Philadelphia @ Dallas game simulator results

With a simulator program that I have written, I have put together a prediction for the last Sunday Night NFL Matchup. I took 100 game outcomes, and made an average to all the stats, scores, etc, and this is the result:

Eagles 27 Cowboys 24

Nick Foles throws 187 yards, LeSean McCoy runs for 111 yards, and DeSean Jackson is the teams leading receiver with 63 yards receiving.

Kyle Orton plays the full game, and passes for 208 yards, DeMarco Murray runs for 120 yards, and Dez Bryant leads the team in receiving with 65 yards.

Let's see how close it is after gameday...

Playoff Predictions as of pre-week 17...

Alright, folks!

The NFC has every single division up for grabs this week... That's insane. So, instead of worrying now, I'll procrastinate and start with the AFC...

AFC WILD CARD ROUND
#6 seed- San Diego Chargers (9-7) @ #3 seed- Cincinnati Bengals (11-5)
     Call me crazy, but I can totally see an amazing win next week for the Chargers, denying the Chiefs the AFC west, and clinching the #6 seed spot. Rivers will rematch against the Bengals defense, but this time, he'll come out on top. Chargers 37 Bengals 21

#5 seed- Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) @ #4 seed- Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
     Another AFC rematch and showdown, with the Chiefs looking for revenge... Chiefs will get the defense running hard, Andrew luck will struggle, I say Chiefs come out on top. Chiefs 27 Colts 16

AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF ROUND
San Diego Chargers (10-7) @ New England Patriots (12-4)
     San Diego upsets a weak New England team, and surprises the world with the action. Chargers 26 Patriots 23.

Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) @ Denver Broncos (12-4)
     Kansas City has lost to Denver twice this season... Why should we believe that they have a chance? Well, who thought that the Ravens had a chance? Who thought that the Ravens would beat them last year? I did, but I don't know about anyone else... However, Broncos win the third matchup this year against the Chiefs, and move on. Chiefs 14 Broncos 49

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

San Diego Chargers (11-7) @ Denver Broncos (13-4)
     San Diego beat them once in a shocker, and they'll do it again. San Diego's defense will hold, the offense will finish the drives, and the Broncos Manning will be shut down. Chargers 30 Broncos 13.

Now for the NFC... This is a subject a difficulty, and will most likely change by Sunday...

NFC WILD CARD ROUND
#6 seed- New Orleans Saints (11-5) @ #3 seed- Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
     New Orleans has some firepower... But with a 17-13 loss to Carolina, they are loosing steam. The Eagles will move into the playoffs with the win over the Cowboys Sunday Night, but they will take some heavy injuries. Nonetheless, Chip Kelly will outsmart Sean Peyton, and the players will outplay, and the Eagles will move on. Saints 24 Eagles 42.

#5 seed- Arizona Cardinals (10-6) @ #4 seed- Green Bay Packers (8-7-1)
     The Pack gets Aaron Rodgers back, and they upset the slow moving Bears, packing them into canned meat. Arizona upsets San Francisco, and moves to the playoffs for the first time since Ken Whisenhunt took them to the Super Bowl. Bruce Arians puts together an amazing gameplan, and the Pack is upset and knocked out of the playoffs. Cardinals 20 Packers 16

NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF ROUND
Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) @ Carolina Panthers (12-4)
     This is a matchup everyone has wanted to see... Cam Newton's first playoff performance will not go well, he will take numerous hits, and it won't work at all for Carolina. The Eagles will dominate and move further in. Eagles 31 Panthers 17

Arizona Cardinals (11-6) @ Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
     Arizona rematches against the Seahawks, after a stunning upset in Seattle. The 12th man will prevail  again, and the Seahawks will crush the Cardinals... That's positive. Cardinals 12 Seahawks 45

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Philadelphia Eagles (12-6) @ Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
     The Eagles will bring a close game, but will fall short to the might of Seattle and the 12th man. Seattle will struggle throughout the first half before making a brilliant comeback victory, and moving on to the Meadowlands for the Super Bowl. Eagles 23 Seahawks 27

NFL SUPER BOWL

San Diego Chargers (12-7) VS Seattle Seahawks (15-3)

San Diego doesn't stand a chance in this matchup. The stats lean heavily toward the "home" team Seahawks. But, San Diego won't let that get to them. Mike McCoy puts together another brilliant gameplan with his Bolts, but it isn't enough in the end, and the Seahawks are declared National Football League Champs. Chargers 27 Seahawks 33

Last year, I picked the Ravens and the Packers to go to the Super Bowl... I did something that no one else though of... I picked the Ravens to win the Super Bowl. Let's see how close I come this year.

