Since week 15 in the NFL is the only football action we’ll see all weekend, we’re hoping the games we have this week will be good ones.

And since it’s basically now a footrace for the playoffs with only three weeks remaining into the 2008-09 NFL football season, these remaining few games should be very VERY competitive, to say the least, for teams still competing for playoff positions. And after 14 weeks into the season, we learned that the Lions still can’t win shit, the Packers are probably missing Favre by now and the Bills are back doing what they do best… LOSING.

And just like the last five weeks, NFL action starts this Thursday night with a game between the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears. The Saints are looking to avoid another crushing road loss to the Bears when these two postseason-hopeful teams meet on the NFL Network. However, as good as both teams have been last Sunday, the Bears still have the better shot at a postseason berth since they only trail first-place Minnesota by one game in the NFC North. The New Orleans Saints are three games behind NFC South-leading Carolina, so their best chance is most likely a wild card. Winning a game against the Bears at Soldier Field should be tough considering the fact that these Bears already beat them on the same surface.

Chicago Bears by three.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons both took a step backwards in their respective races for the postseason last week. However, since both are in the still wide-open NFC South, there’s more than enough time for both teams to make one final push. The Buccaneers are looking to clinch a playoff spot by ending the home team’s dominance in the NFC South. They visit the Falcons who too remain hopeful they’ll be able to cap their surprising season with their first postseason appearance in four years. And since the hosting NFC South team has been wining all these games lately, trends say the birds from the ATL should be able to clinch a playoff spot easy. The birds are 5-1 at the Georgia Dome, averaging 32.2 points a game. That’s good for third best in the league and highest in Falcons franchise history. Yes, the Bucs are in for a tough battle indeed.

Atlanta Falcons by three.

Next, we have the Washington Redskins going up against the Cincinnati Bengals in a game the Redskins should take advantage and get their asses up to speed with the postseason just around the corner. Besides, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is still uncertain whether he’ll be available for this one anyway and since their season is all but over, I reckon he won’t even bother.

Washington Redskins by 7.

The Detroit Lions are 0-13 for the first time ever. They’re headed for Indianapolis still looking for their first victory. A Lions win? A Lions win over the Colts? A Lions win over the Colts and Peyton Manning? A Lions win over the Colts and Peyton Manning in Indianapolis? Puh-lease… Nothing has been going the Lions’ way this season and I don’t expect that to change when they visit this AFC powerhouse team from Indy.

Indianapolis Colts by 14.

Speaking of AFC powerhouse teams, the San Diego Chargers, fresh from last Thursday’s win over the Oakland Raiders, are hopeful they can get a win over the Kansas City Chiefs and keep their playoff hopes alive. The Chargers are now three games behind the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos with three to play. One more Chargers loss and Denver will clinch the West. So despite playing a Chiefs team with only a couple of wins all season, San Diego should be the more desperate team on Sunday in Kansas City.

San Diego Chargers by 3.

The San Francisco 49ers are beginning to generate momentum, having played probably their best performance collectively as a team in several seasons last Sunday with a 24-14 victory over the New York Jets. They visit the red hot Miami Dolphins next. A team that virtually had a resurrection this year after the dismal 1-15 stand they had last season. How different has this Dolphins team has become this season? I reckon the 49ers will find out soon enough.

Miami Dolphins by three.

Two struggling teams meet next as the struggling Seattle Seahawks visit the woeful St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Both of these teams are at a dismal 2-11 stand and you shouldn’t even bother watching this game. But if you must because you have a lot of dough riding on this one, don’t forget to bet on the home team. After all, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is still being slowed down with an injury, making the Rams clear favorites to win their third game of the season in front of their home fans.

St. Louis Rams by three.

The 8-5 New England Patriots avoided a disaster last Sunday by rallying to beat the Seahawks at Qwest Field. They have battled through injuries all season with several starters on defense out of the lineup last Sunday, adding to their problems on the offensive side of the ball with injuries to Laurence Maroney and this guy that goes by the name of Tom Brady. This Sunday, Matt Cassell will be out of the Patriots lineup due to the death of his father. That’s bad news to a Patriots team still looking to make a playoff run without Brady. The good news is, they’ll play the Oakland Raiders. And since the Raiders are one of the worst teams in the league today, the Pats should be just fine without the top two quarterbacks from their depth chart.

New England Patriots by 3.

Next, we have the Denver Broncos facing the Carolina Panthers without running back Peyton Hillis, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn hamstring. That’s another blow to the Broncos’ tailback situation. Hillis is the fifth tailback to go on injured reserve for the Broncos. And when you go up against Julius Peppers and the rest of the Panthers defense basically without a running game, it should take a rocket scientist to figure out who to bet for on this one.

