Teams that need to win and Teams that don't

odiescrew25 · Dec 28, 2004

Teams that must win: (teams that still have a shot)

NY Jets
Buffalo
Baltimore
Jacksonville
Denver
Minnesota
Carolina
New Orleans
St. Louis

Teams that are IN and don't need to play:

New England
Pittsburgh
Indianapolis
San Diego
Philadelphia
Green Bay
Atlanta

Got to love Minnesota this week. Lavar Arrington and Clinton Portis Out

Buffalo must win playing Pittsburgh who will probably not start Ben.

Seattle playing Vickless Atlanta...Seattle wins division with win

Denver at Indianapolis record broke Indy set no need to play the trio.

Kansas City at San Diego...KC wants .500 and San Diego will let them get it

2 great games left where both teams need to win:

Ny Jets vs. St. Louis and Carolina vs. New Orleans

I'm leaning towards the Jets and Panthers.

Jets have a solid running game and solid defense. Last 2 loses coming to possible super bowl teams.

Panthers looking good with Nick Goings running the ball and Mushin Muhammed seems to have come alive. Winning 6 of their last 7 including a win over the Saints by 11 4 weeks ago where they gave up 30 rushing yards and had Goings go for 122 and Muhammed go for 179.

here is who I like this week:

Ny Jets - 3 (WIN their in)
Buffalo - 8
Denver - 8 (WIN their in)
Minnesota - 4.5 (WIN their in)
Carolina - 7.5
Kansas City - 3
Seattle - 5.5

Buffalo / Pittsburgh OVERS 33.5

PROSIDES · Dec 28, 2004

Vick

Vick is playing

Big Ben is closer to probable than dbt.

This according to ESPN news this morning

The Guesser · Dec 28, 2004

Be careful. Minny "needed"to beat Az last year to make the playoffs, and Az was far worse than Wash. Jax "needed" to beat Hous last week. The out of it teams are dangerous. The best situation where the need team is bettable is when they're playing a laydown, like Philly last night, or against Pitt and Indy this week.

odiescrew25 · Dec 28, 2004

"IF" Vick and Ben play I will be shocked if it's more than a series or two.

Washington missing to many players and I'm sure Minnesota remembers last year also!!!

Just giving you my picks.

odiescrew25 · Dec 28, 2004

Washington players out:

Portis
Arrington
Jimoh
Smoot

3 defensive starters.

xflrejects · Dec 29, 2004

Indy Reports They Are Playing To Win. Denver Wins By 5.

Sd Will Play All Out.they Do Not Want To Concede A Loss To Kickoff Their Playoffs. Schottenheimer Philosophy.sd Wins

No Way I'm Taking Minnesota On The Road Vs. This Defense.take Out 2 More Starter.it Will Not Matter. These Chumps Keep Losing The Must Win Games. They Couldn't Do It In The "tropics" Of Az Last Year. Washing Ton Will Be A Nice Playground For Them Come Jan.2nd

marbury3 · Dec 29, 2004

Colts say they are playing to win

Colts notebook
Dungy plans to use starters vs. Broncos
Coach wants to continue win streak despite the team not needing victory

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</TD></TR><TR><TD>Colts running back Edgerrin James (32) uses a stiff arm against Chargers defensive back Drayton Florence. James has 1,550 rushing yards, second in the NFL. He trails Shaun Alexander of the Seahawks by 66 yards. -- Matt Detrich / The Star

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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>Related content

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By Phil Richards
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript></SCRIPT>phil.richards@indystar.com
December 28, 2004

Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy didn't offer his game plan for discussion Monday, but he was clear about his objective.

"We're going out there to win," said Dungy, whose Colts (12-3) close the regular season Sunday at Denver (9-6). "I would like to win No. 13. We'd like to go (into the playoffs) with a nine-game winning streak. There are a lot of things that we want to do in terms of keeping that momentum and continuing to be sharp."

Dungy didn't say his starters would play into the fourth quarter, but he made it apparent that the game will not be a two-series shakedown for his No. 1 units.