Looking back on Week 16

What a heck of a week...

Peyton Manning broke Tom Brady's NFL record of 50 TDs in a single season, surpassing it by 1 and up to 51. Manning passed for 400 yards and 4 TD's last Sunday in the 37-13 win over Houston. 3 of those TD passes came in the 4th quarter.

Andy Dalton had the best passer rating week of anyone, as he put up numbers in the 42-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings of 366 passing yards, 4 TD's and then his 136.5 passer rating. He currently has 4015 yards passing this season, and will probably rest next week with the division now clinched.

Nick Foles continued his impressive season with a 21-25 for 230 yard game in the 54-11 win over the Chicago Bears. He added 2 TD's to that, and then he had a 131.7 passer rating, boosting his season total to 2628 yards, 25 TD's, 2 INT's and a 118.7 passer rating. His Sunday Night Passer rating total was the 3rd highest he has put together in a start this season.

Why isn't Robert Quinn on anyones radar? The guy had a 3 sack game last week against the Buccaneers, and now has 18 sacks on  the season! What will this man do NEXT week!?!?!?

Pierre Garcon set a Redskin franchise record for the most catches, and most receiving yards in a single season in the 24-23 loss to Dallas. He lead the league this week with his 11 catches for 144 yards. He currently leads the NFL with 107 catches.

LeSean McCoy had another big game and continues to lead the league in rushing yards. He has 1476 on the season, a personal high, and Chicago was unable to stop him, allowing the most yards by a single RB this week (131), and the most total rushing yards this week (289). What's worse is the third best single rusher this week was Bryce Brown, the backup to LeSean McCoy, who gained a personal high 117.

Game of the Week? Very tough question. It comes down to either the Panthers-Saints, or the Packers-Steelers. I'll say it was the Packers 31, Steelers 38 game. Very impressive, and quite a run by the Steelers to barely keep their playoff hopes alive, and bring the NFC North to a climatic finish this week... Much like the NFC East.

Week 16 Round-up

Here is our Week 16 round-up at a glance:

GAME OF THE WEEK: SAINTS @ PANTHERS

Photo courtesy of Panther.com

With the New Orleans Saints hanging around 10-4, and the Panthers looking to take the division this week, we have a very highly contested game here. The Saints biggest injury is Roman Harper, and he participated in a full practice yesterday, so I'd say he's on the mend. The Panthers, however, have Steve Smith who was limited in practice with a finger issue Wednesday, and missed practice yesterday. Greg Olsen will probably play through a foot injury.

Last week, the Panthers electrified the Jets 30-20, a game a lot farther apart then the score makes it sound, and the defense was on fire. 4 sacks, include the 2 sacks by CB Captain Munnerlyn, plus his 41 yard INT return for a TD, and shutting down the deep secondary completely, showed incredible defense against the Jets.

Last week, the Saints got romped by the Rams, 27-16, something quite scary for an 11 point underdog, and the Rams ran all over that offense. Yes, they gathered 432 total yards, 373 net passing, and Garrett Hartley missed 2 FG's. And the Saints defense couldn't do a thing. No registered stats.

Our Pick- Panthers 37-33

COLTS @ CHIEFS

Photo Courtesy of Colts.com

The Colts enter the week coming off a 25-3 win over Houston. Trent Richardson had his biggest game of the year (64 yards rushing) and the Colts were able to pulverize the Texans with offense and defense. Not a big accomplishment.

