NFL Week 16: Five Things to Watch

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The chase for the post season is in full swing as six teams have already punched their ticket to the dance, while 13 teams are still battling it out for the other six spots. This week the rubber meets the road as for many of these teams it comes down to lose and you are out, win and you move on. Here are five other things to watch for that may provide an edge when making your picks.

1) NFC Playoff Race

The NFC playoff race is simple yet complicated at the same time. Four or the six spots have been claimed and there are only three teams vying for two spots. The tricky part is the actual seeding of the teams. New Orleans is set as the top seed with home field advantage throughout the playoffs just about guaranteed. Minnesota seemed to be a lock for #2, but suddenly there are cracks in the boat and they are taking on water. Philadelphia is making a late season run, but can still land anywhere from #2 to #6. Dallas is a solid wildcard choice, but can still capture the East if they win out. Green Bay should be the other wildcard team, but have to win out to ensure that the Giants do not sneak in the back door.

The betting perspective: Right now the NFC East has the hottest teams in the conference. Look for wins from all three of them this week to force a dramatic conclusion to the race in week 17.

2) AFC Playoff Race

Other than Indianapolis and San Diego already clinching a spot in the postseason, the other four spots are still up for grabs with only two weeks to play. New England and Cincinnati are pretty much locks to grab two of these spots by winning their division, but the two wildcard spots are anyone’s guess. Denver and Baltimore have the inside track with a record of 8-6, but they could both easily lose this week opening the door for six other teams currently tied at 7-7. This week’s games are basically a first round playoff for all of these teams as it simply comes down to; win and you advance lose and you go home.

The betting perspective: Given the tight nature of this race, I would tend to bet on the horses that already know how to win. This makes Pittsburgh and New England the most dangerous horses in the field.

3) Minnesota & Cincinnati

While both these teams will make the playoffs, given their performance over the past few weeks you have to wonder how much noise they will make once they get there. Through the first 10 weeks these two teams were a combined 15-3, since then they are just 6-4 and both coming off tough losses last week. History has shown that the teams playing their best ball in December tend to carry this over to the playoffs eventually leading them all the way to the Super Bowl.

The betting perspective: Both these teams have two weeks to right the ship; otherwise their entire season will probably end in their first playoff game. Lean towards both these teams this week as they are still solid contenders in this race.

4) Philadelphia and San Diego

After the first five weeks of the season these two teams were a combined 6-6 and there were serious questions about their ability to compete with the top teams in the league. Since then they are a combined 16-2 and probably the hottest teams in the league. They both have a big play offense and a questionable defense which goes against the traditional formula for a Super Bowl contender. Their philosophy is; if we cannot stop you, we will simply outscore you.

The betting perspective: These are clearly the two most dangerous teams heading into the playoffs. Lean towards both these teams this week as they will continue to fine tune themselves for the post season.

5) The MVP

With two games to play the MVP race has suddenly become very interesting. A couple of weeks ago it was a dead heat between Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning with Chris Johnson bringing up the rear. After last week, Manning and Johnson seem to have vaulted to the lead as the Saints and Vikings losing took some of the shine off their team’s shining stars. For at least one more week all four of these studs will get a chance to state their case for the league’s top honor. While I still think it is Manning’s race to lose, if Chris Johnson can somehow cross the magical 2000 yard mark for the season, it will be hard to ignore this accomplishment in light of the fact his team started the year 0-6.

The betting perspective: Manning and Brees are both tied with 33 TD passes, but Favre has age and charisma on his side. Johnson has to hope he gets the ball enough to go over the 2000 mark. As long as the Colts stay undefeated my money is on Peyton.

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