NFL Week 16

Last week I was 11-5, bringing my overall record to 144-78-1. ESPN experts here and here.

I missed officially picking the Thursday night and Saturday night games, which is okay, because I would have picked Indianapolis and Dallas. Thus, I would have ended up splitting the two games anyway. That's three games this year I did not pick, which I think is some sort of record. I would have won the first game I missed, so I would have been 2-1 in the games I didn't pick.

Fortunately, there are no more Thursday or Saturday games for me to forget. I remember growing up they used to start Saturday afternoon games in the NFL right after the college season ended. I miss those games. I always associated those games with Christmas trees and songs, because they always came in December.

The Bears are hanging by a thread. In order to make the playoffs, they have to win their two remaining games. Then, either Atlanta or Tampa Bay must lose their remaining two games and Philadelphia must lose one, or Minnesota must lose their two remaining games.

We're entering historical territory this week. Never in the history of the NFL has a team taken the field with an 0-14 record on the line. The Lions will be making history, no matter the outcome of today's game, just for that record.

No one knows how they'll defend that record today. Will they come out flat and put up an early lead? Will the pressure of a potentially spotless record finally get to them, so that they cough up a win? No one knows.

Will they choke at the end, and let a deficit get away from them, thereby eking out a victory? No one knows.

This I do know, however. If they win today, or worse, win next week if they're 0-15, you may never hear from me again. I don't know if I could ever recover from the trauma.

I fear the Saints today. They have nothing left to play for, since they are eliminated from the playoffs. Detroit has everything to play for, a perfect 0-16 season, and I fear they may choke under the pressure and actually win this game.

A perfect 0-16 is something I've wanted to see since 1978, when the 16 game season started. Despite many pretenders, no one has gotten this close of a look at it.

Since we all saw a team go 16-0 last year, this would be the perfect antidote to that anomaly. Anti-perfection.

Hey, Superman has Bizarro. Matter has anti-matter. Yin has its Yang. Why can't the 2007 Patriots have their 2008 Lions?

Cincinnati.
San Francisco.
New Orleans.
Pittsburgh.
Miami.
New England.
Tampa Bay.
Houston.
Denver.
Jets.
Minnesota.
Philadelphia.
Giants.
Chicago- Monday.