Week 13:

Game of the Week:  Ravens @ Chargers

                      The Ravens look to keep their playoff hopes alive, but run into a Charger team that is looking to keep pace in the chase for the #1 seed in the AFC.  It's been said that the Raven offense is extremely predictable and that could be bad news for Spades as he goes up against someone who prepares like no other...........Chargers 34 Ravens 17

Upset of the Week:   Cowboys @ WFT

                     NYT has had some head-scratching losses and Grams always has the potential to throw together a solid game.  After an appearance on Bushwhacker Breakdown, Grams looks to silence the doubters and takes this one from WFT.............Cowboys 28 WFT 24

Blowout of the Week:  Broncos @ Cardinals

                        The Broncos look like a completely lost team since the beginning of the cycle and Dump just finished his football season.  Those two factors are a recipe for an extremely lopsided score and the Broncos won't disappoint................Cardinals 63 Broncos 10

Lock of the Week:  Eagles @ Steelers

                   Matt loves to talk about how bad he is, but at the end of the day, no one believes him.  On the other side of the ball, Tiny talks about how good he "SHOULD" be and also no one believes him.  Matt will come out and grudgingly walk through this game without much trouble and then claim he got lucky.....................Steelers 42 Eagles 28

Week 12:

Game of the Week: Chiefs @ Bills

                     Prime comes into this one with an 0-4 record against Fazz, but he's currently fighting for the 5 seed and the near bye that comes with it. With the amount of trash talk that Prime will likely do leading up to this game, Fazz will come out wanting to make a point.  The matchup to watch will be Fazz's defense against that KC offense.  At the end of the day, I think Fazz is too explosive on offense and does just enough on defense....Bills 42 Chiefs 38

Upset of the Week: Patriots @ Vikings

                     DRNB is sitting at 2-6-2, while the Vikings are in the heat of the NFC playoff race.  This would be a huge blow to the Minnesota playoff chances and I think the Patriots have played well enough this season to be right there with them.  Look for D.Harris to get the job done and Kellen Mond to hold the Vikings back....................................Patriots 24 Vikings 21           

Blowout of the Week: Broncos @ Raiders

                        The Broncos beat the Raiders once last season and hopefully they have that to remember and think fondly of because this one is going to hurt.  The Raiders are looking to stay in the playoff hunt and won't be taking this game lightly since every game will matter for them at this point.  A.Rodgers, D.Waller, D.Adams, and H.Ruggs will put on a show and the Broncos will have no answer.................................................................Raiders 52 Broncos 14            

Lock of the Week: Dolphins @ Lions

                    One of the premier matchups of the week features two guys who are near locks for the playoffs every year.  However, Meats comes into this one fighting for his playoff life, while QP looks to keep control of the #1 seed in the NFC.  Lock it in, QP will continue his push for the number one seed and keep control of the NFC...........................Lions 28 Dolphins 17          

Week 16:

Game of the Week: Bears @ Seahawks

                                Two teams that struggled last cycle have found life in the wide-open NFC. Both teams control their own playoff destiny and this game would go a long way towards cementing their status as "back".  Future comes in after a BIG win over the Vikings and Nole will be looking for his first win against a team with a winning record.  Both teams are allowing quite a few yards on defense, so look for this to be a high scoring game.      Bears 49 Seahawks 42

Upset of the Week: Rams @ Vikings

                                The Rams come into this one with a 4-10 record and face an angry Vikings team that was just blown out by the Bears.  Colt has actually played much better than his 4-10 record would suggest.  If games were only two quarters, he might actually have a playoff shot.  Unfortunately we play the entire game in the SML and Colt doesn't really care to do that usually.  This week I think he has a shot to take down a former Super Bowl participant.  Dmues is struggling and sticking with K.Mond at QB.  I think Colt gets up early and avoids the collapse this week.  Rams 27 Vikings 24

