Week 16 Saturday/Sunday:

Before kicking off the weekend games, we pause to pay brief tribute to Redskins’ great “Slingin’” Sammy Baugh, who passed this week. Baugh was a great passer, kicker and defender in the days when pro football players went both ways for 60 minutes (without face masks). He was among one of the first great college stars who went on to greater fame in the NFL. Were it not for great pioneers like Baugh, the NFL would not be what it has become today.

Indianapolis came through as expected on Thursday Night, so they’ll be watching the outcomes of the games this weekend with a keen eye to size up their potential opponents for the playoffs.

The Saturday Game:

At Dallas -4 Baltimore 39.5

The curtain closes on Texas Stadium this week as the Cowboys play their final regular home game in Irving. When it opened in 1971, it was a state of the art facility being the first venue with a hole in the roof to allow for natural conditions as well as the first to include “luxury suites” that are pretty much the standard across America. For those of us who remember the days of Don Meredith, Frank Clarke and the Cotton Bowl, it amazing to see how far the Cowboys have come since the ‘60’s. The Ravens suffered a heartbreaking loss last week a controversial call down the stretch spelled doom for any hopes to win the AFC North, so now they’re fighting it out for the Wild Card. Now, they need to win in Dallas to keep those hopes alive. It’ll be a tough task as the Cowboys are playing their best football of the year despite the internal feuding that came to light last week. This should be a tough defensive struggle, but the Cowboys will succeed.

Projected Final Score: Dallas 23, Ravens 17

The Sunday Games:

Pittsburgh -1.5 At Tennessee 34

There’s not much to discuss when two smashmouth teams are duking it out for the top spot in the Conference. Everything has pretty much been talked out. The Titans will be without Haynesworth until the playoffs and that will create big problems up front. The Steelers are now in position to grab home field advantage away from Tennessee and are playing very well.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 20, Tennessee 17


Miami -3.5 At Kansas City 40

Now that King Carl has abdicated his throne in KC, life will hopefully take a turn for the better for the franchise and their long-suffering fans. Last week, they allowed the Chargers to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. This week, Miami comes to town for a renewal of the great 1971 AFC Championship that ended in defeat for Kansas City. The Dolphins just squeaked by San Francisco at home last week and they need to win here to keep pace in the AFC East. The Dolphins haven’t been playing that well of late and perhaps the Chiefs exact a little revenge…37 years later.

Projected Final Score: Kansas City 21, Miami 20

At New England -7.5 Arizona 44.5

The story of this game will likely be the inclement weather, so the relative strengths and weaknesses are out the window. The Cardinals’ record on the East Coast this year has been nothing short of brutal and the Patriots’ defense is presently being held together by chewing gum and chicken wire. Maybe it’s good that snow is in the forecast…

Projected Final Score: New England 20, Arizona 17

At Cleveland -2.5 Cincinnati 32

On the excitement scale, this one won’t register a blip. The Bungles are on a bit of a roll these days, having actually won a game last week while the Browns were blown out by Philly on Monday. It appears apparent that the Browns are hoping that the next two games pass quickly so the owners can move on to another “Plan B”.

Projected Final Score: Cincinnati 23, Cleveland 17

Philadelphia -4.5 At Washington 48.5

After last week’s defeat, the air went out of the balloon for the Redskins…for the Eagles, a Wild Card berth remains possible but they need to win out and hope for one of the South or East teams to falter. The Eagles won’t let up now.

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 24, Washington 17

San Francisco -4.5 At St. Louis 43.5

The ‘Niners are looking to finish strong heading into next year, and have played more competitively under Coach Singletary than under the previous regime. They’re playing their second straight game on the road, but this week things ought to be a little easier as the woeful Rams are just playing out these last two and hoping for a better season next year.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 23, St. Louis 16

At Minnesota -3.5 Atlanta 43

Last week, Tarvaris Jackson played like the second coming of Johnny U as the Vikes came away with a big road win. As long as AP is in good stead, it’s really not essential that Jackson reprise his efforts from last week. One of Gang Williams is out for this one and that will create a little room up the middle for Turner t

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 24, Minnesota 23

New Orleans -6.5 At Detroit 50.5

Is this finally the week? It’s hard to give an 0-14 team credit for much, but they did go down to Indy last week and refused to quit, so anything is possible. Brees will be putting the ball up for grabs all afternoon and should have a pretty good day against Detroit’s “imitation defense”…The heart says Detroit, the head says…

Projected Final Score: New Orleans 28, Detroit 24

At NY Giants -2.5 Carolina 37.5

This is a critical game for both teams, not simply for playoff implications but more importantly for momentum. Right now the Panthers have it and the Giants don’t. Without Jacobs in the lineup, the G-Men simply lack the swagger of last year and the better part of this year. They haven’t been dominant in a month and now the Panthers are looking to come into the Meadowlands and make some noise heading into the playoffs. As is the case in Foxboro, the weather will be a factor…in the end the Giants’ defense is going to rise to the fore.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 23, Carolina 20

NY Jets -4.5 At Seattle 44

The Jets travel west for a big game in Seattle. They were one play away from losing at home, and like the Giants, have not played a solid game for awhile. Seattle’s a tough nut to crack at home despite their record. They played their hearts out against the Patriots two weeks ago and were victorious on the road last week. This is Holmgren’s final game at home and the team wants to send him off in fine fashion, but it’s also a game that the Jets cannot let slip through their grasp.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 24, Seattle 20

Houston -6.5 At Oakland 44

The Raiders are a very, very bad football team. Last week they were annihilated by New England in a driving rainstorm and many of the players out there appeared to be going through the motions. They’re a bad team because The Old Man lost his fastball years ago and refuses to step aside. Many octogenarians are sharp as a tack, but Father Time has not been so kind to King Al. As the Raiders continue their freefall, the Tejanos are playing well as their season winds down, They’re coming off back-to-back wins and are looking for the three-peat in the Black Hole…

Projected Final Score: Houston 23, Oakland 16

At Denver -6.5 Buffalo 44.5

The Broncos may be the most undeserved divisional champions in NFL history. This week they have a chance to clinch the AFC West, but who knows what sort of performance they’ll deliver. They were routed in Carolina last week, while the Bills foolishly let a win slip through their fingers by passing the ball when they should’ve controlled the clock at the end. A loss like that basically KO’s the season. The good folk in Buffalo are now very down on the coach. Many of the Bills’ key players are down for the count, and, unfortunately, J.P. Losman is not the “quarterback of the future”.

Projected Final Score: Denver 24, Buffalo 13

At Tampa Bay -3.5 San Diego 42.5

The Chargers escaped KC by the hairs on their chinny-chin-chins last week, but this week they won’t get a warm reception down on Mabry Blvd. They need a win here and hope for a Denver loss for a shot next week against the Broncos for the AFC West title, which is amazing considering how poorly they’ve played this year. Chucky and his crew may have lost their shot at the NFC South title last week, but they’re very much alive for the Wild Card and will not allow this pack of frauds to deny their chances for the postseason. They will arrive in ill humor and put the hammer down.

Projected Final Score: Tampa Bay 20, San Diego 17