FOOTBALL FREAK: It’s going to be an exciting final two weeks

Just when you thought you had the NFL figured out, a crazy weekend of action, including a number of big upsets, put the fear in many fans across P.E.I. whether their team will make the playoffs or not.
The Rams, a couple of weeks ago, looked like the best team in football, and now the same might be said for the Chargers, who impressively went into Kansas City and beat the Chiefs on a two-point conversion.
However, don’t forget about “Da Bears,” who just play great defence and are very tough to play in cold Chicago.
We are in for an exciting final two weeks of the NFL regular season – many teams still have a shot to make the playoffs.
Good luck to all those finalists in their fantasy football leagues. The Freak has managed to get into his championship game, and is looking for his second title in the last 22 years.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Sure thing
The Freak never thought that the Browns would be a lock this season, but they are home to the Bengals, who, with all the injuries they have to their receiving core, might dress Cris Collinsworth at wide receiver! The Browns keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a home win.
Tennessee can sure bring it on defence, and has a home game against a battered Washington team, which has four starters out on the O-line with a third-string quarterback. The Titans’ D will be the difference in this game, and Tennessee’s offence will just do enough in the win.
Do you believe the Rams will lose three in a row? Don’t think they will lose on the road in Arizona as they have something to prove after poor performances the last two weeks. The Rams flatten the Cardinals.
What are the chances the Patriots will lose three straight games in December? The same chance there really is a Santa Claus, sorry kids! The Patriots are at home, Brady and Belichick are angry and it’s the Bills. The Pats enjoy their first win in almost a month.
The Colts have everything to play for at home against the Giants, who will probably be without OBJ once again. Tennessee put eight, and sometimes nine, in the box to stop Saquon Barkley, and look for the Colts to do the same. Andrew Luck will have his way with the Giants’ D. The Colts gallop to another win.

Don’t mortgage the house picks
Jerry Jones might need to start flying big Texas steaks for the Cowboys on road games as they are terrible away from the home cooking of Big D. However, they are home for Christmas and they have Tampa, which isn’t a very good team. Dax Prescott and Amari Cooper always show up when they play bad teams. The Cowboys beat the Bucs.
There are big playoff implications in the Steelers-Saints’ game. Pittsburgh needs a win to stay ahead of Baltimore, and New Orleans can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win, which is huge for them. The Steelers seem to struggle on the road regardless of the team they are playing, and the Saints are great at home. Brees and the Saints win a shootout.
The big bad Bears head to San Fran for what they hope won’t be a letdown game after two big home wins. San Fran plays hard for Coach Kyle Shanahan, and this will be a tough game for Chicago as The Freak had a feeling this could have been the “Upset Special.” But the Bears aren’t ready to hibernate yet, and pull off a close win.
All the NFL teams in Florida were undefeated after two weeks of the season. Well, this is Week 16 and only the Dolphins are alive for the post-season as they host the disappointing Jags. Jacksonville has scored two touchdowns in the last three games, and it will show against Miami. Take the Fish at home.
Will the real Vikings show up in Detroit? Who knows as they are just so inconsistent on offence that a good defence like the Lions might give them trouble. Santa has a naughty and nice list, and local Vikes’ fan Poochie has been nice, so give the Vikings a road win courtesy of the big guy in red!
 

Flip a coin
Philly must win out, and Nick Foles is hoping he can have another run into the playoffs as the Eagles host the Texans. A warm weather and dome team coming to the cold East Coast, I don’t like the thoughts of this. The Eagles land on a Christmas tree with a victory.
It’s been a very long time since Aaron Rodgers won on the road, but this week the Packers play the Jets. Sam Darnold is looking better each week as the season comes to an end. New York beats a bad Packers’ team.
Atlanta hits the road against a struggling Carolina team that has lost six in a row and quarterback Cam Newton. Definitely a bad Christmas for Panther fans. Unknown quarterback Taylor Heinicke will start for the Panthers, who will face an eight-man box to stop Christian McCaffrey. This will lead to a rare Falcons’ road win.
Baltimore heads to the West Coast to play the Chargers, who don’t really have a home-field advantage as few fans from San Diego have migrated up to Los Angeles. This makes some of these L.A. home games like a road game. However, Ravens’ fans don’t travel well, and a solid defence like the Bolts will shut down the running of Lamar Jackson. Bolts win.
It’s a big rivalry game between the Broncos and Raiders, except it means nothing in the playoff race. However, there is a lot of hate between these two teams, and Oakland has been playing better of late. This might be the last game in the “Black Hole” – and the fans will be fired up. The Raiders give them one last smile with a win over their hated rivals.

Upset special
The Freak has a feeling that Russ Wilson and the Seahawks will beat the Chiefs at home in their nest.  
The Chiefs have trouble stopping the run, and Seattle does this the most in the NFL – and they do it very well.  
A run game keeps the clock moving, and Pat Mahomes off the field.
Welcome to a Christmas upset in Seattle!

John Turner is a Summerside school teacher and coaches youth football. His column appears every Saturday during the NFL season. Feel free to e-mail questions and comments to [email protected].