Week 17: National Focus Conference

It'll be up to Adrian Peterson to carry his team
past the Packers and into the playoffs. (Getty)

Houston, Denver, New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Cincinnati.  The final two have locked in their seeds, the other four will end up in some order or other, but they'll all be in the AFC playoffs next week.

The NFC is totally different.

The NFC East is as a wide-open as it was last week with a huge primetime game between Washington and Dallas being a deciding factor.  Meanwhile, the Vikings, Bears, and Giants all remain in contention, along with those two, for what will amount to just two spots: the NFC East and the second Wild Card.

The Vikings are in with a win, the Redskins are in with a win.  Should either of those two teams lose, and it's likely that at least one of them might, then all bets are off.  Instead of walking through all the tiebreakers, let's just watch the games and see how it all shakes out at about 11:30 on Sunday night.

Stally's Eight-Point Pick - @Denver over Kansas City

Stally: There was a time when the Broncos were 2-3, they've now won 10 straight and sit at 12-3.  The win streak against predominantly weak teams doesn't guarantee them playoff success, but they get more and more convincing as they go.  There's no way that one of the NFL's best teams loses at home to the league's worst.

Week 16: Implicating January

It wouldn't be a Stubborn OXen blog,
if we didn't gush over the return of RG3.

Now that the Jets are officially out, the AFC playoff race is about over.  There are a few teams still kicking around with a chance, but today's Cincinnati at Pittsburgh game could seal up the six teams if the Bengals win.

The NFC, on the other hand, has five teams tied at 8-6 and there's not nearly enough space for all of them in January.  It should create an exciting final two weeks, especially in the NFC East, where three teams are tied atop the standings, with little room for error.

In general, the OXen agreed on many of this week's games, although they again seem at odds when it comes to the New York teams.  That, and Stally expected both 12-2 teams to begin to take the rest of the regular season off (and maybe the postseason, as well).

Austen's Eight-Point Pick - @Green Bay over Tennessee

Austen: I had to watch the Titans last week attempt to hand the game to my hapless Jets. And that was in Tennessee. I simply cannot see a scenario in which the Titans win this game in Green Bay.

Stally: While I liked him at the University of Washington, I've never thought Jake Locker would make a great pro QB and he's done little to change my mind about that.  At some point, the Titans are going to need to put their future in a different QB's hands.

Week 15: A Week Without Confidence

Tom Brady will look to overpower his boyhood
favorite team on Sunday Night Football.

This might be the toughest week we've ever had to pick in the two years we've done this blog.  Both Austen and I found ourselves saying, "I can't believe I'm taking this game this high, but..."  Those picks were often responded to with a head-shaking agreement from the other.

It will certainly be an exciting week to watch with so much uncertainty and such high playoff stakes.  The AFC seems to be honing in on its teams, as three division leaders have already punched playoff tickets, but the NFC is still wide open with three weeks to go.

Stally's Eight-Point Pick - @New England over San Francisco

Stally: I'll be honest.  San Francisco doesn't deserve to have so much confidence put against them.  However, this is one of, if not the, hardest weeks to predict, and New England rarely ever fails me.  I'll put the full confidence in my boys winning this one at home, especially with some winter conditions expected.

Austen: This is a cocky move by Stally since the 49ers might be the most talented team in the NFL. However, the Patriots rule December and it is hard to pick against them at home no matter the opponent. I think the Pats pull out a close one, but this is too high for this matchup.

Week 14: Confidence of the OXen

The Broncos made Austen look smart
with Thursday night's win. (AP)

After a few weeks of indecision, Austen and I have our swagger back.  Many of Week 14s' games are shaping up to be lopsided affairs, and the first pick of the week is already in the bag after a Thursday romp.

There will be a little disagreement near the end, but neither of us are predicting any outlandish upsets.  Most of the opposing picks come in games that both of us identify as coin flips to begin with.

Austen's Eight-Point Pick - Denver over @Oakland

Austen: Well this worked out just fine. How predictable was that? Carson Palmer turned the ball over multiple times, Darren McFadden was explosive but inconsistent and once again got injured, and Peyton Manning threw for over 300 yards.

Stally: I had seven games that I marked down as more or less sure picks.  This was near the bottom of that list, but I have little argument.  My biggest hesitation was taking the Thursday night team on the road, but there was just too much disparity in talent.  Can someone tell me why the mediocre-at-best Raiders have fired their head coaches after going 8-8 in each of the last two years?  Do they enjoy trying to find a coach that can lead them back to 4-12 futility?

Week 13: The Mayhem Continues

Tom Brady feast on AFC East. (Getty)

It's a tough week.  Austen and I seemed to agree on many of the picks, but even worse than last week, we had a lot of trouble ranking the games.

There aren't a whole lot of shoo-ins this week.  My first three picks all seemed logical, but all three teams are on the road, and that always causes some pause.  After going 12-2 in two of three weeks, I went a dismal 6-10 in an unsure week.  Austen didn't fair too much better at just 8-8, and both of us understand this could be another rough week with a lot of question marks.

Stally's Eight-Point Pick - New England over @Miami

Stally: With so much uncertainty, I'll go back to the well.  The Patriots have failed me very infrequently over the last decade-plus, so I'll go with them.  They also never seem to lose late in the regular season and I think Austen has more of a statistic on that.

Austen: Since 2010, the Patriots are 19-0 in the second half of the season. In a league with so much parity, that is simply astonishing. This stat just shows you how incredible Bill Belichick is at making adjustments to his personel. The Dolphins shocked me last week by beating the Seahawks, but Seattle has only won one away game all season (against the hapless Carolina Panthers). The Fins have no shot in this one.

Austen's Eight-Point Pick - @Green Bay over Minnesota

Austen: Greg Jennings is back which only makes this offense even more difficult to defend. I cannot remember Aaron Rodgers having two bad games in a row, so look for him to bounce back in an important divisional game after a stunning loss to the Giants.

Stally: The Packers got mopped up and poured down the drain in the Meadowlands last weekend.  They're also just one game better than Minnesota (7-4 compared to 6-5).  However, the Vikings looked miserable in a 28-10 road loss to Chicago last week, and I put this game in the same category, as it's a road trip to a strong division rival. Don't expect this one to be close.