Week 15: Plenty on the line

Here we are, nearing the end of another glorious NFL season. With week 15 upon us, many teams are already looking towards their offseason vacations-but for the lucky 12 playoffs are on the horizon. Minnesota snuck into the NFC playoff picture last week, while Cleveland is holding on for dear life in the AFC. Here we go, week 15 picks of each and every game.

1) Denver at Houston- Everyone is looking at the Patriots v. Jets teacher pupil match but here's the lesser known rivalry. Not only is Gary Kubiak Mike Shannhan's pupil but he also has his former teacher's son on his staff. Neither team is a powerhouse but both are still alive in the AFC race, until one of them loses this game. Houston turns the ball over to Sage Rosenfels, but the Texans are 4-1 when Ron Dayne gets 20+ carries this year. Not to forget Mario Williams has 9.5 sacks. Houston over Denver 28-14

2) Cincinnati at San Francisco- Not much to say, two very disappointing performances from teams with so much promise coming off of last season. The Bengals win this one in a rout, 41-24

3) Jacksonville at Pittsburgh- Do the Jaguars have what it takes to compete in the AFC? In need of a win to solidify a wildcard spot we shall see, unfortunately they have to play a Steelers team that was upstaged on every side of the ball last week. Pittsburgh wins this one 20-16

4) Atlanta at Tampa Bay- Who would of thought that the Falcons could have another astonishing turn to their season? Bobby Petrino is a fake and a coward it's in Atlanta's best interest he's gone, this season was lost for the Falcons before it even started. Tampa Bay wins this one, wins the division and looks towards the future. Bucs 35-9

5) Seattle at Carolina- Seattle has won 5 straight and their fourth straight division, the Panthers are awful. Seahawks are fighting for that third spot in the NFC, they'll win 38-14

6) Green Bay at St. Louis- Green Bay needs all but to win out to clinch that number one NFC spot, but its' still a possibility. The Rams are so bad that Gus Freotte has been demoted to third string. Green Bay 38-20

7) Baltimore at Miami- This is an interesting one, Baltimore started 4-1 but has dropped seven straight. Miami started off 0-5 and has dropped nine since. The Ravens will most likely win this one and end their drastic collapse, although it won't be too much to brag about. Ravens 17-14

8) NY Jets at New England- I want to believe that the Patriots will meet the spread (24 points,) if we thought Belichick was mean to the Redskins going for it on fourth down when up by a massive amount just wait till this week when he unleashes his full arsenal of destruction against a terrible Jets team. Patriots 55-13

9) Arizona at New Orleans- Kurt Warner is playing like he did in St.Louis but his recievers aren't showing the results. At 6-7 both teams are right in it the NFC, loser of this game loses all hope however. The Saints don't have Reggie Bush but that didn't stop them last week from destroying the Falcons. It's a coin flip but I'm taking the Saints 31-27

10) Buffalo at Cleveland- The Bills are the seventh seed in the AFC? WHAT? The Browns are the sixth? WHAT? A game full of playoff implications, however because it is the Cleveland Dog Pound look for a stuttering Browns team to pull this one off. Browns 35-21.

11) Tennessee at Kansas City- The Titans lost a heartbreaker last week to San Diego and with that overtime loss left any chance of a playoff run this year. Kansas City is awful, absolutely awful. Herm Edwards has already been rumored to talk to UCLA so we will see if he ditches out after two mediocre seasons in KC. The Titans haven't won in Kansas City in something like their last fourteen trips but they are a team of the future, it's time for change. They'll win this one 17-10.

12) Indianapolis at Oakland- It's rumored that #1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell might get some playing time. Whatever it takes, Oakland isn't the worst team in the NFL anymore, Kiffin has done a great job taking his team out of the basement and into the light. Unfortunately the Colts are about to clinch their division...again...and the #2 seed in the AFC. Colts 42-17

13) Detroit at San Diego- So much for Kitna's 10 game guarantee the Lions have lost 5 straight games while the Chargers are finally (almost) hitting on all cylinders. The Chargers will win this one and take away all hope of a Lion's postseason. Chargers 28-24.

14) Philadelphia at Dallas- A classic matchup, unfortunately the TO factor really stopped being all that exciting in this game. Dallas will win this one in what might be McNabb's final appearance in Texas as an Eagle. Don't expect a blowout but the Cowboys win this one as they inch closer to locking up the NFC's #1 spot. Dallas 38-24

15) Washington at NY Giants- Week 3 it seemed as if all hope had left the Giants and then something miraculous happened. A fourth quarter explosion from the Giants topped off by a Goal Line stand to win the game propelled them to a six game winning streak where their offense was strong and their defense was absolutely dominant. The Redskins are all but out this year, but maybe Todd Collins has something wrapped up his sleeve? Giants win this one, clinch the a wildcard spot and prolong Tom Coughlin's stay in New York. Giants 27-16

16) (MNFL) Chicago at Minnesota- The Vikings lead the league in yards per carry and their run defense is #1 in the league, now add in a Tavarias Jackson who hasn't thrown an interception in three games, you've got yourself a pretty dangerous squad. The Bears are the NFC's biggest disappointment and look for their struggles to continue with Kyle Orton playing quarterback. Minnesota wins in fashion over their division rival 45-20.