Washington Redskins (3-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)

The Redskins are coming off of a loss to the Vikings (yes, the Vikings) to sink them further down in the NFC East standings. The Eagles, on the other hand, are on a two-game winning streak and will look to continue their hot streak at home this weekend. Nick Foles has been on a roll lately, having torn up the Raiders defense two weeks ago and the Packers defense last week. He has now answered the quarterback question that the Eagles faced earlier in the season. Alongside Foles in the Eagles offense is LeSean McCoy who is having a monster season, averaging 93 rushing yards and 33 receiving yards per game. After being unable to find his groove earlier in the season, DeSean Jackson and Foles have established their relationship that has allowed Jackson to produce 230 yards in the past two weeks. Despite throwing for three touchdowns and 281 yards last week, the Redskins defense allowed the struggling Vikings offense to complete 22 first downs on 6-10 third down conversions. Look for Nick Foles to build on the Vikings productivity last week and move to over .500 this weekend. Redskins 27 Eagles 31

Green Bay Packers (5-4) at New York Giants (3-6)

The Packers come into New York without Aaron Rodgers once again. Since losing Rodgers, the Packers are 0-2, having lost to the Bears in week nine and the Eagles in week 10. The Giants, after starting the season 0-6, have won three straight games are have not knocked themselves out of the playoff picture quite yet. Fortunately for the Giants, they’re matched up against the Packers when the Packers are at their worst. After throwing for only 99 yards in week nine, Seneca Wallace was replaced by Scott Tolzien who threw for 280 yards and one touchdown (and two interceptions). Eddie Lacy has been the star of the Packers since Rodgers went down. The Giants are finally starting to look like the Superbowl Giants a few seasons ago (…almost). Eli Manning, after having 15 turnovers in the first six games of the season, has turned it around and has thrown only one interception in the past three games. If Manning continues to not turn the ball over, look for the Giants to take this game against the Packers and make a late-season push for the NFC East title. Packers 13 Giants 17

Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) at Denver Broncos (8-1)

Will this be the week the Chiefs lose? The Chiefs have surprised nearly everybody, except themselves, and have practically, if not already, clinched the playoffs. However, they will be without Dwayne Bowe who is awaiting a suspension from the NFL after being caught with marijuana this past week. Despite his awaited suspension, the Chiefs have been carried by their defense who will have a tough time defending Peyton Manning and his trio of wide receivers including Julius Thomas, Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas (among others). Manning has defied the rules of aging as he is the clear frontrunner for MVP. Manning is averaging nearly double the yards per game as the Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is per game (323 to 190).  Though the Broncos defense isn’t as strong as their offense, you cannot ignore the fact that they have certainly played an important role in the Broncos 8-1 start. Look for the Broncos to knock the Chiefs off of their pedestal this weekend and make a statement to the league that their one loss is not an accurate representation of how strong they are. Chiefs 20 Broncos 27

New England Patriots (7-2) at Carolina Panthers (6-3)

An interesting matchup in Carolina this week includes the Panthers hosting the 7-2 Patriots. Despite the 7-2 record, the Patriots are a completely different team this year. Tom Brady still knows how to win games but has shown signs of aging this year, having missed easy passes that he would normally complete. Cam Newton has turned the Panthers into a playoff contending team and proved to the league how tough they are, having held the 49ers to only nine points last weekend. The Panthers defense is ranked second in the league allowing only 82 rushing yards and 202 passing yards per game. Coming off of five straight wins, the Panthers will look to prove  that they are playoff contenders, and not playoff pretenders. Patriots 17 Panthers 21

New York Jets (5-4) at Buffalo Bills (3-7)

The Jets haven’t won consecutive games this season but, just as the editors have pointed out, I’m going to pick the Jets to win once again. Why not? Counting the bye week as a loss, it’s only fitting that the Jets win this weekend. The Bills added to their losing streak last weekend after a 23-10 loss to the Steelers. Geno Smith has been inconsistent this season but still managed to lead the Jets to a 27-20 victory when the Bills played the Jets September 22. This game is more important for the Jets than they may realize, especially if the Patriots lose. If the Patriots lose, the Jets are only one game behind the Patriots in the AFC East and will play the Patriots in week 17 in a game that could decide the division. Look for the Jets to (hopefully) take this up-in-the-air game in Buffalo. Jets 28 Bills 17

– By Adam Troyetsky 

Emory Wheel
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The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.

The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.