Week 15: A Full House of games with playoff implications

THURSDAY GAME: I almost forgot about the Thursday night game again this week. Oh, the holidays. I'm picking the Steelers over the Panthers. Daring, I know.

So, I forgot to make my prediction for Thursday night’s game. Oops. Not a big deal, but it could hurt me in a very important bet I have going with my brother. Let me explain. A few weeks into the season, he told me he was in a “Pick Em” league. Considering that I have been making picks here on iBerkshires.com, I thought it would be fun to make a friendly wager. No money. No steak dinner. No crazy haircut for the loser.

Instead, we agreed that whoever has the least amount of wins at the end of the regular season must have their face painted on Super Bowl Sunday, and socialize the ENTIRE day under that particular guise.  The winner - who picks the most games correctly – gets to select what will be painted on the loser’s mug. We have a buddy who is a phenomenal artist, so he can pretty much paint whatever we ask. For most of the season, I’ve held a four or five game edge over my brother, but he has slowly but surely crept back into the race during the last couple weeks.

So, by missing Thursday night’s game, I let him pull one game closer (because he picked the Chargers). Could hurt me in the end, but we shall see. By the way… if I do hold on and win the bet, my brother is getting the entire cast of Full House painted on his face. And I’m going to make sure we’re watching the big game at a venue with LOTS of people, so he has to explain to people why Bob Saget and John Stamos are on his face.

BUFFALO AT MIAMI: The Dolphins are still in the playoff picture, but they’ll have to win their final three and hope the Jets lose out. It’s unlikely, but certainly conceivable. Jets have Pittsburgh and Chicago on the road, then home against Buffalo. Miami has Bills, Lions then the Patriots, who may be resting their starters in Week 17 if they already have the top seed wrapped up. PICK: DOLPHINS

ARIZONA AT CAROLINA: May be the most uninteresting game of the 2010 football season. PICK: CARDINALS

NEW ORLEANS AT BALTIMORE: This game is a biggie. Although both clubs are in pretty good shape to make the postseason, a win will keep one team in the race for a division title, which would result in an all-important home game. Although it’s unlikely the Falcons or Steelers cough up their leads, the winners from the AFC North and NFC South are likely to have a first-round bye. So, while this game won’t likely ruin either team’s playoff hopes, it could prove pivotal for seeding. Pick: SAINTS

DETROIT AT TAMPA BAY: A Tampa Bay victory and a Giants win over Philly gives Tampa Bay the sixth seed. Of course, the Bucs still have to face the Saints in Week 17. But a win over the three-win Lions at least keeps Tampa Bay in the picture. PICK: BUCS

PHILADELPHIA AT N.Y. GIANTS: This one will likely decide the NFC East. Philly is fun to watch. They’ve got some playmakers. The Giants are sort of a forgotten team in the NFC, which means nothing in that conference. It’s the team that flies under the radar that has made it to the Super Bowl the last few years, with last year’s Saints an exception. Before that, it was Cards, Giants, Bears, Seahawks. The Giants may not win the NFC East, but don’t be surprised if they make some noise in the playoffs….if they get in. PICK: EAGLES

JACKSONVILLE AT INDIANAPOLIS:  The Jaguars are gaining steam as the sleeper pick in the AFC. I still don’t think they’ll win the division. PICK: Colts

KANSAS CITY AT ST. LOUIS: As much as I would love to see KC win the AFC West over the Jekyll and Hyde Chargers, I won’t believe it until I see it. Hard to believe that Rams-Chiefs in Week 15 is a battle of two teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today. PICK: RAMS

WASHINGTON AT DALLAS: The Donovan McNabb situation is really strange. I understand what Coach Shanahan is doing. If the quarterback isn’t getting it done, then go with a player that gives you a better chance – in most cases. But Grossman doesn’t give you a better chance than McNabb. My guess is that Donovan is banged up and there’s no sense in risking future injury when the Skins are out of the postseason race. PICK: COWBOYS

 CLEVELAND AT CINCINNATI: Who, out of the state of Ohio, gives a crap? PICK: BENGALS

 HOUSTON AT TENNESSEE: I caught the last quarter of Monday night’s Baltimore-Houston game, and I was thoroughly entertained. The Texans’ offense was fun to watch. Just a really exciting finish and a glimpse of what the Texans can be. But, again, Houston  looked like a team that doesn’t know how to close out games. Winning just isn’t part of the Texans’ culture yet. PICK: TEXANS

ATLANTA AT SEATTLE: Falcons vs. Saints next week on MNF will become a whole lot bigger if the Seahawks can pull off the upset this Sunday. Doubtful. PICK: FALCONS

N.Y. JETS AT PITTSBURGH: Love it. Jets have imploded the last two weeks. Not surprising, though. They barely squeaked by teams with losing records, so why would they beat teams with winning records? PICK: STEELERS

DENVER AT OAKLAND: Raiders will pick up the season sweep over their rivals. That’s going to sting in Denver. PICK: RAIDERS

GREEN BAY AT NEW ENGLAND: I really liked the Pats’ chances even if Aaron Rodgers did start for Green Bay. Could snow, too. Perfect. PICK: PATRIOTS

CHICAGO AT MINNESOTA: The University of Minnesota will host a nationally televised game featuring third-string quarterback Joe Webb starting for the hosts. ESPN must be thrilled (SARCASM). The broadcasting team will still find a way to talk about Favre for most of the game. So, I just won’t watch. PICK: BEARS

Last week: 9-7

Season Record: 128-80