Jets at Bengals:  Bengals are favored by 2.5, with a total of 33.5.  It’ll be cold in the Queen City, with temps around 20 during the game.  Wind is not projected to be a factor, but there may be some snow flurries.  Jets are smoking hot, and have the number 1 defense statistically, as well as the number 1 running game.  And those raw yardage ratings aren’t phony, they are also very strong on yards per play on defense as well as yards per rush on offense.  On the other hand, the Jets current streak of 5 wins in 6 games came against 3 losing teams and 2 teams that simply weren’t trying at all.  So how hot are they really?   And only Jay Cutler, with 26 (in 555 passes) had more interceptions than Mark Sanchez’s 20 (in 364 passes). 

Despite suggesting before the game that they would be working hard to play well, the Bengals mailed it in against the Jets last Sunday night.    Tough to ignore how the Bengals were simply manhandled on both lines of scrimmage, but on the other hand, their defense is in the top 10 in both yards per rush, and yards per pass, same as the Jets.   So was the manhandling really a reflection of New York’s physical superiority or simply a lack of effort?  

Eagles at Cowboys: Dallas is favored by 4 with a total of 45.   It’s going to be cold in Dallas, so the roof will be closed.   Left for dead in early December, the Cowboys roared to a dominating three-game winning streak to conclude the season.  Last week’s 24-0 win over this rival was a solid one, as Dallas had a yardage edge of 474-228.  The Eagles were trying on Sunday, and lost the division and a playoff home game as a result.   The Eagles do not own a win over a playoff team, while the Cowboys have not had great success in big games, particularly under Wade Phillips.   Dallas is playing for their first playoff win since 1996.