The playoffs unofficially begin in the NFL on Friday. There are three NFC teams alive for two NFC playoff spots, while the AFC has six 7-7 teams fighting it out for a couple of available spots. This may be the most exciting week of the year with so many teams left playing for so little spots in the NFL post season.

The NFL opens up the week with a great prime time special on Christmas night. The San Diego Chargers look for 10 straight as they travel to Tennessee to play the Titans. Vince Young and the Titans are still alive for a playoff spot. After starting off the season winless in six and being blown out in embarrassing fashion by the New England Patriots, a playoff spot for the Titans would truly be a Christmas miracle.

The Chargers are a team that probably deserves more hype than they are getting. They are only behind the Indianapolis Colts in most games won in a row. Philip Rivers is playing out of his mind right now and has the Chargers as the overall fifth best ranked offense in the NFL. That is a good thing because the defense has been putrid this season, ranked currently at 30th in the NFL. Even more impressive is that they are playing a tough schedule and beating very good teams. The Chargers just beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys back to back and are full in playoff mode early.

Vince Young continues to do what he does best and that is win games. Young has brought his winning attitude to the entire team, as the Titans won a recent game that featured Young on the bench for most of the contest. The Titans have only had one loss since Young took the quarterback spot and that was against the Indianapolis Colts. Kenny Britt and Justin Gage have come out of nowhere over the last few weeks as one of the most dangerous wide receiver tandems in the NFL. This is a very good team playing their best ball of the year at the right time.

It is very hard to pick against a team that has just won 10 in a row and I won’t start now. The obvious line of thinking is to take the home team on Christmas night. However, most NFL analysts will tell you that the road team has a bigger advantage on a holiday night. While the home team is busy getting extra tickets for family, hosting family for the holidays, and spending the day at home, it is just business as usual for the road team who tend to be more focused in these situations. I look for the Chargers to win a tight one here and cruise into the playoffs with the number-two seed.

On the flip side, the Philadelphia Eagles have quietly become the hottest team in the NFC. The birds have rolled off five in a row, including a big division win over the Giants. The birds are 9-2 against NFC teams losing only to the Saints and Cowboys. Even more impressive about their recent run is that they have done it without key players. DeSean Jackson, Brian Westbrook, and Jeremy Maclin have all missed at least one game, and in the case of Westbrook it has been quite a few games. This week the birds are expected to have their offense back in full force for the first time in weeks as they host the Denver Broncos.

It is amazing how different the context of this game is to Denver Broncos fans and Philadelphia Eagles fans. For the Broncos it is a must-win situation. After starting the season 5-0, the Broncos have stumbled and are now 8-6 and on the playoff bubble. Denver Broncos fans are thinking about one thing here and that is the post season. For Philadelphia Eagles fans, it is about one Denver Bronco in particular. This Sunday marks the homecoming for one of the most beloved players in Philadelphia Eagles history, Brian Dawkins.

The Eagles are currently in a situation where they could jump up and steal the second NFC playoff seed from the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles have clinched a spot, but they need to win Sunday to have any hopes at a week off and January football at the Linc.

There are several trends over the course of Andy Reid’s tenure as head coach that remain constant with most of Reid’s Eagle teams. The Eagles are undefeated coming off the bye week and horrendous against the AFC. This season alone the Eagles are 1-2 against the AFC with their only win coming against the Kansas City Chiefs. This is hardly the lock that most experts think it is.

The Eagles have also struggled against 3-4 defenses. The Broncos play a 3-4 defense and Donovan McNabb tends to get hit a heck of a lot more against 3-4 defenses. I also think it is a bigger advantage for Denver than most think to have Dawkins on the team. Dawkins played with and against McNabb in practice every day of McNabb’s career. Dawkins knows McNabb’s tendencies and these are intangibles that the Broncos will attempt to use on Sunday. This has the potential to be a long day for the birds.

On the other hand, how confident can the Denver Broncos be after dropping a game at home against the Oakland Raiders? I was always dubious of the Broncos 5-0 record and was never quick to crown them as some kind of juggernaut. The Broncos won a lot of games in the last minute and could have just as easily been 2-3 as they were 5-0. Denver may also have a bigger advantage than most think at quarterback. This won’t be Kyle Orton’s first dance against the Philadelphia Eagles. Orton threw three touchdowns against the Eagles last season and led the Chicago Bears to a win in Week 4. Kyle Orton can beat this team and isn’t scared of Asante Samuel.

All in all I think the Broncos come away with a win here. They are catching the birds at a good time. The Eagles have two division games to close the season against the Redskins and the Cowboys and may look past the Broncos. I also think the birds tend to look past AFC teams in general, hence their record. The Broncos will also be highly motivated to get a win on Sunday for Brian Dawkins who has reportedly been the same locker room leader in Denver that he was here in Philadelphia. Not even Mr. Courageous himself Michael Vick can save the birds on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers try and keep hope alive as they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. As dreadful as the Steelers have looked lately, they lit up the Green Bay Packers for over 500 offensive yards last week and pulled out a clutch win at home. The Steelers can’t catch the Bengals for the divisional spot, but are still alive for a Wild Card slot. The Ravens would take that Wild Card spot if the season ended today. This is about as big of a regular season game as you can get between two divisional rivals that already hate one another.

