We'll see if any of these games get postponed.
Thursday evening
San Francisco 49ers at Tennessee Titans : Both teams have some key injuries, but the Titans are missing their best receiver. That hurts, especially with the quality of the 49ers defense. That could make the difference in this game. 49ERS, 27-24
Saturday games
Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers : The Packers have already won their division, but they are chasing the top seed and a first round bye, so they won't be backing off. PACKERS, 31-16
Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals : Momentum is crucial at this point in the season, and the Colts certainly have the momentum. The Cards also have some key players on the IR list, including runner James Conner, their best offensive performer of the season, and QB Kyler Murray remains limited. The Colts would seem to be likely to field the stronger team. COLTS, 27-20
Sunday early games
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals : The Ravens will likely still be missing Lamar Jackson, which makes their offense more predictable. That will help the Bengals defense, giving them an advantage. The Ravens defense is good, but they may be missing some pieces. BENGALS, 23-20
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots : The two most dynamic teams face off in a game with major divisional and playoff consequences. The Pats have faltered recently, but they certainly still have the power to respond. The Bills have been inconsistent for much of the season, but currently have found some strength. Will that strength continue, or will the Pats prevail? Truthfully I feel this game could go either way. It may come down to who manages the ball better, and who can control it in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. That usually comes down to who has the better runner. For much of the season, that has been New England. But with their two best runners out or limited for Sunday's game, that gives the Bills the edge, despite concerns about the health of Emmanuel Sanders. BILLS, 27-24
Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons : Despite winning their second game last week, I don't think the Lions will pose much of a threat to Atlanta. FALCONS, 20-17
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets : With a total of five wins between them, does anyone outside of NYC really care about this one? JETS, 16-13
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans : The Texans defense is floundering, and their offense isn't doing very well either. Easy win for the Chargers. CHARGERS, 27-13
Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings : Both teams get back some players from the COVID list, although we don't know who will be added to it before the game. Despite that, the Rams certainly seem to have the stronger team, especially since their defense is likely to make life tough for Vikings QB Kurt Cousins. RAMS, 30-20
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles : The Giants best player, Saquan Barkley, remains out. The Eagles aren't much better, with two running backs and QB Jalen Hurts injured and questionable for the game. Both teams will be playing with shattered rosters, so it gets down to which team has the better backups. EAGLES, 24-16
Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers : Cam Newton returns to the field, although in a limited capacity. That means the team will be switching between Newton and Sam Darnold. Those two have different styles, so it could be tough for the other offensive players to make a smooth transition. BUCS, 17-13
Sunday late games
Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks : Bears QB Justin Fields is still hurt, but the Seahawks are ravaged by COVID. They unsuccessfully appealed to the league to move the game to Tuesday. Not sure who will play, and not sure how well they will work together. Great opening for the Bears to win a game. BEARS, 17-16
Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders : Teddy Bridgewater is out for the Broncos, and Drew Lock folds under pressure. The Raiders defense can apply that type of pressure. RAIDERS, 17-13
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs : The Chiefs are happy with the change to the league's COVID rules, which states that vaccinated players only have to sit out one day if they test negative after that. That should allow them to get many key players on the field for Sunday. The Steelers are facing tougher problems, and probably won't have the defense to slow the powerful Chiefs. CHIEFS, 31-20
Sunday night
Washington at Dallas Cowboys : Dallas is strong, and the incentive to win their division while simultaneously beating their hated rival is just too great. COWBOYS, 24-17
Monday Night Football
Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints : The Dolphins are facing COVID issues, and Taysom Hill is finally starting to find his rhythm. That helps the Saints, even if Hill's finger is still bothering him. SAINTS, 23-17
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