The NFL Roundup - Week 12

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There are just a few weeks left in the NFL Regular Season and the Playoffs are looming large. In fact two teams will be able to clinch a berth this weekend with a win, giving the remainder of this season a sense of urgency as teams buckle in and prepare to give it their all for a shot at glory, while unfortunately some teams...begin to prepare for a better season next year. Either way, get ready for some incredible stories to emerge from the field this weekend and here are the ones we are keeping an eye on. 

Do the Undefeated teams stay perfect, or lose this weekend?
Let's be honest, when it comes to the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers, we are constantly keeping an eye on the score of every single game they play. We're dying to know if the opposing team is finally serving either team their first loss of the year and this weekend will be no different and both teams have a chance of leaving their respective games with a tarnished record. The Panthers are playing a weaker defense in the Cowboys, but a healthy and ready to go Tony Romo could cause an upset and the Denver Broncos are a different team with Brock Osweiler at the helm and could shock Tom Brady on Sunday Night Football. Or...they could handily beat both teams and enjoy another flawless week atop their respective conferences, time will tell.

The Johnny Manziel era ends in Cleveland before it began, and it will have repercussions. 
Heading into the bye week, Johnny Football was about to take the center stage and finally be given his big chance to show the Cleveland Browns what he can do and what he is all about. Unfortunately for Johnny, he decided to demonstrate those things...off the field. His partying ways got Johnny into trouble once again and he is now the #3 quarterback on the depth chart and this move means we should expect plenty of changes from the Browns, none of them good. It no doubt signals the beginning of the end for Head Coach Mike Pettine since let's be honest, he can't control his players and that in turn will lead to yet another roster purge, one that may include Manziel. But...on the other hand, Cleveland's executive brass is pretty clueless when it comes to handling players who simply don't care (see Josh Gordon) so really the penalty here is that the fans in Cleveland continue to suffer by way of sub par management, coaching and ugly play on the field. 

Brock Osweiler gets at least two more games to show the Broncos brass he is the QB of the future.
As of press time, Peyton Manning is at the Broncos facility walking around in an air cast and will miss Sunday's game and at least one more, provided everything heals properly, otherwise he's out longer. Either way, it's two more big time opportunities for Brock Osweiler to show the fans and John Elway that he can lead this storied franchise and quite frankly, if Brock goes out and beats the Patriots on Sunday Night and then the Chargers in their own house...healthy Peyton Manning or not the Broncos are going to be faced with one tough decision. This will be a stretch of games to keep a close eye on. 

The Philadelphia at Detroit game will decide much about the futures of both franchises. 
It's been a tough year for Eagles and Lions fans. Detroit is a shell of its former self and has played so poorly that there has been turnover in upper management and Philadelphia was expected to improve over last year and has taken a major step back both personnel and play wise. Sunday's game features a meeting of the two and well, it may also determine much for the future of both teams as well. After all, every player and coach in Detroit has received the message loud and clear and are playing for their respective careers while Chip Kelly continues his up and down year. This nationally televised game on Thanksgiving has a lot riding on it and the winner of this one inspires hope, while the loser may prompt change at all levels. 

The officiating in the NFL is absolutely awful and is there a way to fix it?
I've watched football for most of my life. I've seen many a game and seen many a mistake from a referee here and there because mistakes do happen. But this year, wow, the officiating in the league is the worst it has ever been and it's not getting any better. It really does look like some teams are being favored in games since there is zero consistency on the flags being thrown and some of the most fundamental parts of football, like time outs and time clocks are being badly managed by these crews. It's a little scary at this point because somewhere along the way one of these botched calls is going to cost a team a win they actually deserve and sadly I don't think the fix will come this year. But the only way to solve the problem is to make all of the refs full time employees that can be terminated for job performance, like the rest of the NFL. Until then however, get ready to yell at the men and woman in stripes for their mistakes this weekend.

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OUR PICKS OF THE WEEK

John's Picks
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos - Denver
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions - Detroit
Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans - Oakland
New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans - Houston
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons - Minnesota

Scotty's Picks
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions - Philadelphia
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos - New England
St. Louis Rams at Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers - Arizona
Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks - Seattle 

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