NFL Week 16: Colts vs. Cowboys; Seahawks vs. Cardinals

Two weeks remain of the regular season and all divisions are still up for grabs in the NFC. The big games to watch this Sunday are Indianapolis at Dallas and Seattle at Arizona.

I haven’t studied the Colts closely. I saw bits and pieces of their come from behind victory against the Browns in Cleveland, and, prior to that, I witnessed televisually the first two quarters of the Sunday night Jonas Gray demolition of their run defense. And needless to say I am not impressed by the Colts. T.Y. Hilton is a dynamite wide receiver and Luck is a strong quarterback. But now in year three of their Pagano-rejuvenation the Colts strike me as a team in decline.

The big question about Sunday’s game in Dallas is less about the Colts and more about the Cowboys. It seems incredible to me that Jerry Jones (let’s not fool ourselves, Jason Garrett decides nothing of critical importance in Big D) would play DeMarco Murray the same week of his hand surgery. But that is what is being reported today. No doubt, the game is important. But why risk further injury to your #1 player? I think Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle are good enough, along with Romo passing to Jason Witten and Dez Bryant, to easily beat the Colts. It has to be a ruse by the Cowboys.

I will be cheering for the Colts though. I dislike Dallas immensely, as I believe most Americans do (except for Chris Christie and others who have been unselfed from a very young age). The appellation “America’s Team” is a tagline meant to aggravate the masses.

The Sunday night game is the marquee match-up of NFL Week 16. The current Vegas line has Seattle by 7.5 to 9 points over Arizona. If Seattle wins, the Seahawks will qualify for the playoffs. Seattle will have to win one more time next week against the Rams to secure a shot at home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

I asked a lot of different people here in the Seattle area what team was going to win. Everyone said Seattle. This makes me a little skittish. Such unanimity often portends a fall. Bruce Arians is a wily competitor. The offensive line for Seattle has been atrocious. Yet, even assuming the Cardinals defense somehow generates a few turnovers, I don’t see Ryan Lindley beating the red-hot Seahawks D.

Let’s go Seahawks! Onward to victory!