Sports

NYG ‘D’: wrecks Ryan

RAMMING SPEED: Adrian Peterson, at 1,600 yards and counting, will run through the Rams as he tries to break the all-time rushing mark of then-Los Angeles Ram Eric Dickerson. (Getty Images)

The Falcons are 11-2, playing at home where Matt Ryan is 32-4 as a starting quarterback, and still have the motivation of playing for the top seed in the NFC, which would keep them in the Georgia Dome throughout the playoffs.

Yet, if the Giants bring their best game — the one that crushed the 9-3-1 Niners 26-3 and 9-4 Packers 38-10 — they will be the better team on the field on Sunday.

Big Blue is 8-5 and still in a precarious spot in the NFC East and division wild-card races. A loss here and, if other results go against them, they could be on the outside looking in on Monday morning.

That “best game” would mean the defense — particularly the pass rush — plays to the level the Giants have been getting from the offense and special teams. And the forecast here is Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul will step up and join the party.

The pick: Giants +1 1/2.

Packers (-3) over BEARS: Bears are following last year’s script, when they went from 7-3 to 8-8 and out of the playoffs. They have so many injuries they couldn’t even practice on Wednesday, and are a shadow of the team that was winning games with turnovers earlier this season.

SAINTS (-3 1/2) over Buccaneers: Saints are out of contention but perhaps will rally with some sense of vindication after Paul Tagliabue’s bounty ruling. Still plenty of points in these guys, as they showed against the Giants.

Vikings (+3) over RAMS: Adrian Peterson has 1,600 yards rushing and is closing in fast on Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 in 1984. If Christian Ponder weren’t so horrible at Lambeau a few weeks back, Vikes would be 8-5 and in all the discussions.

BROWNS (+1) over Redskins: Browns have won three in a row, and Brandon Weeden is developing more weapons than many thought his team had. Not enough value here for Robert Griffin III’s injury to risk having him going gimpy or not at all.

Jaguars (+7) over DOLPHINS: Hanging a pick on the return of Cecil Shorts the third? Well, Chad Henne did have something going with Shorts and Justin Blackmon before Shorts went down with a concussion, and the Jags do play much better on the road.

RAVENS (+2 1/2) over Broncos: Denver has clinched the AFC West and may not be up for bashing heads all day with an angry Baltimore team. Switch to Jim Caldwell could juice up the offense for Ravens, a rare home dog.

TEXANS (-8 1/2) over Colts: Teams meet twice in the final three weeks, but this is the Texans’ chance to seal the deal in the AFC South as they try for top seed in the conference. The week after their only other loss, the Texans pounded the Ravens by 30.

CHARGERS (-3) over Panthers: Time for the Chargers to make a too-little, too-late move after their stunning win at Pittsburgh. Panthers had a signature win vs. the Falcons last week but this is a long trip for a team that’s out of contention.

BILLS (+5 1/2) over Seahawks: Seahawks draw lucky straw of playing Bills in Toronto dome rather than Orchard Park December chill. Hard to back Bills if they willingly give away one of their biggest natural advantages, but spread’s a little overinflated.

Lions (-6) over CARDINALS: Nowhere to go but up for the Cards after 58-0, but they’d need a 53-point improvement to cover this. Lions have lost five in a row by a total of 22 points and will be happy to grab the low-hanging win.

Steelers (-1 1/2) over COWBOYS: Tough one to call after the Steelers’ dud last week, but just have the feeling they will be closer to being in the playoffs and the Cowboys closer to being out after this.

RAIDERS (-3) over Chiefs: One of these teams has to win, right? Vegas even punted with the home-team-plus-three line. Best rationale I can think of is that it’s KC’s second road game in seven days and the Raiders’ second home game in 10.

PATRIOTS (-5 1/2) over 49ers: Patriots have a better running game and more stout defense than they’ve had in recent past runs, and then there’s a plus-24 turnover ratio and of course a sizable edge at quarterback with Tom Brady over Colin Kaepernick.

MONDAY NIGHT

TITANS (-1 1/2) over Jets: This season is just not meant to be for the Jets. They were shut out last week in the first half in Jacksonville before outslugging an undermanned squad. Titans are not very good either but are capable of inflicting some more nationally televised pain to the Jets.

BEST BETS: Vikings, Giants, Lions

LAST WEEK: 7-8-1 overall, 0-3 Best Bets

LOCK OF THE WEEK: Vikings (Locks 4-10)

LAST NIGHT: Eagles (L)