Patriots Murder Texans in 42-14 Bout..........and I was there.

Last Saturday afternoon, right before my little girl's birthday party, I got a call from my friend Dave. “Get a babysitter for Monday Night, cuz we are going to Foxboro baby!” Giddy UP. Man-Oh-Man - - what seats, what weather, what an awesome steak dinner at Longhorns right before.....and then the cherry atop of the perfect evening - - a Patriot blowout. Awesomeness cubed. 

 I admit, I went in skeptical at best.....I thought Houston's Defense was better than ours, I also thought that with the injuries on offense, Tom would struggle a bit. Boy-oh-Boy was I wrong. The Texans looked like a bunch of buffoons out there.....Matt Schaub is pigeon-toed and their defense was like a sieve. OUR defense however – Holy Cows! In the first quarter, when Devin McCourty intercepted Schaub, it was the beginning of the end for the Texans...it was like a swan dance, Devin fluidly moved in front of the receiver and with perfect precision, snatched the ball and ran so smoothly it took a minute for everyone in the stands to understand what happened - - but when the replay was happening on the big screens - it was a crush of excitement and high fives all around. Then it just got better and better.....42-14 ...that second touchdown for the Texans was fluff – backup QB Yates was in for Houston and with 7+ minutes left in the fourth, he steadily marched his team down the field to get the TD right before the 2-minute warning. Fluff. I'm not sure how it came across on TV, but the Pats D was ON. They shut down Foster, blanketed Johnson and smothered Schaub. The Offense was also AFIRE and Brady threw accurate bullets...the 63-yard pass and over the shoulder catch to Donte Stallworth was so pretty it deserved a mirror. The entire game was a wonderful collective effort on both sides of the ball and reminiscent of the SB Pats we know and love. Right in time for Christmas.

Next up, San Fran comes knocking in another Prime Time-er, this one on Sunday night with the Patriots favored by 5-points. And guess what folks? That's right, I will be there again....this time I've known for awhile, and a huge tailgating party is part of the itinerary. San Fran is coming off a 27-13 home win over Miami last week, and really have no idea what they are in for.....well, maybe they have a slight clue - Randy Moss comes back to Bean Town as a 49er. Who will be the QB this week? It's very hush hush. Alex Smith technically could have played last week against Miami, but Coach Harbaugh went with Colin Kaepernick instead....and it looks like he might again this week in Foxboro. But, that Harbaugh is tricky – almost as tricky as our Bill......and it's possible he is playing the old bait and switch....or, he is convinced Colin is his best chance at a W.....who knows? Kaepernick did run for a 50-yard touchdown last week and his mobility and success thus far have obviously gotten the attention of his head coach. What we do know is that if the same Pats from Monday Night FB show up for Sunday Night FB, uh oh Kaepernick.

So, week 15 of the NFL always brings a lot of speculation and a million different scenarios for the playoff pictures, including but not limited to, potential Wild Card Spots - - First-round Bye's and Home-Field Advantages. I will attempt to muddle through some without adding too much confusion.....yeah right...GL, see you at the end.

PLAYOFF PICTURE SCENARIOS: WEEK 15

AFC

In the AFC...

HOUSTON TEXANS

Houston can clinch the AFC South division with:

1) HOU win

Houston can clinch a first-round bye with
1) HOU win + NE loss or tie + DEN loss

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Baltimore can clinch the AFC North division with:

1) BAL win OR

2) BAL tie + PIT loss or tie + CIN loss or tie OR

3) PIT loss + CIN loss

Baltimore can clinch a playoff berth with:

1) BAL tie OR

2) CIN loss or tie OR

3) PIT loss or tie

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Indianapolis can clinch a playoff berth with:

1) IND win OR

2) IND tie + CIN loss or tie OR

3) IND tie + PIT loss or tie OR

4) IND tie + BAL win OR

5) NYJ loss or tie + CIN loss OR
6) NYJ loss or tie + BAL win + CIN tie + PIT tie

NFC

In the NFC...

Over in the NFC, it's just as interesting, but most of it coming from "TIE +"...

ATLANTA FALCONS

Atlanta can clinch a first-round bye with:

1) ATL win + GB loss or tie OR

2) ATL win + SF loss OR

3) ATL tie + GB loss

Atlanta can clinch home-field advantage with:

1) ATL win + GB loss or tie + SF loss

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

San Francisco can clinch the NFC West division with:

1) SF win + SEA loss

San Francisco can clinch a playoff berth with:

1) SF win OR

2) SF tie + DAL loss or tie + WAS loss or tie + MIN loss or tie OR

3) SF tie + DAL loss or tie + WAS loss or tie + GB loss OR

4) SF tie + DAL loss or tie + WAS loss or tie + CHI loss OR

5) SF tie + DAL loss or tie + MIN loss or tie + CHI loss OR

6) SF tie + NYG los + CHI loss + MIN loss OR

7) MIN loss + DAL loss + WAS loss + SEA loss or tie

GREEN BAY

Green Bay can clinch the NFC North division with:

1) GB win

Green Bay can clinch a playoff berth with:

1) GB tie + DAL loss + WAS loss + STL-MIN tie OR

2) GB tie + DAL loss + WAS loss + MIN loss + SF win or tie OR
3) GB tie + DAL loss + WAS loss + MIN loss + SEA does not tie

Will Farrell is also a Packer Fan.......

So, if you can understand all that and keep it straight and know who is where when and at what time then you're a better FB guru than me. I am going to wait until the end of next week to read up on where everyone stands and then report it...and technically the list should be shorter, but it never ends up that way. The trends state that road dogs historically do well this week and since history has taught me that Week 15 is nuts and never goes the way you think....unlike all the other weeks when it's SO easy to pick....every little trend helps. Sometimes, teams that need the “must win” and teams that are “out” have a Freaky Friday experience and at the end of the weekend it's like “???”. Sometimes, the “spoiler” teams do just that. I guess what I'm saying is ….never count anyone out....both the desperate and the indifferent are equally dangerous.

My nephew Ajay told me last night that he's been reading me lately. Whatup Neph? Good Job....keep reading, you never know when I'm going to write something to you and you need to be in the know.

May everyone avoid the malls like the plague and have a nice weekend! Watch for me on the screen – I'll be the one in blue with a hat on.

Famous Fans Of Eachother....

Picks: Buffalo +5.5; Detroit -6; Cleveland +1; Patriots -5; TB +3.5; (ridiculously enough I like Philly +3.5 tonight)