The Chiefs need to win this game. If they want a chance to take the division from the Broncos, this is a must win game. The Colts have the AFC South division clinched, they don't have to win anymore games. I think the Chiefs have it just because of that.

Our Pick- Chiefs 34-17


BEARS @ EAGLES

Photo Courtesy of philadelphiaeagles.com

So much is at stake for this game. The Bears need to win to keep the division. The Eagles need to win to stay alive for the division. A loss to either team will probably end in the destruction of the teams hopes for the playoffs.

Nick Foles is coming off of a 428 yard passing game last week in Minnesota. DeSean Jackson is having the best season of his career. Same goes to LeSean McCoy. This offense works so well with the Eagles, that it's destroying everyone else. What happened last week? Defense failed. Well, if the defense fails here, the Eagles might loose.

The Bears have one injury... Lance Briggs. If he returns, that's a fully healthy team... This is such a toss up game with Jay Cutler as starter, it's unbelievable.

Our pick- Eagles 27-24

Do the Bengals have a hope in the world?

Sunday Night Football on NBC. Kevin Huber attempts to punt, and is knocked over by Terence Garvin, and  breaks his jaw. Is that a bit of a preview of the next couple weeks for the Bengals?

We have the wonderful 7 year old fan, Nicholas Johnson, who is encouraging the NFL to do more then just fine Garvin $25,000. He wrote a letter to Huber, his favorite player, with the following print:

Dear Kevin,

I hope you feel better soon. I am mad at the Steelersbecause you are my #1 player. I am 7 years old and love the Bengals and Bearcats. I know you played for the Bearcats and Bengals and I love the teams. I hope that Steeler player loses his house and has to live in his car.

Get well soon,

Nicholas Andrew Johnson.

Wow, what a powerful fan. I can't help but admire this kid with the guts to wrote that... But, let's get down to the point. Do the Bengals have a chance for the playoffs?

At 9-5, this team can still loose the division to the Ravens, who currently sit at 8-6. They face the red hot Minnesota Vikings this week, who just beat the Eagles this past week 48-30. Pittsburgh snapped a 4 game win streak for the Bengals, and gave them a heck of a headache going into the last two weeks of the NFL season.

The Bengals are missing key players in Geno Atkins, Leon Hall, Robert Geathers, Terrence Newman. TE Jermaine Gresham is questionable as of now for Sunday. James Harrison is questionable for Sunday. These are key defensive players that the Bengals need. Harrison, Atkins, and Geathers are all elite pass rushers. Who ever heard of a DT making 12.5 sacks in a single season? In modern day times? In the NFL?  Hall and Newman have been pivotal in the secondary. Those are huge blows. Dre Kirkpatrick, the 1st round CB from Alabama, is questionable. Who else can step up?

Now, the blow is in the Punter. Kevin Huber was averaging 45.2 yards per punt. They signed Shawn Powell to do the punting, and he has a career average of 44.7 yards per punt, in 18 games with Buffalo. He can punt, and it shouldn't be too much of a loss overall, apart from Buffalo cut this guy for a reason, why was he cut?

Well, let's look at the stats. The passing offense has put up a total of 3674 yards. Andy Dalton has a passer rating of 87.6, plus his 27-16 TD-INT ratio. Dalton has been sacked an average of 1.93 times a game. The run game has been great, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovane Bernard both with over 650 yards rushing, and 5 TD's. AJ Green leads the team by 800 yards with his 87 catches for 1268 yards receiving. He has been the big target, and the Bengals have 4 other players with over 40 catches. The offense is solid.

The defense is lead by Vontaze Burfict. This man has been a monster on every team he has ever played for, and his entire career he has averaged 10 tackles a game. The NFL hasn't slowed that down. He has 150 tackles through 14 games, plus a sack, an INT, a forced fumble, plus 2 fumble recoveries. He is an incredible defensive athlete. 

Adam Jones leads the team in INT's with 3, and Carlos Dunlap and Wallace Gilberry have been the pass rushers, combining for 14.5 sacks. Not a bad pass rush. When Ray Maualuga is healthy, he has been effective with 69 tackles in 11 games at the MLB. The team has 37 sacks, so they are getting the rush through. This team has created 32 turnovers, and that is a lot over 14 games.

