Well this week got off to a crazy start with the Seahawks upsetting the Rams in a bizarre game that included a worthless virtual measurement, every catching passes besides Colby Parkinson who I started in fantasy, the Seahawks kicker scoring a measly 2 points even though the team scored 38 points (yes, he is also on my fantasy team), the weirdest 2 point conversion ever, a punt return for a touchdown and Sam Darnold overcoming the biggest obstacle in his career…himself. It was quite away to start the week. Here is my take on the 5 biggest games this weekend. But before we dive in, here are 5 things I think will happen in the other games.

1. Cowboys are eliminated before they play on Sunday. All it takes is the Eagles winning on Saturday, which will happen.
2. Chiefs win despite missing half their team. They are missing a lot of guys including Pat, but I think Kelce and Jones will inspire the play of the youngsters and they get the victory. They will play more relaxed and therefore better without the weight of having to win on them. Plus it would be fitting for the Chiefs, after losing a bunch of must win games that they would win this game when losing it would actually help for draft position.
3. Brady Cook gets his first win. The Jets head to New Orleans in a game that absolutely no one cares about. The Saints are riding high after beating the Bucs and Panthers in back to back weeks. But Brady brings his A game and leads the Jets to victory. MIZ!
4. Justin Herbert throws for lots of yards. They are playing the Cowboys. Everyone throws for lots of yards against the Cowboys.
5. Old Man Rivers shows his age. I think with some actual film on the guy, the 49ers D shuts him down and gets some sacks and turnovers. But since I sat Tyler Warren in fantasy, he will catch 2 touchdowns.

Alright, lets dive into 5 big games this weekend.

Battle for the North: Packers @ Bears

These teams have flip flopped the last 2 weeks from the 7 seed to leading the division. The Packers have faced the more challenging schedule. The Bears only have two wins over teams with a winning record, the Steelers and Eagles which neither one is lighting up the score board. The Packers not only lost to the Broncos last week, but also lost Micah Parsons for the year. The winner gets a stranglehold on the division, while the loser might get left out altogether. The Bears should have more offensive success without Micah Parsons harassing them. But Jordan Love was able to carve up the Bears defense last time as well. I think this comes down to two questions for those of us watching. How do the Packers respond without Parsons? And do we think the Bears are good? I think the Packers will play well and the rest of the team will rise to the challenge. While I believe the Bears are improved, I don’t believe in their quarterback or their defense. The Packers ruin the day in Chicago once again.

Packers 27 Bears 20

Battle for the division that nobody seems to want to win: Bucs @ Panthers

Both of these teams have been up and down of late. The vibes in Tampa are an all time low after blowing a 14 point lead to the Kirk Cousins lead Falcons. This led to frustration on the sideline and the press conference when Todd Bowles cussed up a ton and challenged the manhood of his team. Oof. This was all after losing to the lowly Saints the week before.

The Panthers with an opportunity to take a game lead, facing the same lowly Saints lost as well. So now both of these teams are 7-7 and fighting for an opportunity to get waxed by one of the NFC teams at home in the wild card round.

While I think the Bucs are better and would at least have a shot at winning that playoff game, the vibes are just so terrible there. The Panthers are more excited to be where they are at this point in the season and they are at home. Panthers roar to victory (see what I did there).

Panthers 30 Bucs 28

Clean cut Bo vs the hair: Jaguars @ Broncos

The Jaguars are playing some great football. It is no surprise since this is the first year in a while that I didn’t pick them to make the playoffs. Trevor has been erratic like always, but the last few weeks he has seemed to turn it around. Going against this tough Broncos D will be a good test. Trevor just turned 26 in October. Bo turns 26 in February. Trevor is in year 5, while Bo is in year 2. But don’t worry, Bo has plenty of playing experience after his 8 year college career. I’m not one to judge a person who takes 8 years to finish college. But it is funny that these two are basically the same age. Bo has also been playing great of late. But the Jags defense is no joke either. These teams are fairly evenly matched and I think because of the defenses it will be a little more low scoring than usual.

The Jaguars will play them tough but late in the game Trevor turns into old Trevor and throws a late pick. This gives a struggling Bo and opportunity to win yet another close game in the 4th quarter. He leads them down for a game winning score, nixing the Jags chance at victory. (see what I did there?)

Broncos 23 Jaguars 20

Pitt vs the Pride: Steelers @ Lions

The Steelers are coming off back to back good wins and seem to be playing well of late. Aaron Rodgers seems to be in rhythm and the offense is clicking at the right time. He should be able to keep it going against a depleted Lions defense. The problem is, the Steelers d as been more of a soft fabric curtain of late as opposed to a steel one.

The Lions are coming off a tough loss to the Rams and are fighting for their playoff life. A loss would all but doom them as it will be extremely tough to get in to the playoffs with 7 losses. Lucky for them, they are playing in a dome where Jared Goff is usually much better. Plus for the past 9 weeks, the Lions have won every other week. Well they lost last week so you know what that means. Since I am playing against Jahmyr Gibbs in both my fantasy playoff matches, I can only assume he will go off and score 3 tds this week. In their last 3 losses, he has zero tds. In their last 3 wins, he has 3 tds in each one. I fully expect him to go off and defeat the Steelers and knock me out of the fantasy playoffs.

Lions 41 Steelers 30

Mr. Mobile vs Lamar: Patriots @ Ravens

Drake Maye has burst onto the scene this year, winning games, putting up stats and getting MVP notice. He has a cannon of an arm and can run too. He has nearly 400 yards rushing including 4 touchdowns. His mobility makes him dangerous and the Patriots are starting to run the ball better too. The Patriots are coming off a tough loss at home to the Bills after giving up a 21 point lead.

Meanwhile, the Ravens have had an up and down season to say the least. First the offense was good but the defense stunk. Then the defense was good but the offense was terrible. Lamar has a new injury or ailment every week. This week it was kind of like the flu…whatever that means. The Ravens are coming off probably their best team win of the season against the Bengals where Lamar somehow only threw 12 passes. Some people think the Ravens are back based upon this game. But I just think they played the Bengals who’s defense is terrible and their Quarterback was contemplating whether he wants to play football in press conferences.

The Pats are 6-0 on the road. They have the better team, the better quarterback right now and arguably the better coach. The Pats bounce back and go to 7-0 on the road.

Patriots 31 Ravens 24