We are heading into the holidays and that also means we are heading into the NFL playoff season. Our family had early hopes of a Raiders vs. Rams Super Bowl. It’s not impossible, but both teams have a ways to go to get there.
Next week I plan to break down who still has a shot at the playoffs and a little more about what it might take. We could still see a rematch of last year. Tom Brady is much easier to root for on the Bucs, it’s been fun to watch. A Brady vs. Patriots Super bowl could also be in the cards. The only team completely out of the hunt is the Texans. Here are the standings heading into the weekend
NFL Games of the week
Both the Raiders and the Rams are facing division rivals and the leader of their respective divisions, so we are going to dive in a bit to both of those games.
Back to Arrowhead
Raiders at Chiefs Sunday 12pm CDT
The Raiders are in a must win situation. They started the year hot but have struggled recently and the Chiefs have finally seemed to figure things out. This time, they are headed to Kansas City which isn’t making things any easier.
Derek Carr has led the league all season in passing yards per game until last week when Brady passed him. Derek lost one of his biggest targets in Ruggs, but it hasn’t slowed him down too much. Kansas City has been one of the worst teams against quarter backs this year, fantasy-wise, giving up yards to QBs.
Las Vegas Offense
The Raiders and Carr have struggled to find the end zone, having thrown 10+ less touchdowns than the other quarterbacks in the top five for passing yards. Las Vegas has plenty of other weapons, including Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller.
The Raiders did just lose Kenyan Drake to a season ending surgery which will make balancing the run game a bit tougher. It might give Josh Jacobs more opportunities to get back on track towards his previous success of two 1,000+ yard seasons since he joined the league. Coach Bisaccia has been doing just fine since taking over, even making it into the top 20 hot coaches list, which I think he could have been even higher.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have started to hit their stride, winning five in a row where the Raiders have lost four of their last five games. Mahomes is #5 in passing yards right now. Also on that list is Justin Herbert, making that three of the four AFC West quarterbacks in the top 5. That’s a lot of offense in this division, but defense wins championships and that may be what this week’s game comes down to.
Chiefs Looking at Breaking Records
Last week the Chiefs passing was a bit weak though – no touchdowns and only 184 yards for Mahomes. He is approaching Alex Smith’s franchise passing record, needing just 73 yards to surpass his predecessor.
Travis Kelce is also on pace to break a record, becoming the only tight end to have six consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons. I would expect the Chiefs to get him the ball, especially considering he tends to go off against the Raiders. Tyreek Hill is even closer to that 1,000 yard mark, which would make that his fourth season reaching that milestone. Both were quiet last week in the win over the Broncos. This may be the week to bounce back into action.
Although Andy Reid is only #23 in the Head Coach Hotness Poll, he does know how to beat the Raiders. He has a career record of 14-3 in the rivalry since he took over the Chiefs and is one win away from 100 wins. It’s a home game for the Chiefs with their home crowd at Arrowhead and it’s looking like it will be 50 and sunny for the midday action. Check back Sunday for my same game parlay picks.
In other division news, the Chargers surprised me by pulling off the win in Cincinnati, but lost the week before to the Broncos. I thought for sure Burrow would win the battle between the draft classmates. The Chargers face off with the Giants Sunday afternoon. It’s a tight race in this Division.
Kyler is Back
Rams at Cardinals Monday Night Football
Kyler Murray looked good last week, ahead of the Monday night show down of two of the early NFC favorites. Kyler missed three games with an ankle injury. He came back last week to have two passing and two rushing touchdowns against the Bears. James Conner has also made a splash in his first season with the Cardinals, racking up 12 rushing touchdowns in almost as many weeks.
Rams Offense Back on Track
Matthew has had a few off weeks with rumors of injuries of his own that have been dispelled. He’s one of the toughest in the league. His former team finally got their first win against the Vikings who bounced back last night against the Steelers. The Rams dropped three tough games in a row but came out with a win last week against Stafford’s former teammate Marvin Jones Jr.
Matthew rounds out the top five quarterback passing yards at #3. He has a lot of options and has been spreading that love around. The Rams also got the run game going last week with Sony Michel, which should help Matthew out.
Stafford Strong
I’ve been following Matthew since I first got into Fantasy Football back in 2014. I also started following his wife, Kelly, not too long after. I loved her wedding shoes so much that they inspired my own wedding footwear. I’ve been following along not only with his football career, but their journey into parenthood of four little girls and Kelly’s fight with her acoustic neuroma.
Matthew again chose the Acoustic Neuroma Association for his My Cause My Cleats last week, supporting his wife in being #StaffordStrong. I’m a few weeks behind, but most recently I’ve been enjoying Kelly’s podcast, The Morning After with Kelly Stafford, where she gets real about all things football and motherhood.
Strange Challenges
It looks to be a nice night in Arizona Monday. Matthew is used to indoor and turf, both at Ford Field and SoFi Stadium. The Cardinals have been winning more on the road but are finally returning to their home field after a long stint away. This game would clinch a playoff berth for the Cardinals, who won the first matchup earlier this season, handing the Rams their first loss. Check back Monday for my parlay picks.
Around the NFL
The 49ers have been piecing things together as of late, heating up at the right time. They are facing the Bengals this week, another big game everyone is talking about
Sunday I will update with my moneyline picks for the day. Week 6 the Panthers lost to the Vikings in overtime in London that busted my otherwise perfect picks that week. I use FanDuel for all my game day picks and if you use my link, we both get bonus funds.