So, do they have a hope in the world for the playoffs? Well, with the Ravens playing the Patriots this week, I'd say that they have a lot of hope. Let the Bengal fans hope that they can do their part. 

Green Bay looking to change their woos.

Photo courtesy of Packers.com

The Green Bay Packers are coming into this week with quite a return... At 7-6-1, the Packers are looking to fly to victory, take the division from the Bears, and win the playoff berth. What do they need to do in order to make that happen?

Very good question. They will host Pittsburgh this Sunday at 4:25 PM ET. What do they need to be able to keep these playoff hopes alive?

Aaron Rodgers would be a great opening. He has missed the last 6 games with a collarbone problem, and he may return this week, depending upon his health. In 8 games, he put together a 108.0 passer rating, and a 15-4 TD-INT ratio. Aaron is the nations hero, ever since his Super Bowl appearance, and will be elected into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in Canton after his retirement. Everyone knows that already. So, if he could come back, and play at least half as good as he normally does, the Pack is set off pretty well.

If Aaron can't come back... Well, that leaves you with Matt Flynn, who has lead you to a 2-1 record in his 3 starts this season. Flynn lead the Pack in a 23 point comeback, and stunned the nation with his feat. The Cowboys lost that lead, and the game, in just 29 minutes.

A little more talent at the WR spot will help too. That's coming. Randall Cobb returns after missing 9 games this season with a knee injury, after being knocked out of the Packer-Raven game earlier this season. He brings a boat load of talent back to the team, and instantly improves the Packers foundation.

Now, Eddie Lacy is the teams first 1000 yard rusher since Ryan Grant did it in 2009. He needs to stay healthy for the chance of them continuing this romp and getting a shot at the playoffs.

That goes for the rest of the team... Too many people are on the injured reserve. I'd say that the chances of Green Bay doing it this time are 6-1. But, what do I know? Let's see id they can pull of a miracle.

Week 15's Biggest Performers.

It's unanimous.

Jamaal Charles was simply absolutely amazing yesterday, rushing for 20 yards, and a touchdown... Yeah, that sounds really big, doesn't it? However, his 8 catches for 195 yards and 4 TD's is what stands out. 3 of those TDs were on short little screen passes out to the left side, that Charles took upfield, one for 49, another for 39, and the last one for 16. He went deep left at one point, and brought in a 71 yards TD pass. That's ghastly. 215 total yards and 5 TDs. Who was wise enough to start him this week?

Next, Matt Flynn needs a mention.

Down 26-3 at halftime, Matt Flynn managed to throw 4 TD's in the last 25 minutes of the game, and lead the Packers to a 37-36 stunner over the Cowboys. Jerry Jones must be livid. He must be going completely insane right now... What else does he do every year around Christmas Time? Oh, Matt Flynn. Of course.  26 of 39 for 299 yards, and 4 TDs, 1 INT. Pretty good, right? What is that in NFL Passer rating? 113.1. Not shabby at all, considering that he will probably be benched next week in favor of Aaron Rodgers.

Oh, Matt Asiata needs a mention as well. The backup running back, a rookie, replaced Adrian Peterson. who sat out the week injured, and ran on 30 carries for 51 yards. What makes him a top performer? 3 TD runs. AP hasn't done that all year. Congrats to the backup running back, who played well from inside the 5 yard line.

Nick Foles may have lost this week, to the Vikings of all teams, but he still played well. 30 of 48 (ironically, the same was the Eagles-Vikings score) for 428 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT. That is a 103.5 QB rating... Not shabby at all for a loss. DeSean Jackson caught 10 of those balls for 195 yards, and a TD. That ties with Jamaal Charles for the weeks highest receiver totals in yards.

I have to mention Kirk Cousins with all the hype gathered around the benching of RG3 for the rest of they year. 398 yards passing, and a near comeback is pretty impressive. 3 TDs and 2 INTs, and Kirk took full responsibility for the loss. I always like that in a QB.

Anyone else care to add anything that they noticed?

Week 15 preview- Texans @ Colts

HOUSTON TEXANS (2-11) @ INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-5)

The Texans started 2-0, and have now lost 11 straight. With the Colts sitting on a division clinched by the Titans lost the the Broncos last week, the Colts don't need to win this game, and probably will start resting starters. However, the Texans are entirely beat up right now, missing Arian Foster, Ben Tate is probable with rib injuries, and the Texans have a lot of work to do. Case Keenum will get the start, as usual, as the Texans are looking to build a new franchise QB, and Keenum has seemed to be that man. with an 83.7 passer rating, and a 9-4 TD INT ratio, the Texans cannot help but like this guy. If Ben Tate must miss the game this week, rookie RB Dennis Johnson will take the spot. Johnson is a 5-7 scatback, with 142 yards rushing on the season, and 42 receiving. He has yet to score his first NFL TD. WR's Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins have been busy, combining for almost 2000 yards receiving, and 7 TDs. However, Hopkins may miss the game with an ankle injury, and that will leave DeVier Possey to start. Randy Bullock is 22-31 on FG kicks this season, all of his misses are from 40 yards or more. Shane Letchler averages 47.8 yards per punt, with a net average of 35.3 yards per punt. The Texans Defense has a total of 28 sacks so far this season, 5 INT's and 15 takeaways. JJ Watt has been contained so far this season, with just 9.5 sacks and 6 passes deflected. He does lead the team in tackles (64) though, so he isn't just pass rushing.


The Colts have problems of their own too. Andrew Luck is improving, but the rest of the team in struggling. Injuries have filled the Colts lineup too, players such as Vick Ballard, Reggie Wayne, and Dwayne Allen have been lost for the season. Luck has an 85.5 QB Rating, and that is an improved mark from last season. However, Trent Richardson has been a bit of a disappointment to the Colts, only rushing for 326 yards through 11 games, catching 195 and scoring only 2 TDs. Even Da'Rick Rogers, a rookie FA from Buffalo who has played in 2 games, has scored that many points. TY Hilton has stepped up in the absence of Reggie Wayne and has 758 yards receiving and 5 TDs. Coby Fleener has been pretty consistent as well, bringing in 49 catches for 575 yards and 4 TDs. The aging Adam Vinateri has been consistent this season, putting 26 of 30 through the uprights. The only 4 he has missed have been from over 40 yards away. Pat McAfee averages 46 yards per punt, and a net of 30.5. The Defense for the Colts has been pretty good as well, making 30 sacks, and capturing 25 takeaways.

My Prediction: Texans will upset the Colts 31-20.

Week 15 Recap- Chargers 27, Broncos 20

The Chargers dominated the Thursday Night game against the Broncos in Denver, 37°F, controlling the ball for an insane 38 minutes, and finishing drives with scores.

In this article, I'm going to tell you why I was wrong in my post on Thursday.

San Diego's Run Attack

Philip Rivers was just about flawless, but he had a reason to be. He had a solid run attack that destroyed the Denver Defense. The Chargers destroyed Broncos with 44 total runs for 171 yards. Ryan Matthews ran 29 times for 129 yards. Philip Rivers in a post game interview with Rich Eisen mentioned how he had noticed that Matthews was improving because of his footwork. He was doing just what he did in college, and picking up a lot more yards. He has that right. However, the dominating point of that game was the exploitation of 2nd year Defensive End Malik Jackson. Running behind King Dunlap was powerful Thursday Night, and Von Miller is a pass rusher, not a run stopper. Matthews had 10 runs for 62 yards when running behind Dunlap, and it's because of Jackson and Miller's inability to stop the run. The Chargers took advantage of those two being paired together, and ran 70 yards past the two of them. Another quick note about my point there, Matthews only TD of the night was on a left end sweep, where Dunlap delivered the perfect block that failed to allow Jackson from stopping the play, and it was off to the races.

Manning goes long... Incomplete.