Blowout of the Week: Chargers @ Texans

                                    It was a toss up between this game and the Raiders/Broncos.  With ZZ having just choked against the CPU and Dan fighting for his playoff life, I think Dan comes out firing on all cylinders.  He knows he has to win out to make the playoffs and he won't want this to be close.  Initially, I thought ZZ might have something going this season after taking me to OT, but it turns out I'm just pretty bad.  Dan may score 100 if not for those pesky rules.  Chargers 52 Texans 10

Lock of the Week: Giants @ Eagles

                              Don't let the records fool you, the Giants are not the underdog in this one.  In fact, the Giants may be the best team in the NFC East.  Tiny has already been in chat talking about the Giants and Daniel Jones, but I doubt he has much of a plan to stop him.  So far this cycle, Tiny's only plan to stop opposing offenses is to let their defense do all the scoring.  It's a solid plan to stop offenses, just not very effective when it comes to winning games.  Lock it in, Giants win this one.  Giants 34 Eagles 17

With Evals dropping today, I thought I would post my Way Too Early M22 Mock Team Draft.   All tie breakers were just ordered the way they appeared on the Eval list.  I'm sure not everyone will agree with their pick, but here we go.........

1. Prime - Colts                The only intrigue here is, will he just say he's taking the Colts or pretend like its a mystery.

2. MB - Bears                   I've been excited for Justin Fields since he took over as the OSU QB, definitely a tough choice with the Browns available, but if Fields starts as a SS, I don't know if there would be a single player I'd be more excited to have.

3. Mike - Chargers           A young QB and a solid defense.  Herbert will be J.Love without all the work.

4. Meats - Dolphins         Plenty of draft capital and Tua.  Meats has gotten plenty of flack from always having a quarterback with escape artist, but this could be his chance to take a different quarterback while still having some mobility.

5. Woods - Jaguars           Woods gets his favorite team and on top of that they have the best rookie QB and maybe HB too.

6. Grams - Cowboys         Again, another guy that gets his favorite team

7. NYT - Chiefs                He's complained about Lamar's throwing, so why not get the best QB in the game.  If Prime weren't already in the AFCS, the Titans could be an option, but I don't think he goes there knowing he would have to face him twice a year. #GOATeffect

8. Coop - Broncos             Coop built the Titans defense into a really solid squad and the Broncos would give him an even better starting canvas, including a stud rookie in PS2.  With NYT and Mike already here, it would create the AFC Clique

9. Fazz - WFT                    Fazz misses out on his Jags, but has to be happy about the WFT here.  Gibson can become his Dalvin and the defense is an improvement over Min.  McLaurin and C.Samuel will be a tough WR duo that will be there for the cycle.

10. KJ - 49ers                     While there are rumors that KJ may cross the rainbow bridge after this cycle, if he stay, I think the 49ers are a perfect fit for him.  A stout defense and an offense that can be trouble.  The 49ers are one of the more complete teams in the game.

11. Lawyer - Falcons          It's his favorite team and Kyle Pitts could be a lot of fun.   Tough to not take your favorite, but tougher when they add a weapon like that.

12. Figgs - Ravens              This was actually a pretty obvious choice when I looked at his Bears.  He's already got half the Ravens anyway and Lamar should be a QB that he can stick with.  Lamar fits his offense as well.

13. Dump - Bills                  I think Dump would love to go after Dan, but he picks ahead of him.  I could see him settling for a continued rivalry with Meats.  The Bills have a solid defense and Josh Allen will be Jalen Hurts on steroids.

14. Rowin - Browns            Another guy getting their favorite team and a pretty solid team if I do say so myself.

15. Dan - Titans                   Dan got quite a bit of flack for running from Prime last team selection and said he wanted a tough division so he followed QB.  I think this year he can go after Prime and clearly still have one of the top teams in his division.  Woods makes a tough 3rd or 4th team too.