It's quarterback Peyton Manning's preference to play against the Broncos.

"I'd like to keep our momentum going, so I'd like to go up to Denver and play and try to stay hot and try to get a win," he said during a halftime interview on ABC's "Monday Night Football" game between St. Louis and Philadelphia.

Manning recalled the 1999 season when the Colts, 13-2 and with a first-round bye wrapped up, took an 11-game winning streak to Buffalo. They lost 31-6, then fell to Tennessee 19-16 two weeks later in the playoffs.

"I think our momentum sort of died up there in Buffalo," Manning said. "I would like to keep this winning streak (of eight) alive."

The Colts locked up the AFC's No. 3 seed Sunday with a 34-31 overtime victory over San Diego.

What matters to Dungy is whether they play their wild-card playoff game with the No. 6 seed on Jan. 8 or 9. The NFL will announce pairings and schedules after qualifiers are determined by this weekend's games.

"From our past history, the last couple of years, I think it depends on when the Jets are going to be able to play," he said. "I would say if we end up playing the Jets, I'm pretty sure we'll play on Sunday."

The Colts' first-round possibilities include the New York Jets (10-5), currently fifth, followed by Denver, Buffalo (9-6), Jacksonville (8-7) and Baltimore (8-7).

James No. 2

One Colts starter who will have something meaningful on the line Sunday is running back Edgerrin James. With 1,550 yards, he trails Shaun Alexander, the NFL's rushing leader, by 66 yards. James leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,033.

Only three players have more than his three 2,000-yard seasons. Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk had four. Priest Holmes has three.

Injury update

Dungy expects linebacker Jim Nelson to miss the rest of the season after breaking his clavicle Sunday. The status of linebacker Gilbert Gardner (shoulder), cornerback Nick Harper (back), guard Rick DeMulling (rib cartilage) and tight end Marcus Pollard (ankle) will become clearer later in the week.

Dungy anticipates linebacker Gary Brackett (quadriceps) playing and safety Bob Sanders (knee) practicing. Sanders has missed the past four weeks.

"We'd like to get him in and get 10 or 12 plays before the playoffs start," Dungy said. "That would be our ideal plan but we'll see how he gets through practice."

Etc

The Colts have won 13 regular-season games only twice in 52 years of NFL membership: 1968, when they won the league championship but lost in Super Bowl III to the New York Jets; and 1999, when they lost in the AFC divisional round to Tennessee at the RCA Dome. . . . Only two teams have qualified for the playoffs five of the past six seasons: Philadelphia and the Colts, although St. Louis carried a chance of joining them into its Monday night game with the Eagles. . . . The Colts set a club record Sunday by running their season total to 6,275 net yards. The record was 6,141, set in 2000.

odiescrew25 · Dec 29, 2004

Thanks for the info, still like my picks.

bubba-sc · Dec 29, 2004

odiescrew25 said:
here is who I like this week:

Ny Jets - 3 (WIN their in)
Buffalo - 8
Denver - 8 (WIN their in)
Minnesota - 4.5 (WIN their in)
Carolina - 7.5
Kansas City - 3
Seattle - 5.5

Buffalo / Pittsburgh OVERS 33.5

I would absolutely stay away from most of these bets you're liking, and as a whole would advise bettors not to go overboard with NFL bets this weekend . This has got to be the most uncertain weekend of NFL bets in the past 20 years, given all the teams that are resting starters, and all the scrub teams that may have a shot at playoffs. Just because it is intriguing that lines are set in a cockemany fashion favoring home teams vs. resting-starter teams doesn't mean you should go out on a limb and bet like crazy this sunday.

Check the local papers and radio shows for coaches comments on who will get playing time and such, you may want to treat this weekend with a pre-season/exhibition/August approach. I know that Peyton Manning will play at least a half, the first half according to Dungy, so if anything, indy +4 for the first half may be worth looking at.

...and just because they need to win, specifically Minny and Denver, doesnt mean they will, as they are NOT powerhouse teams (especially Minny on the road: remember the Nighmare at Tempe Stadium in this same situation last year....)