Benster and D Pick Your Games----Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter Edition

It's Christmas, so hopefully you don't have to have a New Year in jail at the end of the holidays. The good news is that there is football.

It's a bald Robert Mueller!

Merry Christmas, Mr. Benster!

The talk radio anger around here seems to have calmed down on the Vikings, but they still would be facing a difficult road.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. And they have promises to keep.

Are you plagiarizing Robert Frost again? You're more like Scott Frost.

I'd rather be Faux Pelini.

Lay off the egg nog, old dude! We have work to do! It is time to pick some games. Walk me work.

Minnesota Vikings (-7) vs. Detroit LOLions. The caveat is that I did not see the Vikings game last weekend due to being out on assignment, but they responded to the heat being thrown their way and should be fine getting into the playoffs. The problem is that the Vikings have only beaten 1 team with a winning record, and not beaten a team with a winning record on the road. I know, they technically didn't lose to the Packers at Lambeau, but they didn't win that game, either. The Vikings are likely to slot into playing the Bears or the Rams on the road, potentially on a short week. I think they can beat the LOLions into submission comfortably, but they might not clinch their spot right away. That leads to an interesting scenario, which is what to do with Da Bearz next week, because they could be playing them twice in a week. Vikings 28, LOLions 10.

The Lions are pretty much done at this point. Vikings have motivation. That will be plenty. Vikings 24, Lions 13.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-2.5) vs. New York J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS! Well, the good news is that the Packers won't have to worry about keeping Philbin around after this year. At least they fought the Bears for a while and did not roll over and die. The biggest thing they need is to get a coach who is a proven winner and someone who can lay into Aaron when he acts like a diva. The man I think is right is Nick Saban. I know that Saban struggled as an NFL head coach, but he is a proven winner and he would jump at a chance to coach the Packers, a team who has arguably the better brand than Alabama and would get to join Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, and Pete Carroll as coaches who have won a national title and a Super Bowl. In fact, only Switzer can say he won both those titles at teams that are blue bloods of their leagues. The Packers have sucked on the road this year, but they should win with no pressure and trying to get good tape for Saban. Packers 31, J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS! 20.

If the Packers are going to win on the road, this is the place to do it. I think some guys have a chance to make a case for the next coach, whoever he is. Packers 28, Jets 17.

Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck (-4.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers. Gino would like to remind you that the Bears are NFC North champions and that you can get that gear at a retail store near you. I would like to remind you that the Bears still blew a 20-0 lead in a game that will be remembered forever by all football fans, while the rematch will be forgotten. The Niners are a tough nut to crack, especially on a West Coast road trip. My one criticism is that da Bearz have played all their tough games at home, and they need to win a difficult game on the road. The NFL is a copycat league, and I think someone will figure out how to beat da Bearz, who let the Packers hang around last week before winning. They are a good team, but a bit of a front running team. This game will be closer than you think. I'm not a gambler, but keep that in mind at the betting window. Da Bearz Still Suck 24, 49ers 22.

If the 49ers had their regular quarterback, I think this would be interesting. But the Bears have a chance to get a first round bye, so they'll take care of business. Bears 31, 49ers 20.

Enjoy your holiday weekend, and if you don't like your family feel free to watch football or basketball with them to do something that they might like. Ben out!