16. Pauly - Bucs                   A chance to have an explosive offense headed by Tom Brady and a solid defense is just too much for Pauly to pass up.  It's like this team was built for him and I don't know if there's a better match in the SML.

17. Future - Steelers             Defense has been an Achilles Heel for Future this cycle and the Steelers are one of the best remaining.  He would also have a Ginn clone in N.Harris and plenty of weapons on offense.  If he doesn't like Ben, he even gets Haskins back.

18. Tiny - Bengals                Tiny gets a young QB to destroy with ints and a top, young WR he can send to Prime. More importantly, he gets a division that is significantly easier than the current NFC West.

19. Nole - Carolina               This is a really good young team and most importantly gives Nole the closest thing he's had to A.French since last cycle.

20. Colt - Giants                   Colt has made a living riding Kamara and whoever his TE ends up being.  The Giants walk into the cycle better at both positions with Barkley and Engram.  Add to that the extra picks and this is a great team for him.

21. Oktoba - Eagles               After having Houston this cycle, anything has to be better.  He'll go from no picks in Hou to lots in Phi.  Add that to an explosive young offense and he should have much more fun this time around.

22. TTS - Cardinals               TTS gets another young QB and a defense that's an improvement over the Bengals.  He also gets KJ twice a season again as well.

23. RD - Raiders                    RD gets his favorite team and J.Jacobs.   Could somehow be a better version of Cam Akers.  This would also ensure the AFC West is renamed the AFC Clique.

24. Matt - Seahawks              Matt has campaigned all year to let the Seahawks fall to him and I think he gets his wish.  Just curious how he'll blame PJ for the roster after the first season.

25. Latin - Jets                       Latin gets his favorite team and a rookie QB who should make it fun. 

26. DW - Packers                  Even if Rodgers isn't there to start the cycle, Mike turned J.Love into a SS and DW could do the same

27. Field - Saints                   The QB situation could be a little murky, but Kamara and a solid defense could be fun to use.

28. QP - Vikings                    Fazz's sidekick sees what he did with the Vikings and follows his footsteps.  It's an aging team, but Cook is a problem.

29. Klinke- Lions                   It's slim pickens down here, but the Lions have picks and I think Klinke will value that.  Okudah's dev will be something to keep an eye on, but they have the ability to rebuild and that can be appealing.

30. Dmues - Rams                  The Rams may not have picks, but Donald, Ramsey, and Akers are a top 3 that match or better any team this far down the list.

31. Raiderfan - Patriots           Hey, its not the Texans

32. Finz - Texans                     Maybe Watson will be there.   Almost have to hope they move him and somehow get a first. 

With Week 17 upon us, there are still quite a few questions about the playoff spots and seeding.  The Madden schedule makers gave us some great games this week to try and figure all of that out.  So lets take a look at some of the big games with playoff implications.

SF vs Arizona

Both teams come into this game at 10-5, with Meats taking the first meeting between the two teams 17-10.  This is one of the more heated rivalries in all of the SML and what a way to end the season than with a head to head matchup to decide the NFC West Champion.  The winner of this game would move to 11-5 and securd the division.   The loser would then have to put their playoff fate in the hands of the Madden tie-breakers.  As it stands, a 10-6 team will be left out of the playoffs.  If it comes down to Dump and RD, they would have split the h2h and would each have the same division record.  Assuming they are the only 6 loss teams, it would come down to common opponents or a madden coin flip for all we know.  If Dump wins this game, he would win the NFC West and Meats would own the tie breaker over RD, by virtue of a 2-0 h2h record. 

  Meats won the earlier matchup of these two teams and currently has the #2 scoring defense in the SML.  If there's one weakness to his defense, it comes against the run, where he is 15th in yards allowed.  This plays right into Dump's offense, which runs through Eddins.  Who coincidentally seems to run through everything in front of him.  Both teams have a well-documented history of struggling in pressure situations, but in a game of two tough defenses, I'll take the team with the more competent offense and that is Dump and the 49ers.  

