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21Big leap of faith here. As talented as the Steelers are, how many times have we seen them crap out on the road? I owned a 1978 Celica with a manual moonroof that was more reliable on the pavement. Put some $500 wheels on that baby, too. I tried to shine a turd, in the way that Pittsburgh’s four glossy home wins this year obscure the three ugly losses on the road. The Steelers lucked out in their last road game, as Colts quarterback Andrew Luck wasn’t available for the Thanksgiving trip to Indy. T.T. didn’t fare well in Oakland last Sunday, but the relevant narrative is that he is Tyrod Taylor, not Tyrod Tolzien. Keith Butler’s Pittsburgh defense has its work cut out for it.
Key matchup to watch: The Bills‘ run defense vs. Le’Veon Bell. Buffalo has allowed 161 rushing yards per game — 4.7 yards per clip — since Week 12. And you know what? There are no massive 30-yard runs in that grouping. Good thing Bell isn’t explosive … #PITvsBUF
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24Arizona has won double-digit games three years in a row. At 5-6-1, the Cardinals won’t get there this season, but they do have a favorable matchup here. Carson Palmer is playing much better as of late. I generally start my fantasy quarterbacks against Miami, even if they’re Joe Flacco, who destroyedthis group last week. The Dolphins not only miss injured safety Reshad Jones, but they need to get running back Jay Ajayi — who hasn’t hit the century mark since Week 9 — going again in order to provide their defense with the occasional break, à la Ezekiel Elliott and that well-rested Cowboysdefense. Speaking of running backs, David Johnson continues his elite season for Arizona. The second-year RB out of Northern Iowa has outlasted his offseason hype to the tune of 1,709 yards from scrimmage. The dude has an outside shot at 1,000 receiving yards. Johnson’s put up 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season. #AZvsMIA
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17The Jets start winning in time to not earn a top-five pick, just the way their fans don’t like it. Bryce Petty should encounter easy pickins in the red zone against the 49ers‘ secondary — San Francisco has allowed 26 touchdown receptions this season. At least the run defense makes up for it by ranking dead last in the NFL. Would you believe opponents already have rushed for more than 2,000 yards on the 49ers? Whatever they were paying NaVorro Bowman, they should double it and add that indoor bubble-bath pool Tony Montana owned at his pad. On the plus side for San Francisco, no one on the Jets looked like they were interested in tackling Monday night. #NYJvsSF
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22The Patriots get a couple of scores in the fourth quarter to outlast the Ravens — a group New England might see again in the postseason. Baltimore’s defense has been shutting the door on opponents, especially with Elvis Dumervil providing an extra-effective body on the pass rush. Rookie Matt Judon added another sack last Sunday. Lardarius Webb came up with a clutch red-zone pick. Eric Weddle picked a ball off himself, as he continues to make plays in Year 10. The Ravens‘ defense is tops in the league, and won’t be giving Tom Brady gimmes. New England’s pass-catching RBs could cause problems for Baltimore’s aggressive unit, though, even if LeGarrette Blount finds the one-on-one tackling to be on point this week. Interesting that Brady has thrown 10 picks versus the Ravens since 2008 — tied for the most he’s thrown against any team, with the Bills, despite the fact he has faced Baltimore seven fewer times in that span. #BALvsNE
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