***SWAMPY SUNDAY - MUCK 5 - WEEK 12***
Not a lot of time to write today so I will keep these short and sweet. I hope everybody had a great holiday and enjoyed some football!
***SAN FRANCISCO 49ers @ MIAMI DOLPHINS***
Despite the Niners 1-9 record, they have shown me as of late they are at least competing and their effort is there. Today is a game I believe they can win, up against the Miami Dolphins who have now rattled off 5 straight behind their defense and rushing attack. The whole reason for Miami's resurgence in the running game was because they finally got back their guys on the offensive line and were healthy for the first time. The results were immediate once those guys came back, it was no coincidence that RB Jay Ajayi suddenly looked like one of the top backs in the league. However the Phins will once again be without 3 of their key components on the offensive line. In my opinion, their rushing attack will be nonexistent for the most part today and it will be up to QB Ryan Tannehill to beat the Niners. He has been better recently, I will give him that. However last week's results against the Rams are deceiving. The Phins were able to string together two touchdowns in the final moments of the game to squeak out a lucky win versus a Rams team they had no business beating. The Rams dominated the game defensively throughout and the Dolphins struggled to even get a first down. To wrap this all up, I believe the Niners will bring maximum effort once again today, and keep this one close where they will start to smell blood in the water. QB Colin Kaepernick has been improving week to week, and if he can utilize his legs to pick up first downs, the Niners can absolutely hang here. They now have their RB back in Carlos Hyde and have found a nice little duo with him and DuJuan Harris. I see an overdue upset here, the Niners are overdue for a win, and the Phins are overdue for a letdown/loss. Miami isn't a touchdown better than anybody. Gimme da points. 49ers+7.5
***ARIZONA CARDINALS @ ATLANTA FALCONS***
BIrd game, Bird gameee. The Falcons come out of their bye week after losing another tough bird game on the road in Philadelphia the week prior. With the rest of the NFC South nipping at their heels, the Falcons can't afford to keep dropping games. Today they welcome a Cardinals team who unfortunately for them, are also starving for a win. Needless to say, it will be tough sledding again for Atlanta today. Arizona is coming off of a hard fought battle on the road in Minnesota where QB Carson Palmer was under duress throughout, eventually turning the ball over which lead to them losing the game. It has been clear that when the Cardinals are facing a great defense particularly tough upfront with a pass rush that they struggle the most. Palmer is old, slow in his dropback & progression, and immobile. However in a matchup like today against a Falcons defense with very little pass rush where he has some time in the pocket, he can exploit a defense and dominate. The Falcons will also be without their top CB Desmond Trufant which doesn't help matters when trying to defend the Cards through the air. On the other side of things the Cards get back their safety and emotional leader on defense Tyrann Mathieu which I believe will provide a spark for these guys and they will make things difficult for Falcons QB Matt Ryan. This Cardinals defense is legit and when rolling on all cylinders and their offense is playing well and not leaving them on the field out to dry constantly, they can be dangerous. I like the Red Birds to play their best game today and upset the Falcons on the road. This NFC South race should tighten up and start to get really interesting during the final stretch of the season. CARDINALS+4
***JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS @ BUFFALO BILLS***
Not much to say here other than there I feel like I've picked up on a bit of an underlying hatred here for these two teams. Jaguars Assistant Coach Doug Marrone has some bad blood with Buffalo and Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan was not shy in the media saying how he wants to make Marrone and the rest of the Bills experience in Buffalo miserable. Now it isn't any secret that this is every home team's intentions every week for their opponent but I feel like when it is verbalized it become bulletin board material for the opponent and can be used to fuel a fire or at least spark one, especially in a lowly team as dead as the Jags are, who have very little reason to get up for a game. The Bills also believed they were robbed last season in their previous matchup in London and have said that it left a bad taste in their mouths. In a nutshell, as bad as the Jags have been this season, I just have a weird feeling they keep this one competitive and give the Bills a scare here. Buffalo broke their tough three game losing streak in Cincinnati last week with a late game stop on defense holding the Bengals out of the endzone for the win. Needless to say this game was close throughout, and the Bengals lost their top WR early in the game, extremely limiting their offense the rest of the way. Jacksonville is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and I feel like they are a sleeping giant who isn't going to wake up this season, but can show flashes at times of being competent. With some trash talking in the mix today, I feel like they bring it, even just for a little bit which should be enough. Buffalo is still alive to make a playoff push and chase one of the Wildcard spots down, but I believe the Jags come alive today and make them earn it. JAGUARS+8.5
***SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS***
Interesting matchup here. There has been a recent surge in the Bucs and they are starting to believe they can actually make a run at the playoffs here. They are getting healthier and gaining confidence after putting together back to back wins for the first time this season. It wasn't even until two weeks ago when they hosted the Bears that they won a home game. Now today they will have a chance to win three straight and back to back at home when they host the mighty Seattle Seahawks. Needless to say this is the biggest game of the year for Tampa, and I think they rise to the occasion here and actually matchup fairly well with Seattle. The Hawks will be without one of their defensive leaders in Safety Earl Thomas for the first time in his career which is a big deal because he has never not been there since drafted by the team. Tampa has the versatile LBs to keep the running game and QB Russell Wilson contained. I like what this team is doing and the direction it's headed. Young Bucs QB Jameis Winston is well aware of the playoff hunt they are in and has these guys believing they can get it done. Last week they got it done on the road in KC, one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. Now today is another huge challenge for this team and a true test to see if they are really a playoff caliber squad. I think they get up for this one and at least keep it close. RB Doug Martin is back which is a major key in this offense and of course helps open up the passing game for Winston. Seattle in a tough possible letdown/lookahead spot here with hosting the Panthers on Prime Time next week, one of the few if not only team that is historically capable of beating them in Seattle. Hawks may be sleeping here and find it hard to get up for this one after two back to back hard fought, draining wins. BUCCANEERS+5
***NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS @ NEW YORK JETS***
Not much to say in this one other than the Jets are the joke of the town and they know it. They have elected to go back to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for whatever reason, and the Jets fanbase are completely baffled over it and are pissed. With a season that is now officially lost, why not experiment with your two young QBs on the sideline to see what you have? We may never know, but Head Coach Todd Bowles says they are still trying to win games. Off a bye week and hosting the Pats, there is no better way to quiet the merciless Jets media than by beating their big brother today. Will that happen? Most likely not. However I do see them giving this one everything they got, just one more time before completely packing it in. With Fitz at QB, I actually think they might be able to put up a fight here against a Pats team who I think despite the rivalry, doesn't care and just wants to leave MetLife Stadium with a win and healthy. Reports are already saying QB Tom Brady is banged up with a bum knee, and now TE Rob Gronkowski has been ruled out, and basically I just see the Jets actually getting up for a game and their energy/effort level outweighing that of their opponent's for once. This isn't the Rex Ryan led Jets team where the Pats and Head Coach Belichick wanted to dismantle and embarrass them, they will do what they have to do to get the win and get out of there, all business my friend. That all being said, I am going to close my eyes and pick the Jets to put up a respectable fight for the fans here. JETS+8.5
