Week 16 in the NFL

1 PM Games

Oakland Raiders (4-10, 2-5 on the road) at Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4, 5-2 at home)
Last Week: Oakland lost to Indianapolis, 21-14; Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh, 29-22.

Oakland has already doubled their win total from last year, but that doesn't really say much, now does it? Jacksonville has the makings of a very dangerous playoff team. Quarterback David Garrard makes very few mistakes, Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew give them the best rushing offense in the AFC and the defense is strong against the run and pass. Plus, Jack Del Rio is one of the better coaches in the league. The only potential drawback? Jacksonville's roster is still largely unproven in the postseason. Of course, they can worry about that in a few weeks. For now, they just have to take care of the hapless Raiders.

Who will win: Jacksonville (13)
*Bruce & Brett say Jacksonville

Kansas City Chiefs (4-10, 2-4 on the road) at Detroit Lions (6-8, 4-3 at home)
Last Week: Kansas City lost to Tennessee, 26-17; Detroit lost to San Diego, 51-14.

Talk about a match-up of two teams headed south. Kansas City has lost 7 straight, while Detroit has dropped 6 consecutive games. 2007 was clearly going to be a rebuilding year for the Chiefs, but they got fans hopes up with a 4-3 start. Injuries have piled up, and their is no offensive firepower to speak of. Detroit was looking like the feel-good team of the season, until their flaws became glaringly obvious. One team has to win, so why not the home team?

Who will win: Detroit (2)
*Bruce says Detroit; Brett says Kansas City

Houston Texans (7-7, 2-5 on the road) at Indianapolis Colts (12-2, 5-1 at home)
Last Week: Houston beat Denver, 31-13; Indianapolis beat Oakland, 21-14.

Houston is building momentum for 2008. The offense is playing well, and the defense is no longer atrocious. In fact, defensive end Mario Williams has made those who questioned taking him over Reggie Bush and Vince Young eat their words. One more win will give the Texans their best single season record in their 6-year history. Even though the Colts mail in late season games that don't mean anything, their 8th win probably come this week.

Who will win: Indianapolis (11)
*Bruce & Brett say Indianapolis

Philadelphia Eagles (6-8, 4-3 on the road) at New Orleans Saints (7-7, 3-4 at home)
Last Week: Philadelphia beat Dallas, 10-6; New Orleans beat Arizona, 31-24.

Philadelphia played well last week, but their victory was more of a byproduct of Dallas' sloppiness. Players are playing for their jobs next season, and QB Donovan McNabb may be playing his last couple of games in an Eagles uniform. The Saints need this game desperately if they want to keep pace with the Giants and Vikings in the wild card race. New Orleans is playing well lately, and they do have the home field advantage.

Who will win: New Orleans (3)
*Bruce says Philadelphia; Brett says New Orleans

New York Giants (9-5, 6-1 on the road) at Buffalo Bills (7-7, 4-3 at home)
Last Week: New York lost to Washington, 22-10; Buffalo lost to Cleveland, 8-0.

New York is 3-3 so far in the second half of the season, continuing their trend of trailing off after the midway point. They are in the driver's seat for a wild card spot, but if they're not careful, they could lose their final two games. Buffalo is a tough place to play, and the Bills are playing well of late. A loss this week - with the Patriots looming in the season finale - could be disastrous for the G Men.

Who will win: Buffalo (1)
*Bruce & Brett say Buffalo

Green Bay Packers (12-2, 6-1 on the road) at Chicago Bears (5-9, 2-4 at home)
Last Week: Green Bay lost to St Louis, 33-14; Chicago lost to Minnesota, 20-13.

Green Bay may only end up with the number 2 seed, but they just might be the most dangerous team in the NFC. I don't want to use the 'D word', but Green Bay could be destined for the Super Bowl. Brett Favre is playing the best football of his career, the running game is respectable all of a sudden, the defense is stout, and the Packers are young and hungry. In the meantime, they would love to avenge their early season loss to Chicago. Their long time rivals are down, and the Packers would love nothing more than to kick them.

Who will win: Green Bay (8)
*Bruce & Brett say Green Bay

Cleveland Browns (9-5, 3-4 on the road) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-9, 4-3 at home)
Last Week: Cleveland beat Buffalo, 8-0; Cincinnati lost to San Francisco, 20-13.

The Browns are one of the hottest teams in football right now. Jamal Lewis is running like it's 2003, and the rest of the young offensive stars are only getting better. Their secondary - long believed to be the glaring weakness of the team - is playing their best football of the season. This is the Bengals' Super Bowl, and they would love to spring the upset on their interestate rivals. The Browns skill players should be too much for Cincinnati to handle.

Who will win: Cleveland (6)
*Bruce says Cincinnati; Brett says Cleveland

4 PM Games

Atlanta Falcons (3-11, 1-6 on the road) at Arizona Cardinals (6-8, 4-2 at home)
Last Week: Atlanta lost to Tampa Bay, 37-3; Arizona lost to New Orleans, 31-24.

