Have your say on all the week's big stories in the NFL, plus take part in our Pick Six predictions game
Welcome to the final NFL Talkboard of the regular season. For those of you who have stumbled upon it for the first time, this is the dedicated place on the Sportblog where people can talk about American football.
Every week I have posted my Pick Six and the blog then stays open over the weekend, allowing everyone ? myself included ? to keep chatting about the games as they happen, and afterwards on Sunday and Monday. Obviously this is now the last week of the regular season, but fear not ? the Talkboard will continue throughout the postseason, with Pick Six replaced by Pick the Play-offs.
In the meantime, here's hoping everyone enjoyed a very merry Christmas and now has enough new socks to last them through 2011. Not one person picked all six games correctly last time around, but jasel and yubeingfunny will surely be feeling extra festive after finding themselves joint top of the overall standings with one week left to play. Here are this week's games:
Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
As with a few other games this weekend, the difficulty here comes in part from not knowing how the better team will approach the game. The Chiefs have won their division, but will not be getting a bye through wildcard weekend whatever happens on Sunday. They can secure the AFC's third seed with a win, but would it be better just to rest key starters and reduce the risk of someone important getting hurt? Head coach Todd Haley says Kansas City will "do what we think gives us the best chance to win". If he means what he says, they should have enough.
Chiefs to win
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans
The Jaguars no longer control their own play-off destiny, but they can at least give themselves a shot by winning here to finish 9-7. Local media outlets suggest that failure to do so might cost head coach Jack Del Rio his job. Sadly for Jack, those same outlets have also let us know in the past few days that he will be without his starting quarterback and running back.
Texans to win
New York Giants @ Washington Redskins
For a team that seemed to have already shut things down for this season some time in late November, the Redskins did a pretty good job of derailing the Jaguars last weekend. They will be even more motivated to play the spoilers against a division rival, on their own home field. New York are reeling after two deeply dispiriting defeats, but unlike Jacksonville they should at least have their first-choice running backs available. That should be enough. Just.
Giants to win
Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
As with the Chiefs' game against the Raiders, the question here is over how many starters will play all four quarters for the Jets. After three defeats in four games, there is no guarantee that Rex Ryan's strongest line-up would find this a cakewalk, but they should at least be motivated by the desire to enter the play-offs on a better note.
Jets to win
St Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
A poll conducted by the Seattle Times this week found that most of its readers want the Seahawks to lose this weekend, rather than suffer the embarrassment of becoming the first team to make the NFL play-offs with nine losses. That is what will happen if they can beat a St Louis team who have won only twice on the road all season. Thankfully for all concerned, I don't think they will.
Rams to win
San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos
No post-season implications here ? for once the Chargers dug a hole that even they couldn't climb back out of ? but some food for thought when it comes to the future of the AFC West. The San Diego owner Dean Spanos says he is sticking by Norv Turner, but it will not reflect well on the head coach if he cannot get a team this talented to finish at the very least with a winning record. For Denver, meanwhile, one last chance to size up Tim Tebow. So far he's not looking too shabby.
Chargers to win
Tie-breaker time
Nobody likes a draw, so as well as the six games this week, I am including a tie-breaker. This will be used to anoint the winner in the event of two or more people finishing with the same score, but feel free to post your prediction here even if you are already out of the title race ? it is only a game after all ?
The Tie-breaker: Predict the total number of points that will be scored by the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles in their game this Sunday. Whoever is closest to the actual number wins.
My own guess, for what it's worth, is 56.
Robin Tunney Kate Groombridge Dania Ramirez Lucy Liu LeAnn Rimes
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