So last week, I posted an article about what has to happen for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions to meet at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, on February 12th, 2023, in the Super Bowl. Some laughed at it. Others went out of their way to point out flaws and holes in my theory. Most likely, the rest just ignored the article, which is fine. So I decided to follow up with this unorthodox prediction and keep pressing the button that a Jaguars-Lions Super Bowl is still possible! The thing is, I did well with my predictions last week.
The Jacksonville Jaguars
Our plucky Jaguars team got a nice Christmas Gift from the Houston Texans last weekend. To go along with a convincing Jaguars victory last Thursday night over the New York Jets, the Texans defeated the then-first-place Tennessee Titans, which allowed the Jaguars to leapfrog over the Titans in the AFC South standings. This is great for now, but the Jaguars and Titans are still on a collision course for a Week 18 season finale showdown in Jacksonville with the division on the line. And I’m saying that because the Houston Texans can again throw an unnecessary wrench in everyone’s plans this week. After getting beat up for most of the season, God bless the Houston Texans because they are not giving up and not staying down. Not only did they beat the Titans last weekend, the two weeks prior, but they also gave the Dallas Cowboys all they could handle on a game that came down to a game-winning drive by Dak Prescott. And then they took the almighty Kansas City Chiefs to overtime before succumbing to defeat. So the Jags will not have a walk in the park this weekend. Trevor Lawrence needs to be on point and get the job done. And it doesn’t get any easier for Tennessee as they host the Cowboys on Thursday Night.
The Detroit Lions
Umph. Ok, first things first, it looks like God can bless the Carolina Panthers as well cause they are sticking around with their own division aspersions. And good for them! That organization was a mess in September, and they’ve been persevering when they could’ve easily just given up. I can’t see this being a situation where the Lions looked past the Panthers cause the Lions have no business looking past anyone. So let’s call it what it is. They got snuck. They got beat. And the good news is, Lions head coach Dan Campbell was quoted during his press conference that, “it’s the best thing that could’ve happened to us.” So there’s still optimism in the Lions’ locker room. And the even better news is that everyone else in the NFC Wild Card race lost, which we will speak on. The bad news is all these teams losing opened the door for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to enter the conversation. The Lions play the Packers in the week 18 finale, which could have significant implications. But, as I mentioned, the Lions should never look past anyone. So next for the Lions is a must-win game vs. the Chicago Bears, whom the Lions barely beat in Week 10 in Chicago. So two winnable games for Detroit to end the season, but against two division rivals, it will not be easy.
There were other things mentioned in last week’s article that I wanted to see for our beloved underdogs to make the Super Bowl. I laid a specific track for both teams and all the other playoff-contending teams to follow. Last week, I picked 13 of the 16 games correctly. Safe to say, I did pretty well!
I’m a Genius!
The one win I will hang my hat on from Week 16 was the Dallas Cowboys beating the Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles fans can say all they want that it was because Jalen Hurts didn’t play, and that’s fine. The Eagles are still 13-2 and one win away from the NFC East title and a first-round bye, which they’ll get next weekend against New Orleans. This game was more about the Dallas Cowboys, which is why they were my pick. This was essentially their Super Bowl and a big win they (just like me) can all hang their ten-gallon hats on. So congratulations to the Cowboys! You did it! Great job! But you should’ve given Mike McCarthy the Gatorade bath right then and there cause that was it for you guys the rest of the way.
As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals were all winners. The Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers punched their playoff tickets in the AFC. And in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers won their eighth in a row, showing zero signs of stopping their freight train of an attack on their opponents. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed overtime to defeat a limping Arizona Cardinals squad. Along with the Jaguars, I’ll take nine wins in 13 games.
I’m an Idiot!
I wrote off the Green Bay Packers weeks ago. I stopped paying attention to them. But now, I have to. As mentioned earlier, with every team in front of the Packers in the wild card standings losing in Week 16, they’re back in this. The Miami Dolphins, whom Green Bay beat this weekend, couldn’t use a home game against a below-average Packers as a “get right” game and put a halt to their three-game losing streak while gaining some positive momentum in their stride on their way to the playoffs. I thought they would have. That’s an “L” for me.
