Jetée

I don't think Belichick will rest his starters at all this week, and from what I've seen portrayed of Marvin Lewis, I don't see him just laying down and pulling his starters against the Jets.

That works just fine because I don't like any New York teams, especially the Jets, who are trying to backdoor their way into the playoffs. I'd really hate to hear how Rex Yyan is the best new coach of the decade in that he led rookie Joe Flacco, (while he was defensive coordinator with the Ravens, and let's be honest, Flacco had as much success as he did with Baltimore's top-3 defense last year, not because of he dynamics he brought to his position) and now, he is making strides with rookie Mark Sanchez, what with New York this season having a top-3 defense. I don't hate, but I am so sick of the hype the New yYork Jets have been getting the past two seasons aound the final 4 games of the season; they're not any good, and they will not finish that way either.

So, I hope the Bengals (who play up and down to their opponents, which is frustrating) try to make this another game that they prepare for in order to secure a win, not just to preserve starters. I also have a feeling that Belichick will perhaps try to go blazing early and maybe think about pulling Brady out in the final 20 minutes, but Houston is no slouch either. They'll keep up. So, it figures to be a shootout, at least in my mind. I also hope that Houston edges out with a win late, 'cause I've felt sorry for that franchise, and I think that if they get their first winning season this year, it'd be a marked improvement, and they may want higher goals going into next season.

And about the Broncos: i don't like them, at all. San Diego is my team in that conference, and while I have no ill-will toward the Chiefs, I will be rooting for them to win on Sunday. I think newly-installed RB Jamaal Charles is a playmaker, and I love how he is an all-around team dynamo, as he catches passes, he plows through tackles, he cuts back and swifts to the outside, and he even returns kickoffs/punts. Since their bye, Charles is their hardest working skill player, and he still keeps producing big-time. I love watching the kid. I think the Chris Johnson comparison is apt, as he is nearly as quick, and he even shares many of the same size attributes.

In my opinion, the five most exciting running backs to watch right now are, in order: Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, Jamaal Charles, Maurice Jones-Drew, and finally, Adrian Peterson.


So to summarize:
I think Bengals/Jets will be competitive, and I want the Bengals to effectively shut the door on the Jets chances to squeak into the playoffs.
I also think that the Patriots/Texans affair will provide plenty of scoring opportunities, and before you know it, it may become the highest scoring game of Sunday's slate. Somehow, someway, I'd like Houston to pull off a victory (but knowing them, they won't, because Kubiak will try, ignorantly, to place the game in the hands of his inexperienced RBs, or even his kicker, and they'll lose because of it).
Ravens/Raiders - I obviously think the ravens want it more, and if they don't overlook their opponent, I'm sure they can win handily and clinch a playoff berth.

So, that leaves only one spot open, what with my prediction that the Jets will fall, and my hope that Kansas City comes to play and upsets the Broncos all over again.

My thought is that it's the Texans, Dolphins, and Steelers that still have a realistic shot to enter the postseason dance, so long as they play all out and win. I doubt that my scenarios above play out exactly as I've detailed, but if everyone else loses but the Ravens, then a Jacksonville win garners them the last spot. That'd be unreal.

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi