This year’s headlines have been dominated by injuries to some of the league’s greatest assets: Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, Dalvin Cook, Andrew Luck, Odell Beckham Jr. and Julian Edelman…all of em’ gone. If Brady goes down, the Commissioner might cancel the season.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint—and the NFL is the king of surprise. Who in the hell would have predicted that the Eagles and their second-year quarterback would have the best record in the league at 10-2.

Down the stretch we go…the Bills Mafia will break tables, Smokin’ Jay will throw picks and Ezekiel Elliott will be in court—these things we know to be certain. We also know there will be plenty of excitement—we recommend these games.

Week 14; 8:30 p.m. EST, Monday, December 11: Patriots at Dolphins
The defending Super Bowl champion Patriots take their talents to South Beach for an AFC East showdown that should be meaningful. Chew on this: the Pats have won 14 AFC East titles in 16 seasons since 2001, without a losing season in that time frame. The Dolphins recently sent Pro Bowl running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round pick…weird. That’s far from being the wildest thing to happen in Miami—they had a coach doing blow in his office.

Where to Watch: The Dolphins’ recently renovated Hard Rock Stadium is always fun—hell; they have a club in there (Club LIV). There will be a lot of Pats fans there—Bostonians love Miami in December. A converted Sam’s Club, Tootsie's Cabaret is massive. It is a gentlemen’s club and a sports bar—the two operations are separated, take your pick.

Week 15; 8:30 p.m. EST, Monday, December 18: Falcons at Buccaneers
The Bucs were active in the offseason getting more weapons for Jameis Winston—they’re 4-8, so it might take some time. The Falcons will be remembered forever for the greatest collapse in the history of sports; they were up 28-3 in the Super Bowl and lost. They’re cruising along at 7-5—the switch needs to flip now or they might not get out of the NFC South.

Where to Watch: Tampa has options: there’s the SoHo neighborhood (MacDinton's), there’s Ybor City, there’s American Social on Harbour Island and of course there is the world-famous Mons Venus. We’re going hard core sports bar and taking the Press Box. Since 1978, the Press Box on Dale Mabry Hwy. has been the standard for sports bars in “Shady Tampa.”

Week 16; 8:30 p.m. EST, Saturday, December 23: Vikings at Packers
Someone has to win the NFC North and the Vikings are actually the betting favorite. These teams have dealt with a fair share of injuries—by this game they might be sending practice squad guys out there. Case Keenum, is having the best season by a Vikings QB since Brett Favre in 2009—seriously. And a bunch of adults in Wisconsin will put cheese on their heads and go to a football game—we’ll be watching.

Where to Watch: Burkel’s One Block Over has a patio, nothing better than sitting outside when it’s 0. And if you need anymore convincing—this joint is in the shadows of Lambeau Field and next door to Brett Favre’s Steak House.

“Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre…”
-John Madden

The NFL is the least predictable league in the world so, none of this means anything. Thank you for reading.