Because the Broncos were down in the game from the Second Quarter, the Broncos tried to catch up with more deep balls, and less of that chunk after chunk offense that we see. Yes, they went no huddle, but they wore themselves down trying to run down the field and get that big play too often. Manning was 2-5 going deep last night, and they got 45 yards and no touchdowns. 3 of those deep plays were in the 3rd Quarter.  Yes, both of Mannings Touchdown plays were short passes to the left.

Manning throws short... Incomplete.

Manning did miss Wes Welker, that was evident. His RB's did step up, but now his deep threats that he has, his explosive players, were running short routes. This allowed the Chargers to stay in pace with the game. The Broncos went with the slants, but the Chargers Secondary held Denver in place. Manning picked up 109 yards, most of that in the 1st quarter, on short slant plays. After that, Manning was throwing the field trying to get to the sideline, not one of his best talents. On the left side of the field, manning was 5 of 10 attempts. Julius Thomas, Jacob Tamme, Knowshon Moreno and Andre Caldwell got passes thrown terribly on that side of the field, and couldn't make the catches. What I have noticed about Manning is he doesn't have arm strength. His strong points are the receivers running short routes and having yards after the catch. Wes Welker will be welcomed back next week, probably with a TD, when Denver plays Houston week 16.

That's why I was wrong... And That's why the Chargers won last night.

Final Score, Chargers 27, Broncos 20.
My Prediction, Chargers 34 Broncos 41.
Off by, Chargers 7, Broncos 21.

Week 15 Preview- Bears @ Browns

Alright, ladies and gents,

It is time for the look into Sundays games. I will try to briefly examine each team and it's opponent, and give you my prediction for the score.

CHICAGO BEARS (7-6) @ CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-9)



Chicago is making a grave mistake in my opinion with the benching of Josh McCown, and deciding to play the rusty Jay Cutler. Cutler has not started a game since the Bears 21-19 loss to Detroit. Cutler has an 88.4 QB passer rating, and a 13-8 TD-INT ratio, compared to McCown's 109.8 and 13-1 ratio. Matt Forte is having a stellar year at the running back spot, now with 1073 yards rushing, and 518 yards receiving. Forte has been the end zone maker, with 9 total TDs this season. WR's Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall have been phenomenal playmakers, both men receiving over 1000 yards, and combined for 15 TDs. Martellus Bennett has been the short gain TE that the Bears need in Chicago with 53 catches, 588 yards and 5 TDs. Devin Hester has taken a punt return to the house so far this season, and he's averaging 28.1 yards per kick off return. If the Browns want to stay alive, they need to keep the ball away from the special teams playmaker. Robbie Gould is 24-27 this season, with a miss in every category over 30 yards. Adam Podlesh averages 41.6 yards per punt, with a net total of 32.5 yards. The defense will have the teams only injury, and that belongs to Lance Briggs, the consistent weakside linebacker, will miss the game with an shoulder injury. He did have limited practice on Thursday and Friday, so he may return before the season is over. The defense has put together 26 sacks, the leader being Julius Peppers with 6.5, and 15 INTs so far this season. They have an impressive 31 takeaways, an average of 2.4 per game.

The Browns will have to man up as the lineup is riddled with injuries. The QB this week will be Jason Campbell, who has the teams best passer rating (88.0) and has been a bit of a double threat, showing his ability to run on downs. He has a TD-INT ratio of 9-3 through 6 games, and 1324 passing yards. Willis McGahee looks to be out this week with a concussion, so the RB spot will probably move to Fozzy Whitaker, who has a total of 79 yards rushing, and 113 receiving this season. Chris Ogbonnaya is a player to watch as well, as the teams FB. He has 224 yards rushing, and leads all backfield players on the team with 291 yards receiving. The teams only real WR threat is in WR Josh Gordon. He leads the NFL with 1400 yards receiving, and 8 TDs. Also, watch out for the rising TE Jordan Cameron, who has a team high 72 catches, for 825 yards. Devone Bess and Greg Little have been in the WR spot, combining for 737 yards and 4 TDs. Billy Cundiff is 18-23 on FGs this season, with 4 of those misses being over 40 yards. Spencer Lanning averages 44.1 yards per punt, with a net average of 34.8 yards per punt. The Browns defense has put together a total of 37 sacks, and 21 takeaways, yet they have allowed 324 points, so look for the Bears to take advantage of that.