Carolina Panthers by 7.

The Tennessee Titans have the struggling Houston Texans next in what should be a one-sided affair. The Titans’ offense is predicated upon the rushing game with Chris Johnson and LenDale White sharing the load, helping each other stay fresh late in the season. Johnson has 222 carries this season, and became the third rookie in franchise history to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark. He has 1,094 yards for the season. White, who rushed for 1,110 yards as the Titans featured back last year, has 674 yards this year on 170 rushing attempts. With a two-headed monster back from Tennessee heading to Houston, I’m not expecting the Texans to win anything come gameday.

Tennessee Titans by 14.

With the 5-8 Green Bay Packers ultimately out of the race for the NFC North title, or even a berth in the playoffs for that matter after a dismal three-game losing streak, they’ll just probably be playing for the future in the final three games of the regular season. Tony Moll, who filled in for Mark Tauscher last Sunday, will probably be the starter for Sunday’s game at Jacksonville Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tauscher, who has manned the starting spot at right tackle since breaking into the league with his home-state team in 2000, is out for the rest of the season after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Both the Packers and the Jaguars are merely playing for respectability at this point and if I had to bet on this game, I’m picking the Packers in a close contest since those guys, unlike the Jags, at least have both the passing and running game going for them.

Green Bay Packers by 3.

The Buffalo Bills are on the heels of one of the worst offensive performances in recent memory. The Bills failed to score a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2003. J.P. Losman started for the Bills, replacing the injured Trent Edwards, and him failing to generate any type of consistency last week was no surprise. They have Brett Favre and the New York Jets next, a team on a two-game losing streak. And since the Jets have more to lose than the Bills to gain, we’re picking Favre to get the Jets over the hump.

New York Jets by 7.

The Minnesota Vikings will go up against the Arizona Cardinals with Gus Frerotte still starting despite the fact that it was Tarvaris Jackson who helped rally the Vikings to a 20-16 victory over the Detroit Lions. Gus Frerotte suffered what the Vikings are calling a ”lower back injury” late in the first half at Ford Field and had to be replaced by Jackson. The Vikings trailed 6-3 at halftime and Frerotte had thrown two interceptions against a team that had only two all season entering the game. Facing the tough Arizona Cardinals team with a quarterback not at 100 percent should be a sin, especially if you’re looking for a playoff run.

Arizona Cardinals by 7.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have the second-best record in the AFC, but if they don’t play better on offense soon, they might not have it for long. The Steelers do have the No.1 defense in the NFL, yet their offense ranks way down there at No.26 overall. They face another defensive minded team in the Baltimore Ravens and if the Steelers are not careful, they’d end up like Washington when it’s all said and done; beaten, battered and bruised.

Baltimore Ravens by 3.

The Dallas Cowboys ALMOST made this week’s meeting with the New York Giants a meaningful one in the NFC East on Sunday Night Football. Instead, after losing to the Steelers last week, the Cowboys are much more vulnerable to missing the playoffs, needing to win this game more than the Giants do.

Last Sunday, the New York Giants (11-2) had their seven-game winning streak snapped with a 20-14 home loss to Philadelphia. The Dallas Cowboys had the opportunity to cut into the Giants’ division lead with a win, unfortunately, the ‘Boys lost to the Steelers, 20-13, letting the Giants continue to run away with the NFC East lead while putting their own playoff hopes in peril. This should be a good game between the two rivals and since the Cowboys will be at home, we’re picking them to beat the defending champs, barely.

Dallas Cowboys by 3.

Finally, we have Monday Night Football and this week, we have the Cleveland Browns visiting the Philadelphia Eagles.

There is no improvement at all for the Cleveland Browns even after the acquisition of Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers. The Browns spent a lot of time, energy, draft picks and money to rebuild their run defense in the off-season but whatever the Browns tried, it’s not working. The theme has been constant all season, Shaun Rogers plays well, but the rest of the Browns are simply overwhelmed at the line of battle. Their linebackers are either not fast enough or strong enough to make the plays, leading to the fucked up campaign they’ve been having all year. Facing a team leaning towards the postseason while riding a two-game winning streak is bad news of you’re a fan from the Dawg Pound.

Philadelphia Eagles by 7.

Who will win Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida? SportsBetting.com has the odds.

New York Giants 12-1

New England Patriots 5-2

Dallas Cowboys 7-1

Indianapolis Colts 8-1

Want more odds? Visit SportsBetting.com for more football betting odds. Want to watch the NFL live? Get NFL tickets online now.

2008 NFL Season Super Bowl XLIII

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