Atlanta is in shambles. Bill Parcells turned them down, their former franchise QB is behind bars, and their teams is genuinely woeful. The only way they have a chance is the players show they still have pride, and a GREAT deal of luck. Arizona isn't great, but they should not suffer a letdown at home.

Who will win: Arizona (12)
*Bruce says Arizona; Brett says Atlanta

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5, 3-4 on the road) at San Fransisco 49ers (4-10, 2-5 at home)
Last Week: Tampa Bay beat Atlanta, 37-3; San Francisco beat Cincinnati, 20-13.

Tampa Bay is not overly impressive, but they play in a pathetic NFC South, so they are already have the division locked up. The Bucs still have something to play for, however, as they can still get the number 3 seed in the playoffs, which would match them up with the team with the worst record. The 49ers are dreadful on both sides of the ball, particularly on defense. The offense isn't much better, as the unit is averaging a meager 13.6 points per game. I would look for a big day from Tampa wide receiver Joey Galloway.

Who will win: Tampa Bay (15)
*Bruce says Tampa Bay; Brett says San Francisco

New York Jets (3-11, 1-6 on the road) at Tennessee Titans (8-6, 4-3 at home)
Last Week: New York lost to New England, 20-10; Tennessee beat Kansas City, 26-17.

Don't be fooled by the Jets keeping last week's game close vs the Patriots. They weren't playing to win; they were playing not to get blown out. They are a hapless team, and have only managed one road victory - against the 1-win Dolphins. The Titans finally came back from their long slumber with a win last weekend. Vince Young will need to continue to improve as a passer. The Titans only have 9 passing touchdowns, tied for fewest in the NFL. Their running game and defense should be enough this week.

Who will win: Tennessee (10)
*Bruce & Brett say Tennessee

Miami Dolphins (1-13, 0-7 on the road) at New England Patriots (14-0, 7-0 at home)
Last Week: Miami beat Baltimore, 22-16; New England beat New York Jets, 20-10.

Miami shattered (at least for the time being) my dream of seeing an NFL team go winless for an entire season. Oh well. Miami is better than what they've shown, but they still blow. New England is on a mission, and has already thrashed the Dolphins once this season. They only thing that may slow down the Patriots offense is the bad weather.

Who will win: New England (16)
*Bruce & Brett say New England

Baltimore Ravens (4-10, 1-6 on the road) at Seattle Seahawks (9-5, 6-1 at home)
Last Week: Baltimore lost to Miami, 22-16; Seattle lost to Carolina, 13-10.

Even though they had lost 7 straight games heading into last weekend, the eventual overtime loss to Miami was the official low point of the Ravens' season. Even when they were 4-2 to start the season, Baltimore could not be trusted. Now, it's been confirmed that they are awful. Plus, they are now down to their 3rd stringer - and 2006 Heisman Award winner - Troy Smith at quarterback. Seattle had been playing very well until last week's setback against the Panthers. They are in contention with the Bucs for the 3rd seed in the NFC playoffs. Seattle is very tough to beat at home, especially for a putrid team like the Ravens.

Who will win: Seattle (9)
*Bruce says Baltimore; Brett says Seattle

Sunday Night Game

Washington Redskins (7-7, 3-4 on the road) at Minnesota Vikings (8-6, 5-2 at home)
Last Week: Washington beat New York Giants, 22-10; Minnesota beat Chicago, 20-13.

Washington is still mathematically alive, but their playoff hopes could be officially dead soon. A win here, would put them ahead of Minnesota in the wild card standings, however. That won't be an easy task, as Minnesota has the top-ranked rushing attack in all of football. The Vikings also have the league's stingiest run defense, but are susceptible to the passing attack, as they are giving up 266 yards per game, worst in football. At least they get to face 'Skins back-up QB Todd Collins. Minnesota is riding a 5 game winning streak, and I would expect them to make it 6 after this prime-time showdown.

Who will win: Minnesota (4)
*Bruce & Brett say Minnesota

Monday Night Game

Denver Broncos (6-8, 2-5 on the road) at San Diego Chargers (9-5, 6-1 at home)
Last Week: Denver lost to Houston, 31-13; San Diego beat Detroit, 51-14.

Denver's disappointing season will soon be over. Perhaps no team has underachieved more in 2007 than the Broncos. Young QB Jay Cutler has shown signs of progress, but running back Travis Henry never really got hurt, and the defense was extremely soft. Of course, injuries played a role, but that is true of most teams. The Chargers have the AFC West locked up. After getting off to a 1-3 start, the Chargers' resurgence actually began with a 41-3 blowout in Denver. Still, the Chargers are over-due for a dud. Though the possibility is there, I wouldn't expect it this week. Perhaps two weeks from now in the AFC Wild Card Round ...

Who will win: San Diego (5)
*Bruce and Brett say San Diego

Merry Christmas everyone!