- Dolphins (4-9) at Bills (5-8): Miami-I should probably take the Bills at home, but I'm not inclined to pick teams that come into the game on a six-game losing streak. Just in case anybody forgot, the Bills were 5-2 at one point this season. They're not anymore, and Bills-Dolphins is back to the No. 5 regional game on CBS that only people in Buffalo and Miami have to be subjected to.
- Seahawks (6-7) at Bears (7-6): Chicago-Somehow Seattle is still alive in the NFC playoff race. In fact, a victory puts the Seahawks ahead of the Bears and gives Seattle the tiebreaker. The Bears haven't looked good during their three-game losing streak, but they aren't playing an AFC West team this week. And there's absolutely no opportunity for them to get Tebowed against the Seahawks. Chicago let one get away last week, and dropped out of a wild card position as a result. The Bears need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. I think they get it.
- Titans (7-6) at Colts (0-13): Tennessee-The Titans' comeback came up just short last week against the Saints, giving the AFC South title to the Texans. So now Tennessee's playoff chances rely on their outside hopes for a wild card. Meanwhile, the Colts are three games away from becoming the second 0-16 team in NFL history. They can clinch the No. 1 pick if the Rams and Vikings both win this week. And evidently there's this guy who took out a $10 bet on them going winless that stands to make $10,000 on that 1,000-to-1 shot actually happening. The Titans make that all two games away from becoming a reality.
- Packers (13-0) at Chiefs (5-8): Green Bay-While the Colts are looking to avoid 0-13, the Packers seem to be cruising towards 13-0. That wasn't even a game last week against the Raiders. This week it's the Chiefs, who had been keeping games close with their defense until last week's disaster against the Jets that got Todd Haley fired. Kansas City can't score, which is a problem, especially against the Packers. Green Bay makes it a full calendar year without a loss.
- Bengals (7-6) at Rams (2-11): Cincinnati-The one team that really screwed itself in the playoff race last week was Cincinnati, which lost to Houston on the final play of the game and dropped out of playoff position as a result. The Bengals now know that they probably have to win out (at least until that game against the Ravens in Week 17) if they're going to be playing in January. Losing to St. Louis would all but knock them out. That won't happen.
- Saints (10-3) at Vikings (2-11): New Orleans-Two years ago, these two met in the NFC Championship Game. Oh, how times have changed. Thanks to San Francisco's loss last week, the Saints can now think about a first-round bye in the playoffs. Since the Falcons won on Thursday night, they can't clinch the NFC South this week. But that's OK, because they have that tremendous showdown with Atlanta in the Superdome next Monday night. New Orleans will go into that game with an 11-3 record. They might be the best team in the NFL after the Packers right now.
- Redskins (4-9) at Giants (7-6): Giants-Oh Jason Pierre-Paul, how do I love thee? His large hands turned the Giants from a team on a four-game losing streak into the NFC East leaders. Their fate is now very much in their own hands, and the Giants don't have another road game all season! Of course, it could be easy to overlook the Redskins with that showdown against the Jets on tap next week, but the Giants lost to the Redskins in Week 1. Another loss to Washington would kill them. Not just in the division. That would end the Giants' wild card hopes. I don't see Tom Coughlin letting that happen, especially since the revenge card is in play after that Week 1 loss.
- Panthers (4-9) at Texans (10-3): Houston-Who would've thought that with three games left, the Houston Texans would've already clinched the AFC South? Not only that, but Houston's the No. 1 seed in the AFC right now and still playing for a first-round bye in the playoffs. People in Carolina are actually trying to make a case for Cam Newton for the Pro Bowl, as if the three NFC quarterback spots aren't going to Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Eli Manning. Newton's a fantasy quarterback, that's it. Houston doesn't even have a starting quarterback and is still going to win the game.
- Lions (8-5) at Raiders (7-6): Detroit-This might be the most underrated good game of the week. Ndumakong Suh is allowed to play this week, as Detroit heads cross-country to play a reeling Raiders team that has lost two straight, including a 30-point shellacking last week in Green Bay. Both of these teams are surprise playoff contenders, and this game could go a long way in determing each of their playoff fates. Detroit doesn't have to deal with Tebow, so they can probably afford a loss a little bit more, but not by much. They hold one of the NFC wild cards right now, and there's no guarantee things stay that way. And, they still have another game with the Packers (in Lambeau) to worry about. This is definitely a toss-up. Detroit's the better team and gets its best defensive player back, so I'm going with the Lions on the road.