The Minnesota Vikings continue to barely win games by beating the New York Giants on a game-winning, walk-off field goal. The Giants were in a good position to win the game and further secure their playoff position. They just couldn’t hold on. After the historic comeback from the Vikings in Week 15 vs. the Colts, it would’ve been the opportune time for “Big Blue” to catch them hungover. So I was wrong on that one as well.
What’s next in Week 17?
As mentioned earlier, the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8) travel to Houston to face a Texans (2-12-1) team that has been giving the league’s best headaches lately. So look for a hard-fought win at the end for the Jags.
The Lions (7-8) host the Chicago Bears (3-12) in a “must-win” game. A loss to the Bears allows everyone to comment on these articles saying, “This didn’t age well!” And I can’t have that! Look for the Lions to use the run game to control the game and keep Justin Fields off the field.
Massive game on Monday Night that could turn the AFC Playoffs upside-down. The Buffalo Bills (12-3) travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4). If Buffalo wins, it looks like the AFC’s road to Inglewood goes through upstate New York in the blistering January cold in front of a crowd that calls themselves “Bills Mafia.” If Cincinnati gets the job done on Monday (which is what I’m picking), this opens the door for the Kansas City Chiefs (12-3) to take over the 1-Seed, while dropping the Bills from the one to the 3-seed. The Chiefs play the Denver Broncos (4-11) and the Las Vegas Raiders (6-9). I know you’re not supposed to guarantee things cause, in life, there are no guarantees. But this is as close as we can get cause those are both wins. If Baker Mayfield and the injury-ridden Rams can put up 50+ on Denver, what’s to stop Patrick Mahomes from hitting 70+? Bold prediction: Chiefs-75 Broncos-0
The Minnesota Vikings (12-3) travel to Wisconsin to play the Green Bay Packers (7-8) in what all of a sudden is an important game. Again, the Vikings have made a living off of beating excellent and bad teams at the very last second in the craziest ways. Let’s hope the Vikings have one more trick up their sleeve to get rid of the Packers and keep Aaron Rodgers out of the playoffs.
The Miami Dolphins (8-7) have now put themselves in a position where they’ve allowed the New England Patriots (7-8) to stick around for one more week. Earlier this week, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagaviola reentered the NFL’s concussion protocol. So are the Dolphins on life support now? They usually do pretty well against the Patriots in recent history. But a loss in Foxborough to a Patriots team that has tried their absolute hardest to end their season with a playoff game in January would be catastrophic! That not only allows the Patriots back in the mix, but it allows the Jets (7-8), Titans (7-8), Steelers (7-8), and even the Raiders to stick around. I said Miami gets the win this weekend last article, so I’ll stay with it. But man, there’s a can of worms just sitting there.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8) look like they’re in trouble as they host the run-happy Carolina Panthers (6-9) this weekend. Tom Brady can’t sit around for three and a half quarters while his defense keeps the team afloat before he goes out in the final minutes to win the game. The Panthers won’t give the Bucs that chance. I got a bad feeling about this one for Brady and the Buccaneers.
Rounding out the rest of the playoff candidates, look for the Titans to lose at Dallas on Thursday. The Pittsburgh Steelers keep riding their momentum from last week’s win and beat their rival Baltimore Ravens (10-5). The Jets get to travel across the country to Seattle and get beat by their former quarterback, Geno Smith (which isn’t good for Detroit, but we’ll cross that bridge next week). The Los Angeles Chargers (9-6) should defeat their roommates, the Los Angeles Rams (5-10), but a Justin Herbert vs. Baker Mayfield shootout sounds like a lot of fun! I hope that game is a good one! The San Francisco 49ers (11-4) should have no issues with the Raiders. And finally, the Giants and Commanders both lose, busting the wild card door wide open for next week’s regular season grand finale of games.
Until then, should auld acquaintance be forgotten and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgotten, and auld lang syne! Happy New Year, everyone! Cheers to 2023! And cheers to the NFL playoffs!
