ould not blame anyone if the defibrillators were busy this past weekend. The Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers put huge scares into people who went with them in knockout pools, falling behind by 20-0 and 16-0, respectively, before rallying. The Oakland Raiders were double-digit favorites and did not make it easy before topping the winless Bengals by seven. On to Week 12 and another testing schedule.
Don’t think about it
The Colts are battered and the Texans are coming off being crushed by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Thursday’s game is a big-time pass. A good, old-fashioned Duke-UNC rivalry could be on tap if Daniel Jones faces Mitchell Trubisky as the Bears play host to the Giants. That is if Trubisky’s suddenly injured hip recovers swiftly. Either way, neither team is worthy of pushing a season of chips to the middle of the table. The Eagles must have this game against the Seahawks. They can’t fall to 5-6 and be thinking playoffs. It is a great battle of the birds … to watch. There are three other wonderful matchups in Week 12: Packers-Niners on SNF, Cowboys-Patriots and Ravens-Rams on MNF. Goes without saying that none of these contests are worth playing in knockout pools. Evenly matched teams with special players all-around are great games to soak in and watch.
Let the bettor beware
The Redskins are awful and Dwayne Haskins does not look like the future in the present. If the Lions had Matthew Stafford, this would be a no-brainer. However, you get Jeff Driskel on the road and that’s enough to create cause for concern. Can’t take the chance at this point on Detroit winning a road game, can you? It seems implausible the Bengals would actually win a game. They did give the Raiders a scare and the Steelers come to Cincy banged-up big time. That “0” in the win column makes the play oh so attractive. However, somehow, someway it feels one day will be the Bengals’ day. The Jaguars visit the Titans. Neither team is predictable. Nick Foles is heading into his favorite part of the season. Derrick Henry could erupt. Not worth risking a play here. The Raiders barely got by the Bengals at home. The Jets are on a two-game winning streak, having defeated the putrid Giants and Washington. Body clocks will be against Oakland here with a 1 o’clock ET kick.
Tempting fate
The Bills look like a good thing at home, coming in at 7-3. However, Denver is the team that had a 20-0 lead at Minnesota last week only to blow it If the Broncos somehow get out fast at Buffalo, chances are the lightning won’t strike twice in two weeks with comebacks. The Falcons are soaring after an awful first half. The Bucs, well, they are being the Bucs. Losing and their quarterback throws interceptions in multiples. However, these teams played two close games last season and there is nothing to suggest a high-scoring game won’t be close, again. Atlanta has beaten TB five straight times. However, the last three decisions have been by a total of 10 points.
Go for it
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Lost in the melee between Mason Rudolph and Myles Garrett was a solid Browns victory over a team they always had trouble handling, the Steelers. The defense was solid. Baker Mayfield didn’t make mistakes. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are a nice tandem in the backfield and we haven’t addressed Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry as options in the receiving game. Landry will definitely want to stick it to his former team, the Dolphins. The big question is will the loss of Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi weaken the defensive line to the point where Miami can menace. If Cleveland wants to have any playoff hopes it has to run the table, which means it simply can’t flop against the Fish, who came back to reality Sunday against Buffalo. The risk has to be is there any way to confidently play a team that has four wins? An alternative: The Saints got back in gear while the Panthers fell for the second week in a row and now stand at 5-5. Easy to think New Orleans isn’t going to lose two in a row at the Superdome since the Falcons stunned them in their last game there. The Panthers are crumbling and tumbling. Still, they have Christian McCaffrey and found a way to get to 5-3. Take a team that is 4-6 against a team that is 2-8 or take a team that is 8-2 against a team that is 5-5. Decisions, decisions.
