivers take over midway through the game just to give this team a spark. However, a 44 year old Philip Rivers is not exactly a quarterback that was starting to revitalize his career. Regardless, Seattle is going to do their very best to shut down the run and take Jonathan Taylor out of the game plan. Once that happens, then the Colts offense is going to look incredibly one dimensional and it is only going to get ugly from there.

Sam Darnold is a very complicated quarterback to evaluate. He’s had tremendous games that tell you he can be your face of the franchise, but others where you leave yourself scratching your head. Indianapolis has normally been a “bend but don’t break” defense, but that identity is now in question after losing four out of five games. Once again, Darnold just needs to make sure he doesn’t do too much. As long as he holds onto the football and makes smart plays, the Seahawks offense will be in good shape. The Colts defense is sixth in stopping the run, but they’re the fourth worst against the pass, so Darnold should be set up for a promising afternoon. 

FINAL LOCK: The Seahawks haven’t lost a game at home since they played the Buccaneers in October. I expect this to be a complete performance in all three phases and all it will take is one big play for the gates to blow wide open. Unless Jonathan Taylor rushes for over 200 yards, I don’t see the score being close at all.

FINAL SCORE: SEA 38-10

GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-3-1) vs. DENVER BRONCOS (11-2)

Here’s a hot take for this week: I think this game is way more deserving of being televised on a national stage than the one between the Rams and Lions. The reason why is because both the Broncos and Packers have impeccable defenses, their offenses are balanced, these teams are both well coached and one more win for either side can clinch them a playoff spot. This is going to be one heck of a grudge match and we all know that it will come down to a game winning drive in the final seconds. Now we just need to see who it will be on Sunday.

If you want to ask me who has the better offense, it is the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love is having an MVP-caliber season, Josh Jacobs is still one of the best workhorse running backs in the league, their offensive line has only allowed 18 sacks and the passing game looks more fluid with a couple of their receivers coming back from injury. However, let’s not completely sleep on Bo Nix. I’m not saying he is great, but he’s had six game-winning drives this season; half of them were against Philadelphia, Kansas City and Houston. The Packers might have one of the best defenses in the league, but if this turns into a low-scoring battle, then they will need to do what they did last week against the Bears and force a game-saving interception. 

As for which team has the better defense, it is the Denver Broncos. They lead the league in sacks and fourth in points allowed. However, a couple of notable flaws is that they’re tied for the fifth fewest takeaways, while the Packers have one of the best turnover differentials in the NFL. Fortunately, Denver doesn’t have a high turnover rate, but that cannot be the reason why their 10 game winning streak ends on Sunday afternoon. Green Bay presents a lot of challenges that will be hard for the Broncos to slow down. Heck, Marcus Mariota nearly beat this defense in overtime just a few weeks back. Everybody wants to put the spotlight on Bo Nix, but I particularly want to see how their defense looks in the final five minutes.

FINAL LOCK: I’ve been bouncing back and forth with this game all week. Jordan Love might be the better quarterback, but the Broncos have the home-field advantage with a stronger defense. I think we are going to get an incredibly close matchup and more importantly, whoever has the ball in their hands in the final two minutes will be the one that reigns victorious. If it’s Denver, then they officially clinch a playoff spot.

FINAL SCORE: DEN 23-20

TENNESSEE TITANS (2-11) vs. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (9-4)

Tennessee had an impressive road win over the Cleveland Browns last week but unfortunately, they don’t have an easier test this week as they have to travel across the country to play a well-rested 49ers team hoping to clinch a playoff berth.

There were two reasons why the Titans earned their second victory of the season: Tony Pollard had two game-changing runs that kept the offense afloat and their defense forced several momentum-swinging plays. However, the 49ers are better coached and they have more depth on both sides of the ball, so they will make sure they don’t look past their opponent. After all, Cleveland nearly came back to send the game into overtime after trailing 31-17 in the middle of the fourth quarter. As I say every week, it is going to take near perfection for Tennessee to keep a game close and perhaps win the game. What they did against the Browns should not be underestimated, but it wasn’t like they beat the Rams or Patriots. 

