Is it Thursday already? The week flies by this time of year. It’s time for another edition of “No Huddle” to get you ready for the week in the NFL. Week 15 may lack some of the primetime greatness that we saw last week, but is still important regardless. I’m pulling double-duty today with the blog so I’m going to try and roll through this one to get you ready in time for kickoff of tonight’s game plus I’ve done enough ranting for today in “Reality of Fantasy”. This week starts with an NFC West matchup between Los Angeles and Seattle.

It has been an interesting week for the Rams with the firing of head coach Jeff Fisher dominating the headlines in Los Angeles. At 4-9, it is another lost season for the Rams and the move towards the future is imminent. There are still games to play though, and Seattle might be one of the last team’s you want to face on a short week after getting rid of the head coach.

Turmoil and dysfunction are not the words you want to hear leading up to a tough road game. Now the Rams have had Seattle’s number of late, winning the last three games between these NFC West rivals. I think that trend is bucked tonight, and in a big way.

Seattle was embarrassed against Green Bay on Sunday and will have a ton to prove tonight. The Seahawks are in position to clinch the NFC West with a win or an Arizona loss. More importantly though, they need to win to try and get the #2 seed in the NFC back.

A first-round bye is paramount to playoff success. FS1’s Nick Wright was hosting The Herd last week and dropped a whale of a stat. Since the NFL went to the current playoff format in 1990, 18 of the 26 Super Bowl champions have had a first-round bye (by the way, Wright’s podcast with former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, Make Me Smarter Football Podcast is a must-listen).

This is a crucial game for the Seahawks, and their effort tonight should reflect that. As for the pick tonight, I believe the Seahawks get the job done. I hate picking huge favorites in the NFL, but I’ll take Seattle (-15) tonight in a must-win game.

Let’s turn our attention to Sunday where there are a couple of great games on the slate. The early block gives us a matchup of NFC playoff contenders with Detroit heading to East Rutherford, NJ to take on the Giants. I think that this is going to be a moderate game in terms of points, but should make for one hell of a matchup.

New York made a huge statement to the rest of the NFL last week by beating Dallas for the second time this season. This defense is for real, and is a unit that is dangerous as we head towards the postseason. I’m very excited to see this Lions offense try to get the upper-hand against the G-men. Matthew Stafford is a dark horse MVP candidate, regularly saving Detroit late in games. He already owns the NFL record for fourth-quarter comebacks in a season, so you can never count Detroit out of a ballgame.

An early game with a ton of bad blood, is that something you might be interested in? Pittsburgh and Cincinnati square off this week and I think we are all well aware of the mutual disdain these rivals have for one another. This one will be a hard-hitting affair with the Bengals trying to play spoiler to Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.

It just so happens that the Steelers can get gritty if the occasion calls for it. Le’Veon Bell was a beast last week against Buffalo, totaling 298 yards from scrimmage (236 rushing) and three touchdowns. Behind the strength of Bell and the rest of the Killer B’s, Pittsburgh is readying for a playoff run. This should be a slugfest from the opening kickoff.

Moving onto the late afternoon block of games, one stands out from the rest. A rematch of last season’s AFC championship game between New England and Denver is the marquee game of the week. Tom Brady and the New England offense against Von Miller and the Denver defense is going to be one hell of a matchup.

Last time, Denver was able to pressure Brady at will so look for the Patriots offensive line to come ready for a battle. Brady just lit up the best defense in the NFL to the tune of 400+ yards and three touchdowns and has himself leading the MVP race and revenge games suit him nicely.

The stakes are pretty high in this one too, revenge game aside. New England holds the top seed in the AFC over Kansas City by one game, and will need to keep chugging along to secure home-field advantage. The Patriots can also clinch the AFC East with a win and a loss by Miami on Saturday night.

This is a virtual playoff game for Denver, who currently holds the last playoff spot by the slimmest of margins over Miami. Ten wins might not guarantee a berth in the playoffs, so the Broncos will need to pull off the upset to continue to control its destiny.

I’m very intrigued by the Sunday night game between Dallas and Tampa Bay. Yep, the Cowboys are back in primetime this week after the NFL flexed this game to SNF. Dallas has shown some flaws in recent weeks and is coming off a tough loss against the Giants. Dak Prescott has struggled these past two weeks, which has slowed down this previously unstoppable Dallas offense.

On the other side you have Tampa Bay, who are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. The Buccaneers have won five in a row, including wins against Kansas City and Seattle. Jameis Winston and Mike Evans might get all of the attention, but this defense has been incredible during this stretch. Prior to this run, this was a mediocre defense. During this run, Tampa Bay’s defense has been a top-ten unit.

This has the makings of a great game and could even be a potential playoff matchup in the Divisional round. I definitely think this game could steal the show this weekend.

Now it’s time for the fun part of my week, the picks against the spread. Week 14 was another good one for me as I went 10-6, giving me another winning week to add to my (hopefully) impressive record for the year. I’ve got the hot hand and I’m looking to keep the fire going this week. Here are my picks for the week (Winners in Bold).

Last Week: 10-6       2016 Season: 115-92-1

Saturday Night

Miami (-2.5) vs. NY Jets

 

Sunday

1:00 PM

Philadelphia vs. Baltimore (-5.5)

Green Bay (-5.5) vs. Chicago

Jacksonville vs. Houston (-5)

Cleveland (+10) vs. Buffalo

Tennessee (+5.5) vs. Kansas City

Detroit (+4) vs. NY Giants

Indianapolis vs. Minnesota (-4)

Pittsburgh (-3) vs. Cincinnati

 

4:05/4:25

New Orleans (+3) vs. Arizona

San Francisco vs. Atlanta (-13.5)

New England (-3) vs. Denver

Oakland (-3) vs. San Diego

 

Sunday Night Football

Tampa Bay (+7) vs. Dallas

That’s it for me this week. I’ll be back on Monday to recap the weekend and get a fun holiday week going. Enjoy all of the action tonight and this weekend. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.