My Pick: Bears overwhelm Browns, and win 27-23.

San Diego @ Denver Pregame preview

We have a huge week here in the NFL, starting with Thursday Night Football. Here is the week in a glance, and the predictions for what will be coming.

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos Thursday night @ 8:30 PM ET

This is the classic showdown between Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers. Manning has a reputation for blowing games to the Chargers, and tonight should not be counted out immediately. 

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

The Chargers are currently sitting on a one day game winning streak, after destroying the New York Giants 37-14. At 6-7 on the season, playoff hopes are pretty faint, but San Diego won't let that stop them tonight. Philip Rivers is having one of the best seasons in his career, with 3882 yards passing, 26 TD's, a 70.3 completion percentage, and a 106.4 QB rating. He is the brains of the team, running the team from the line of scrimmage. He is a very talented and underrated QB in the NFL. 

His WR's are playing well. Rookie Keenan Allen is third on the team with 61 catches, and first with his 904 receiving yards. He has 5 TD catches, and should be a major threat to the Bronco secondary. His ability to run after the catch is what makes him spectacular. He is a tough man to bring down, but he is probable this week with a shoulder injury. TE Antonio Gates leads the team in catches with 68, and has 776 yards.

A big factor in this game will be Danny Woodhead. The 5-9 RB is small, gets out of the backfield, and is an excellent player on both sides of the offensive attack. He is second on the team with his 330 rushing yards, and has 2 TDs there. On the screen passes, the man has 65 catches for 534 yards, and 6 TDs. He has been a huge relief to Rivers, and is a major part of the QB's amazing season. Ryan Matthews is the normal back, but shares time with Ronnie Brown. Matthews has 885 yards rushing on the season, and can pass the 1000 mark tonight with 115. He has a total of 5 TDs. 

Kicker Nick Novak is 26 of 29 on the season, though the major stat here is he is 10-10 on kicks 40 or more yards away, his three misses have been on attempts between 30 and 39 yards. Mike Scifres, Punter, averages 43 yards per punt, with a net of 36.

The Chargers defense has registered 30 sacks and 9 INTs, and they have a total of 17 takeaways. Eric Weddle is the major factor to this defense, leading the team with 82 tackles, a sack, a pick, and 2 fumble recoveries. 

DENVER BRONCOS

The Broncos have clinched a playoff spot where they hold an 11-2 record and lead the AFC West by a game. Peyton Manning is having the best season of his long NFL career, and it's been effective. He is around the best team he has ever been a part of. He has been the big player for the team. With 4522 yards, 45 TDs and a 114.5 QB Rating, he's been unstoppable with the best WR core in the league. However, he's been picked 9 times in the past 9 weeks, whereas Rivers has been picked 9 times the whole season. 

Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Julian Thomas. That is the best receiving core in the league. Thomas and Decker both have over 1000 yards receiving, and Welker is 230 yards short of it. However, Welker will miss this game with a concussion. That should be a minor factor, because of the running backs being able to step up as the short threat that Welker is. 

Ronnie Hillman and Knownshon Moreno are the factor of this top rushing attack, and they break into defenses, and keep them honest. San Diego's defense has struggled all year, so that won't be much of a factor. However, with 1607 yards rushing, the Chargers will have to shut this part of the offense down before they have much of a chance of winning the game apart from out-shooting them. 

Matt Prater is 18 of 19 on the year with a long of 64, and NFL record set last week against the Titans. His only miss was from over 50 yards. Britton Colquit averages 44.1 yards per punt, with a net of 34.5. 

The defense has been inconsistent, yet the offense is usually able to outscore any other teams offense, and that has been the key to success for this team. 

PREDICTION

Chargers 34 Broncos 41