FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

Philadelphia’s upset win over New England last week put them back in the NFC East race. Heck, even if they lost they would’ve been in the thick of the race.The Bills also jumped back into contention in the AFC thanks to their win in Houston, making this a critical game in terms of playoff positioning in both conferences.... 

When you think of the Arizona Cardinals, you think about all of their great receivers and that explosive passing game. With both Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson likely out for a second straight week though, it's David Johnson, the rookie tailback who was so highly sought at the start of the year in fantasy football leagues, who could end up making the big impact on Thursday Night Football.... 

The first playoff spot has officially been clinched with four weeks to go in the season. Carolina not only has its perfect season still intact, and it has the NFC South title already wrapped up. There are other clinching scenarios in Week 14, though the bigger concern is for teams which are still fighting in the middle of those Wild Card battles in both the AFC and the NFC.... 

There's a growing sentiment in NFL circles that the Arizona Cardinals are actually the best team in the NFL. They haven't played the toughest schedule in the world, but they've got a chance to flex their muscles down the stretch here with home games still coming against three of the best teams in the NFC. The first of those three tests happens on Thursday Night Football in Week 14, as the Minnesota Vikings pay a visit to the desert.... 

With the third-worst record in the NFL, the Cowboys are still in position to win the landfill that is the NFC East. But they need to win games and they just haven’t done that without their savior Tony Romo, who was shelved – again - collarbone injury. The Redskins control their destiny in the division and all five of their wins have come at FedEx Field. A win over the Romo-less Cowboys would bolster their chances.... 

Forty is the new 20 and Colts’ quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is making all the quadragenarian’s feel pretty good. Heck, Brett Favre might even end his retirement if Indy’s backup continues to play the way he has.The Colts are 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS when Hasselbeck starts. He gets the nod again Sunday night against the Steelers.... 

The Bears have struggled to win games at Soldier Field. The 49ers are winless on the road.Someone has to come out victorious in this matchup and its likely Chicago, coming off an impressive win in Green Bay on Thanksgiving. The Bears have more upside and can jump right in the thick of a cloudy NFC playoff picture.... 

With two games in the final stretch of the regular season, the Chiefs and Raiders will have plenty to say about each other’s playoff hopes.Kansas City has looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender during its season-changing five-game winning streak and don’t think for a second the Chiefs forgot what happened on their last visit to Oakland.... 

As long as Tom Brady is quarterbacking, it really doesn’t matter who he throws the football to.The Patriots look to respond after their first loss of the season and have a pretty good chance at home against the struggling Eagles. Brady just doesn’t like to lose, and it doesn’t happen often. He’s 40-8 in games following a defeat over his career.... 

While we don’t see Peyton Manning being Wally Pipp-ed in Denver, the Brock Osweiler era has gotten off to a nice start.The Broncos are 2-0 under their new quarterback, and after knocking off the previously undefeated Patriots last week, thoughts of a trip to the Super Bowl are dancing around the Mile High city.... 

The Dallas Cowboys have yet to lose a game this season that Tony Romo both started and finished. They've also not won a game in which he didn't play either. After suffering a second collarbone injury this year, Romo is back on the shelf, a ding which effectively has ended Dallas' season.A win on the road against the Washington Redskins would at least put the NFC East back on the radar, but even then, it's unlikely that Big D can finish the job.... 

Lucky Week 13. It's going to be the week where some teams have their playoff dreams realized, while others have them crushed, some once and for all.Line movement has been crucial all week as it has been all season long, and there are a lot of signs that there could be teams in some hot water.... 

The Indianapolis Colts are still holding the lead in the AFC South with just five games left to play, but their lead on the Texans is simply a matter of a tiebreaker. The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have the safety of a bad division to fall back on, and that's what makes Sunday Night Football against the Colts at home so darn important.Big players come up big in big games, and that means Antonio Brown is going to have a lot of pressure on his shoulders to help out his offense. His props though, are going to be severely overpriced.... 

In the wacky and wild world that is the NFC East, the 3-8 Dallas Cowboys are just two games back of the division leading Washington Redskins.This week's game is a must-win though, as there's no turning back for Dallas if it loses this one.... 

Don’t look now, but the Houston Texans are the hottest team in the NFL over the last month.Thanks to consecutive wins over the Titans, Bengals, Jets and Saints, the Texans have erased an ugly 1-4 start and have vaulted to a tie at the top of the AFC South standings.... 

With both teams holding onto slim playoff hopes the loser will start looking ahead to next season. Playing with his B team last week, Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh coaxed a miracle finish out of his group to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Including playoffs, Baltimore has won five straight against the Dolphins with four of those victories coming in Miami.... 

Tennessee will try again to end its home losing streak after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory last week. The Titans extended their home skid to 11 straight and meet the Jaguars for the second time in three NFL weeks. The good news is the Titans’ last win at Nissan Stadium was against the Jags. The bad news is they’re 1-8-1 ATS in the last 10 against them.... 

Johnny Football moved up the Browns’ depth chart this week but remains on the bench in favor of Austin Davis as Cleveland looks to end its six-game slide.The Bengals got back on track with a dominant showing last week and are the best bet in the NFL going 9-1-1 ATS.... 

The Seahawks look to continue their climb up the wild card ladder while the Vikings try to maintain their surprising lead in the NFC North. In a battle between the league’s top two rushing offenses, the Vikings will need a huge outing from yardage leader Adrian Peterson, because they also have the 31st-ranked passing offense.... 

Five teams are knotted up at 6-5 in the AFC heading into Week 13. The Indianapolis Colts are still in a good spot to win the AFC South this year, and they've won three games in a row to continue to fend off an equally hot Houston team. That said, there's a real opportunity to take a big jump towards having a shot at a Wild Card slot as well if they can beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.... 

The New England Patriots are perfect no more. They were beaten last week by the Broncos in Denver, but most just assume they're going to get back on track against the semi-dysfunctional Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday.... 

There's not a whole heck of a lot separating the New York Giants from the New York Jets. Both teams have had opportunities to stick around in the playoff race in their respective conferences, and both have gotten the job done at times while suffering mind-numbing losses in others.Furthermore, they're both essentially celebrating a home game on Sunday under the comfy settings of Snoopy Stadium.... 

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have had it tough of late. They’ve won just one game in their last five, and their offense is largely to blame for it. Rodgers got the best of Matt Stafford for fantasy football purposes a few weeks ago when the Pack and the Detroit Lions were on the field, but that was only due to the huge comeback in the fourth quarter which ultimately fell short. We'll have to see how things go when these clubs play the return game at Ford Field on Thursday.... 

The Carolina Panthers haven’t lost a regular season game in over a year and they can clinch the NFC South with a win over the Saints. New Orleans gave Carolina a scare when the teams met in Week 3, dropping a five-point game and covering as 10-point dogs. They did it without Drew Brees, who always gets his team amped in the Dome.... 

The free-falling Falcons have dropped out of a playoff spot in the NFC and could find themselves tied with Tampa Bay if they don’t find a way to end a four-game losing skid.The Buccaneers started Atlanta’s current slide with an overtime victory....