I took last week off as I was busy running around wrapping up things for Christmas. But we are back at it this week. There are some interesting games in week 17 with big implications so let’s get started.

An Awkward way to start the new year: Broncos @ Chiefs

I mentioned a few weeks ago the awkward way Danielle and I have to watch these games. To add to the awkwardness we have to do it in a four week span and it is the very first day of 2023. So we are going to literally start the new year by barely talking to each other. While this might seem like the norm or a blessing for some marriages, Danielle and I actually like each other and prefer talking to one another…at least most of the time.

The last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs was week 2 of the 2015 season on September 17th. And even that was a game we really had no business losing. The next time we played them, Manning threw 5 interceptions and it was basically the end of Manning’s career even though he would go on to win the super bowl behind their incredible defense. Since that game we have rattled off 14 straight victories and it is hard to imagine us not getting a 15th.

The Broncos are amazingly in even worse shape than the last time we played them. They just fired their disaster of a coach. Also, the Broncos apparently have to pay Hackett 80k a week for the remainder of his contract as long as he doesn’t have an NFL job. So he could go get a gig at a college and still collect his 80k from the Broncos. If he does get an NFL job but doesn’t make 80k a week then the Broncos have to make up the difference. I always thought back up QB was the best job in the NFL but apparently fired coach is the way to go. The Broncos now have an interim head coach coaching his first game ever. A lot of times the interim head coach gets a boost from the team that has been looking for new leadership. But I doubt the team is real excited to rally around the guy who was doing clock management last week. He doesn’t seem to have the same misguided confidence as Jeff Saturday did when he got the job so he probably won’t be able to fire up the troops for a win like Saturday did. He also isn’t playing the Raiders.

Mahomes made just about every mistake you could make last game against the Broncos. Pat isn’t perfect but he seldom screws up in the same way against the same team as long as that team isn’t the Bengals. The Chiefs still have a lot to play for and the Broncos have basically nothing to play for. Russ seems more disconnected from the team as ever and I think everyone is pretty much done over there. I think their d will keep it from being a blood bath but also our d will play better this go around and there won’t be as many turn overs to set up the Broncos for success. #15 gets #15 in a row.

Chiefs 31 Broncos 13

Which loser gets to host a playoff game?: Panthers @ Bucs

I know the Panthers are a feel good story in that after firing their coach and trading their best player they can still win the division if they win this week. However, lets not make this sound like this is some sort of massive accomplishment. I mean, they are 3 games under .500. The only reason this feel good story even exists is because the rest of the division sucks too. When the season started I thought the Bucs had one of the easier paths to winning a division but I assumed they wouldn’t be terrible when thinking that.

The Panthers have a pretty good defense and they run the ball over everyone. They ran for 320 yards last week. That is like the same amount of rushing yards the Chiefs get in a month. They ruined the Lions day last weekend and have already beat the Bucs once. The Bucs on the other hand play average to below average football for the first 3 and half quarters every week but hang around just long enough for Tom Brady to do his thing in the last 5 or 6 minutes to lead them to victory. They don’t do this against good teams, mind you. They only do this against bad teams. So you have to decide…are the Panthers a good team or a bad team? I vote for bad. Yes, they are a nice story. Yes, Steve Wilks has done a nice job. But Sam Darnold is still their starting QB and they are still the 6-9 Panthers playing on the road where they are 1-5 on the year. Same story, different game for good old Tommy. He leads them down for the winning td to clinch the South for the Bucs.

Bucs 17 Panthers 16

A game without fans: Rams @ Chargers?

I put a question mark because if you are playing at the stadium that you play your home games at, are you really the away team? The better question is will any fans show up? Typically when either of these teams play, the opposing teams fans fill up half the stadium…sometimes more than half. The Rams don’t have many fans of their own and they are the popular team in LA. Why the Chargers decided to leave beautiful San Diego to play second fiddle in their own stadium to the Rams is beyond me.

The Rams may be the worst returning Super Bowl team ever. But they are salvaging that a little bit by playing like they have a pulse the last few weeks. Just as we all expected, all they needed was Baker Mayfield to show up. And unlike most bad teams there is no reason to keep losing because the Rams don’t have any draft picks anyway. While the Chargers are clearly the better team and I don’t get to say this a lot, also the healthier team, the Rams do have some fight left. They came from behind against the Raiders, like everyone does. They were competitive at Green Bay and they just hung 51 on the Broncos in a game they didn’t have to punt.

