It’s hard to believe that there are just three games remaining in the NFL season, probably the most intense I have ever witnessed in my life. This weekend’s games feature arguably the four best teams in the game.
The Denver Broncos came away with home-field advantage late in the season, and after a quarterback change back to Peyton Manning, will host Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for the right to play in Super Bowl 50. In the NFC, it’s Cam Newton and the 15-1 Carolina Panthers who play host to Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals, the second straight season the teams will play in the postseason.
Below are my predictions for the two biggest games of the year, so far.
1 – Denver 23, New England 20
The Patriots, despite playing on the road, are favored by 3.0 points, and more than 85 percent of betters are taking New England in this game. I began the week thinking the same way, but the more I go over this game in my head, the more I realize it just doesn’t feel right for Brady and Belichick. This could be the final game of Peyton Manning’s career. I think he’s feeling the pressure of his rivalry with Brady, a backup quarterback in Brock Osweiler who’s breathing down his neck and a chance at a second Super Bowl title. Against a Patriots defense that has injuries to key players such as Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, I think Manning turns in his best game of the season, outplaying Brady and leading the Broncos to just enough points to come away with one of the biggest victories of his career. As for Brady and the Patriots, I think they struggle against a Broncos defense that, while probably a little bit overrated, will generate enough pressure against a decimated New England offensive line to make life uncomfortable for Brady all game long.
2 – Carolina 31, Arizona 27
This game should be widely recognized as one of the most incredible postseason battles in NFL history. Just look at the combined record of the two teams in this game: 28-4. It’s been 11 years, since Pittsburgh (15-1) lost at home to New England (14-2), since teams with as many combined regular season victories played each other in the playoffs. This is another game where I changed my mind throughout the week, originally picking Arizona but changing to Carolina. There’s something special about this Panthers team, a unit that has prospered all season with Cam Newton and Greg Olsen as the only legitimate weapons on the offensive side of the ball. This is the type of game where Josh Norman, who established himself as the game’s best cornerback in 2015, really needs to step up, whether he’s covering Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd or John Brown. Both teams have a penchant for scoring points, more than 30 per game on average this season, and I’m fully expecting offenses to reign over defenses in this contest. In the end, I’ll take Cam Newton and his unique combination of running and passing over a Carson Palmer that just hasn’t looked quite right since he injured his finger on Sunday Night Football against the Eagles in Week 15.
