Here is who the Cincy Jungle staff is going with on a wild Christmas weekend full of football.
The NFL is having a majority of their football action on Christmas Eve this year. One of those scheduling things that gives NFL fans a real treat to be able to potentially stay at home and watch some football with their families.
The highlight of the Saturday football is the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders. It was a moment that helped make football must see television as you never knew what wild moment would happen next.
Unfortunately, this matchup in 2022 is a bit lacking. Neither of these teams have a realistic shot at the post season despite both making last season. A loss here almost certainly eliminates what little hope these teams would have.
Quarterback Derek Carr and the Raiders are looking to close out the season strong after a disappointing 2022 where they were a part of an entire AFC West that — aside from the Kansas City Chiefs — never held up their bargain of being the toughest division in football. It also gives this team a chance to show they are taking to Josh McDaniels system after he became the team’s new head coach.
The Steelers on the other hand are trying to avoid head coach Mike Tomlin’s first losing season as the head coach in Pittsburgh. It has been a real mess of a season where T.J. Watt missed some time, but this offense never really got rolling with either Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett. The Steelers will also be playing with heavy hearts after the passing of Franco Harris, the architect of The Immaculate Reception.
The highlight for Christmas day’s schedule may just be the Miami Dolphins hosting the Green Bay Packers. Both of these teams are sitting right on the bubble of playoff spots, The Dolphins currently are the 7th seed, but there are a number of teams chomping at their ankles for that spot. They will have to hope Aaron Rodgers isn’t able to pull out some of his vintage magic. He recently got back rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who has turned into his favorite target. This running game behind AJ Dillon has also started rolling. A shootout favors this high-powered Dolphins’ offense, but you can never count Rodgers out.
Here is who our staff is taking in these games and the rest of the weekend’s action. This will also be today’s Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots pregame thread, so come join the fun!
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