Prediction - 49ers 28 Cardinals 24

NYG vs WFT

Much like the game above, both teams come in with identical records.  Both teams currently sit at 11-4 and the winner will lock up the division and the #2 seed, while the loser will end up either the 5 or 6 seed, depending on the outcomes of the Panthers and Falcons games.  WFT won the only head to head meeting between these 4 teams, which was a 41-38 win over the Panthers. As for this matchup, Rowin won the first meeting of these two teams all the way back in Week 1.  It was a 21-20 victory and his first over QP in the cycle.  

Both teams have cooled after a hot start.  The Giants have not topped 200 passing yards in their last 6 games and during that time have thrown 7 interceptions.   The offense definitely runs through Saquon Barkley more than ever and he will need Barkley to continue his +9 ypc pace to pull this game out.  After back-to-back losses to the Raiders and the Broncos, WFT bounced back against a Cam Akers-less CPU led Rams team and an already eliminated Eagles squad, so it will be interesting to see if they can recapture some of that early season magic.  Or maybe this WFT is a bit of a mirage.  Aside from a CPU game against the Rams, they have only beaten 1 team with a winning record and that was a 3-point win over the Panthers.  Rowin has been playing pretty well lately and I've got to give him the slight advantage in this one.

Prediction - NYG 35 WFT 28

Carolina vs Buffalo and Atlanta vs Miami

Buffalo hasn't really got anything to play for other than to be a spoiler. The Panthers come in tied with the Falcons at 10-5, with both teams' only division loss coming to each other in a split season series.  This means, once again, if both teams have the same outcome in Week 17, Madden gets to work its tie-breaking magic.  The Panthers are favored coming into this game by 4.5 points over the Bills.  Despite handing the Ravens a Week 14 loss, the Bills have been pretty bad  to put it nicely.  If the Bills can pull off the upset, the Falcons may still be able to win the tie breaker if it comes down to common opponents, as the Falcons were able to beat the Bills back in Week 12. 

That brings us to the Falcons and their matchup.  While the Panthers get what should be a cakewalk against a struggling Bills squad, the Falcons have to face the Dolphins and returning HB M.Breida.  The Dolphins still have playoff seeding that they are looking to secure.  A win against the Falcons would ensure they can avoid the Colts in the Wild Card round, while a loss paired with an expected Ravens win over the Bengals would setup a Colts vs Dolphins Wild Card Matchup that neither of those teams would be looking forward to.  

Predictions - Panthers 28 Bills 10                                  Dolphins 21 Falcons 17

The Jaguars defense started a little slow, allowing 17 first half points, but shut the Bills out in the second.  The defense once again showed out with four turnovers.  The lone Jags turnover was a fumble by Josh Allen, early in the game.  

Josh Allen continues to play like a man on a mission.  Allen finished the game with a perfect 158.3 passer rating.  He was 11 for 11 passing, while adding 208 yards and 2 touchdowns to his season totals.  Allen may have heard rumors that the Jaguars were unhappy with his play since signing the huge contract and he is playing like he wants to show them they made the right move by giving him that money.  Second year running back Antonio Hendricks had his best game of his short career, rushing for 227 yards on 19 carries for 3 touchdowns.  He also added an additional 113 yards and a touchdown on 4 receptions.  Cody Sutphin continues his touchdown streak by adding 44 yards and a touchdown on his 2 receptions.

Defense showed up in the second half and shut down the Bills offense.  Five different player logged tackles for loss.  First round pick Cassius Farrell was one of those players.  He also added 4 tackles on the game.  Khalil Mack got to the rookie quarterback for his first sack of the season.   Myles Jack not only had a tackle for loss and led the team in tackles, but he also added 3 interceptions and a touchdown in the effort.  Cortez Street also had an interception in a game that saw him jump from being a superstar to a player that brings a real X-Factor to the defense.  

Next up the Jaguars will face a tough Titans team in Nashville.