The Chargers on the other hand have won 3 in a row. They haven’t put up a ton of points but there has been lots of oooing and ahhhing at the throws Justin Herbert makes. And lots of comments about how good they are now that they are healthy. They have sort of an odd arrogance about them for not winning anything of significance. This seems like the sort of game that the Chargers would typically lose. Once they give people hope, they like to immediately take it away. The Rams are suddenly scrappy and Baker is a fun story even though he is sort of an idiot. And the Rams have the better coach. This is my upset special of the week. The non home, home team in a close one leading to both Charger fans going home in tears. Also, look out for Sofi field who is undefeated against ACL’s. Look for someone important to go down in this game.

Rams 24 Chargers 20

The should have been the Sunday Night flex game: Vikings @ Packers

This is the game I wanted to see flexed to Sunday night. Instead we get the Ravens @ Steelers snooze fest. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still watch that one too, but I would have preferred not to. I can only assume that CBS wasn’t letting go of this one as it is one of the rare NFC only games they get each year. And it should be a good one. The Vikings are the luckiest team in the league winning 11 games by one score or less. They have one win by more than 1 score and that was week 1 against the Packers. They are 12-3 and the Packers are 7-8, yet the Packers are 3.5 point favorites. The home team typically gets 3 points so this game is basically a push in the eyes of Vegas.

The Vikings do have some weapons including the best receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook is pretty good too. Cousins has played well for the most part and has been unusually clutch as long as it isn’t a primetime game. Although this won’t be technically a night game, I think it will have that feel to it. The Packers actually have a good roster and are playing much better as of late. Rodgers has had a goofy grin at the end of the last 3 games that says hey we are going to win out and get in like he knows something the rest of the world doesn’t. If you are one of those conspiracy guys that thinks the NFL is rigged then this team and this game is for you. Certainly the Packers and Rodgers in the playoffs makes for better ratings than say the Commanders and either Wentz or Henicke as well as the Seahawks and Geno, even though Geno is a nice story. I think this will be a back and forth game that will stress my son out and make him make a lot of loud noises. (He is a huge Packers fan). This will send my wife upstairs to watch Netflix on her new Ipad that I got her for Christmas. (husband brag, your welcome honey). The Packers will have a slight lead to set up another close victory for the Vikes but a controversial call will go the Packers way to seal the game and really give conspiracy guy something to tweet about.

Packers 30 Vikings 27

The time I cheer for the team I hate?: Bills @ Bengals

Have I mentioned that I hate the Bengals? They almost blew a 22 point lead to the Patriots last week in a trap game but survived. I am sure they are running around the Natti with their smug little faces and making their smug little comments. I can’t stand Burrow and his gelled up hair looking like what Macauley Caulkin should have grown up to look like. Well he won’t be home alone on Monday because the Bills are coming to town and they are looking to hang onto the #1 seed. Every logical part of me says I should be a Bengals fan just this once. If they win, and the Chiefs take care of business we get the #1 seed, a bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This sounds pretty dang good doesn’t it? So I am cheering for…nope, I can’t do it. Look the Bills beat us sometimes too but they are likable. Their city is likable. Their fans are likable. I mean, they jump on tables. How fun is that? What’s to like about the Bengals? So I am joining Bills mafia for this one. I know I shouldn’t but it is time for the Bengals to get knocked down a peg. Also, I think the Bills are better. They have the better overall team and they will show the world that on Monday night. And you never know, they could go and screw things up the following week against the Patriots. That sounds like something the Bills would do. Josh Allen out plays Kevin McCallister and makes his win streak disappear ruining his holiday season. There will be no old man with a shovel to knock out his opponent this time. By the way, Home Alone is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I used to watch it every Thanksgiving with my family and now we do the same. But can we pause to reflect on the ending. After everything Kevin does to them over a 20 minute span they just keep getting up. They even swing into a brick wall for goodness sakes. But they still get up. Then a 70ish year old man hits them over the head with a minimal swing from a snow shovel and they are down for the count? It’s almost like they didn’t even think about the realism of that movie.

Anyway, the Bills win and I think they win out overall. They keep the #1 seed. I think this is the playoffs of things Patrick Mahomes hasn’t done yet. First he will finally beat the Bengals in the divisional round. Then he will head to Buffalo, the worst possible set up for his first ever road playoff game and he wins. Then he goes to the super bowl and doesn’t throw any interceptions for the first time. League MVP, Super Bowl MVP and silence the critics once and for all…boom! Except for Skip Bayless because that idiot will never quit.

Anyway Bills win by a solid margin.

Bills 30 Bengals 20

I really do appreciate the reads and the comments. This has been a fun way to end the last few weeks of 2022 and I am excited to keep it going into 2023. I hope you all have a wonderful 2023 and wish you much success and happiness. Also, Go Chiefs! Happy New Year everyone!