- Patriots (10-3) at Tebows (8-5): Denver-New England clinches the AFC East with a win. Here's the craziest thing about this matchup: neither team ever loses. Just ask Rick Reilly. It really is crazy how the Tebows manage to pull the game out in the fourth quarter week after week, but I wonder what things would be like if their opponent ever built a big enough lead that they didn't have to worry about Tebow in the fourth quarter. Or what things would be like if Denver ever decided to play the first three and a half quarters of the game. But they've won six straight, so who am I to question what they're doing? The Patriots have no secondary, so a normal offense would just take the air and eat them up. But as we all know, unless they actually are a college team, the Tebows don't have a normal offense. Instead, they rely on Brady outscoring you, although even that almost didn't work last week against Washington. One of those 10-3 teams in the AFC is going to actually lose at some point and make these tiebreakers less confusing, right? Ordinarily, I'd say this is the type of game where New England gives its pretender opponent a dose of reality, but I just don't see a way I can pick against the Tebows until they actually come back to Earth.
- Jets (8-5) at Eagles (5-8): Jets-This was my preseason Super Bowl projection, but that's obviously not going to happen. The "Dream Team" isn't going to make the playoffs, which means the only reward left in the Eagles' season is playing spoiler to playoff contenders. The Jets certainly fit the bill there. And they might get caught looking ahead to next week's Christmas Eve showdown with the Giants. The Jets have won three straight since getting Tebowed to move into playoff position. They're currently the No. 6 seed in the AFC, but only one game ahead of that three-way tie at 7-6. And evidently the Sanchize has a pretty active social life (sidebar: Why is that news? He's a 25-year-old single guy living in New York. So what if he's the Jets' quarterback?) Hopefully a Jets win here is a good omen. Although, the Rangers win in the hockey game across the parking lot two weeks from now is the one I really want.
- Browns (4-9) at Cardinals (6-7): Arizona-CBS has two dynamite doubleheader games. And this one. Arizona has beaten Dallas and San Francisco in the last two weeks to move from 4-7 into the NFC playoff discussion, although the Cardinals in the playoffs would still be the longshot of all longshots. Even still, a win over Cleveland makes them .500. After nobody in the NFC West did that last season, it's awesome to think that 8-8 could be third in that division this year. Arizona moves to 7-7 with a victory.
- Ravens (10-3) at Chargers (6-7): Baltimore-The Ravens clinch a playoff spot if they win on Sunday night. And that's something they need to do if they're going to get some separation on the Steelers. The Chargers started their annual December surge with that Monday night win in Jacksonville, then they rolled the Bills last week. San Diego's still alive in the AFC West, but has road games at Detroit and Oakland after this one. The Chargers need to win out if they have any hope of passing the Tebows in the AFC West. I don't see that happening, though. Baltimore might be the best team in the AFC, and the Ravens will only get better with Ray Lewis back on the field this week. Playoff spot? Check. The cross-country trek is worth it for Baltimore.
- Steelers (10-3) at 49ers (10-3): San Francisco-This phenomenal Monday night matchup might be the game of the week. Pittsburgh and San Francisco are both playoff-bound. The 49ers have already clinched the NFC West, while the Steelers are in with a win this week (they also get in if Cincinnati, Tennesse and Oakland lose). The 49ers might've ruined their chances at being the No. 2 seed in the NFC with that loss to the Cardinals last week. Pittsburgh knows it needs to keep winning (and get a Baltimore loss) to avoid the No. 5 seed and a visit to Denver in the AFC. But the Steelers are without James Harrison, who's suspended, and might be without Ben Roethlisberger (who I think will play). The good news is that Pittsburgh will come into the game well-rested, having not played since Dec. 8. I'm not sure that's enough, though. This is the biggest home game the 49ers have had in years. They're not going to miss out on the opportunity to show off what they've got in front of a national audience.
Last Week: 13-3
Season: 137-73
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