FINAL LOCK: I hate to say it Tennessee, but the euphoria is not going to last very long. I believe the 49ers should win this game in a heartbeat and the only way I can see this game being close is if Brock Purdy plays exactly the way he did against the Panthers: throw three interceptions and let the opposition hang around for too long. However, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say he will have one of his stronger performances of the season.

FINAL SCORE: SF 40-17

CAROLINA PANTHERS (7-6) vs. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3-10)

If the Buccaneers somehow lose to the Falcons on Thursday night, then the Panthers have a chance to do one of the funniest things we have seen all season long and take the division lead. Even if Tampa wins, as they should, Carolina has no excuse losing to the Saints for the second time this year.

Now that the Panthers know what to expect from Tyler Shough and this New Orleans defense, they realize there is no margin for error, especially since this team just beat the Buccaneers on the road last week. Last month, Shough threw for over 280 yards and two touchdown passes with zero turnovers. Bryce Young, on the other hand, had just 124 passing yards with two turnovers and zero points after the opening drive. Despite the 3-10 record, one bright spot is that this Saints secondary has allowed the sixth fewest passing yards in the league, which is very impressive. With that being said, Young cannot make any mistakes or else Shough is going to succeed as the spoiler for the third time this year. One way for Carolina’s offense to avoid such a fate is to run the ball well because they have two effective backs in Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard that can impact the game. New Orleans did a great job slowing those two down in November, so if the Panthers can adapt and scheme differently, then they should have more success.

Tyler Shough is honestly starting to grow on me. Obviously, I’m not saying he’s great but I can see the upside that a lot of NFL scouts saw before the draft. Just like his last five starts, I won’t place too many expectations on his shoulders. Because this game is at home in the Superdome, I expect him to play well, but that’s what I said before they got shut down by the Falcons a few weeks ago. It can really go either way, but Shough is once again going to be the X factor that will determine how much success this team will truly have on Sunday.

FINAL LOCK: Knowing the stakes of this game and realizing what type of obstacles they will encounter on Sunday, I believe the Panthers will have a more disciplined approach to this game. Bryce Young needs to be the better quarterback and their offense has to take more control because if they run into the same trap they did in November, then they might as well hand the division over to the Bucs.

FINAL SCORE: CAR 17-10

DETROIT LIONS (8-5) vs. LOS ANGELES RAMS (10-3)

All the Rams need is one more win and they will officially return to the playoffs. However, a familiar foe will step into the palace known as So-Fi Stadium to try to halt those plans: the Detroit Lions. In the last two matchups at Ford Field, Jared Goff got the better of his former team. Now that this game is in LA, it’s time for Matthew Stafford to keep reminding Detroit why they drafted him with the first overall pick back in 2009.

I’m not overly worried about how the Rams offense will look on Sunday. Detroit’s defense has been hit with a few key injuries, particularly in the secondary, but they would struggle just as much even if they were at full strength. Stafford is still one of the leading favorites for MVP, he has one of the best receiving duos in the league featuring Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, they also have a two-headed rushing attack that involves Kyren Williams and Blake Corum and their offensive line is one of the sturdiest in the league. Even if this game was being played in Detroit, I would expect LA to lock in from the start and not take their foot off the gas.

From Detroit’s perspective, this game is essentially win or go home because the NFC is stacked with playoff contenders. If they lose to the Rams on Sunday, then it is going to take a miracle for them to clinch a Wild Card spot. Matthew Stafford might be the one getting MVP votes, but it’s time for Jared Goff to remind us all who the hell he is in this league. He’s having just as strong of a season with 26 touchdown passes to just five interceptions. He’s second in completion percentage, fourth in yards per attempt and third in passer rating. If the Rams decide to slow down Jahmyr Gibbs and force Goff to win the game by himself, then let’s see if the former number one overall pick in the 2016 draft can lead the team to victory. If he does, then the Lions should run the table the rest of the way and make it back to the playoffs. Goff has outplayed Stafford twice in a row, but to do it for a third would be career defining. 

FINAL LOCK: I believe we are going to get a highly entertaining game between two of the best coached teams in all of football. With that being said, now that the game is in So-Fi Stadium, I believe the Rams will look more connected on both sides of the ball and I think they will make just a few more plays down the stretch to hang on for a victory.

FINAL SCORE: LA 30-27