Scott Kaufman-Ross:
The league’s toughest division matches two of its best this coming Sunday. The Broncos are riding high at 9-2, and appear to be clearly the second best team in football. After an early season lapse in Miami, the Broncos have been playing well thanks to the shockingly efficient play of QB Jake Plummer. On the other sideline, the emergence of RB Larry Johnson following Priest Holmes’ injury has the Chiefs playing well, coming in at 7-4. The Chiefs are fighting for their playoff lives already as the NFL season begins to enter its fourth quarter, and it seems Cincinnati, KC, San Diego, and Jacksonville will be battling it for the two Wild Card spots. Trent Green has had a sub-par season and must return to form if the Chiefs are to claim one of those bids. This is a make or break game for the Chiefs, and there is no excuse for losing a must-win home game. This should be a great game, but I see Dick Vermiel having his team ready to battle, and the Arrowhead faithful pulling their beloved Chiefs through.
Kansas City, 31, Denver 27
Alex Schwartz:
This week’s top game features the two teams atop the NFC East: the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Football Giants. With the Philadelphia Eagles’ stranglehold on the NFC East disappearing faster than long-term contract offers to Terrell Owens, each of these two teams are looking to take the now-vacated position of top dog. In many ways, last week was a great game for the Giants. They played against Seattle, arguably the best team in the NFC, and not only held their own, but had multiple opportunities to win. Dallas, on the other hand, had their hands full on Thanksgiving, as the entire nation got to watch Ron Dayne, a man both George Steinbrenner and the entire New York Giant fan base can agree deserves the title “fat toad,” run all over the Dallas defense. Expect Eli Manning to continue to take huge steps forward as he grows into his role as the gunslinger, and watch for RB Tiki Barber to continue the trend of exploiting the now-suspect Dallas run defense.
New York 24, Dallas 14
Justin Davidson:
After defeating the Cincinnati Bengals and upending the fierce Pittsburgh Steelers the past two weeks, the road to a perfect season seems to be a very real possibility for Peyton manning and his Indianapolis Colts. There seems like nothing that can stand in their way, and surely this week’s matchup with the lackluster Tennessee Titans should prove to be another victim in the Colts’ lineup. The Titans’ only three wins of the season have came at the hands of Baltimore, Houston, and San Francisco, the equivalent of football’s toe jam. Look for huge yardage for Manning and an explosive running game against the Titan defense, rolling to a 12-0 record.
Indianapolis 45, Tennessee 13
Derek Winters:
The Skins (5-6) come to town to face the drama-filled Rams (5-6). The Rams will be looking to their Harvard graduate QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Redskins have had some very quality wins over teams like Seattle and Chicago; however, they need to beat the Rams to have a chance at the Wild Card. The Redskins will look to WR Santana Moss to have a huge day against the Rams’ pathetic secondary. However, the Redskins are 1-4 on the road this season and the Rams are 3-2 at home. The Rams drama will continue as Mike Martz tries to gain his head coaching job back and the drama might heat up so much that John Shaw might even come to Saint Louis. probably not. Look for the off-field entertainment to continue in St. Louis with a Rams Victory.
St. Louis 27, Washington 24