The Ravens beat the Steelers earlier this season on Sunday Night Football. The difference that night was no Big Ben Roethlisberger for the Steelers. Even playing against Pittsburgh’s third-string quarterback, the Ravens needed overtime to beat the champs. Big Ben has won four in a row against the Ravens, including three games last year (2 regular season and 1 playoff game). The Steelers will continue to play without Troy Polamalu on defense. Don’t be fooled by the win last week. The Steelers defense is still awful, and gave up 36 points and 383 yards in the air last week. If not for a revamped offense and confused Packers defense, the Steelers would have been embarrassed once again at home.

The Ravens on the other hand have been rolling through their opponents over the last few weeks. Fantasy football owners like me have cashed in on the greatness of Ray Rice and the Ravens running game. The combined scores of the last two Ravens game were 79-10 in the Ravens favor. Joe Flacco did it in the air last week throwing for a career-high four touchdown passes. Oh yeah, something I forgot to note here about those games. Those big wins came against the 5-9 Chicago Bears and the 2-12 Detroit Lions. Come to think of it, those numbers don’t sound that impressive anymore.

ESPN had an interesting stat on the Ravens. The Ravens are 9-0 in games played below 40 degrees and the temperature will definitely be below 40 degrees in Pittsburgh on Sunday. I don’t think that stat holds too much water in this game considering who they are playing. Sorry, I’m trying Ravens’ fans! The big questions here are the offenses for both teams. The Ravens and Steelers have played inconsistent offense all season. One week they struggle and the next they are rolling up the points. I am not ready to trust this offensive turnaround for the Ravens. I’ll lean towards the champs in a close but great NFL regular season victory on Sunday.

The most curious game of the week has to be the Indianapolis Colts against the New York Jets. The Jets boast the overall number one passing defense in the NFL as the Colts boast the number one passing offense in the NFL. Something has to give in this one. Win or lose, the Jets just don’t give up a lot of points. Win or win, the Colts have won by large and small margins throughout the season. Who do you trust? Do you trust Rex Ryan and the boys to hold Peyton Manning to 10 points or do you trust Manning to score 21?

The Jets are still alive for a playoff spot which is news to Rex Ryan. It is never a good thing when your own head coach isn’t aware that his team is still in the playoff hunt. Maybe he’d coach differently if he did?

The Colts may not be saying it, but they are going for 16-0. They have the overall first spot locked up and are on the verge of making history. I am sorry but all of these doubters are just throwing air balls in my opinion. I hear a lot of analysts claiming the Colts have holes on defense, this, and that. They may, but I don’t think there is a team anywhere close to their hemisphere right now in the NFL.

Unless Darrelle Revis can defend all of the Colts wide receivers and Dallas Clark, the Jets don’t have a chance of stopping Peyton Manning. The Jets do boast the overall number one rushing offense, which has meant nothing for other great rushing teams against the Colts. Now keep in mind if Manning sits for the entire game or second-half, all of this is moot.

For the Jets, Mark Sanchez has turned out to be a huge disappointment thus far. USC quarterbacks usually go through college without getting hit. There aren’t many great defenses in the Pac 10. The Colts will likely get a good pass rush going on Sanchez and give him happy feet throughout the game. I love the Colts to win big on Sunday.

Another big game with playoff implications has the Houston Texans traveling to Miami to play the Miami Dolphins. This is a battle of two 7-7 teams with the loser out of the playoff hunt. The Texans look for their third in a row as the Dolphins look to get back into the win column.

I look at this game statistically and it greatly favors the Houston Texans. The Texans are arguably the most talented 7-7 team playing football right now. Then I look at the head coaches. Tony Sparano has played in this situation and beat the Jets in the final game of the season last year in a win-and-in situation. Gary Kubiak has also played in this situation the last few seasons and came up small every time. The coaching factor makes me lean way more towards the Dolphins than the Texans in Week 16.

I have watched the Texans closely the last two seasons due to owning several of their players in fantasy football leagues. Matt Schaub has been unbelievable this season, as has the always constant Andre Johnson. The other constant for this team is the head coach. I think Gary Kubiak may be the worst coach in the NFL. I have never seen a coach do more to cost his team more wins this decade than Kubiak. I can think of at least three games that were lost due to his bad coaching decisions. His musical chairs of running backs have turned the running back situation into a joke. I just can’t see a team winning a big game in Week 16 with so many question marks at running back.

The Dolphins lost a very close game last week at Tennessee. The game came down to the wire. Even with the loss, Chad Henne looked very good and Ricky Williams remains one of the best running backs in the NFL. The Texans boast the 17th overall rushing defense and have given up a whopping 14 rushing touchdowns this year. They are right up there with all the usual suspects when you talk bad NFL defense. Between their bad rushing defense and their head coach, I just can’t see them getting it done this week. Until they come up big in this kind of a situation, I will always pick against the Texans. Go Dolphins!

CamelClutchBlog.com Fantasy Football Playoff Standings

Championship Bracket
Team The Nice Guys 2-0 (Jeff Porrini)
Dusty’s RedBellySpot 2-0 (Eric Gargiulo)

Winner’s Consolation Ladder
…Not You!!! 0-2 (John Yomtov)
Havertown Spoilers 0-2 (Bryan Reigel)
1st Place 1-1 (Derek Sabato)
Team Wheelhouse Radio! 1-1 (Jeff Peck)
Team Nuetral Zone 1-1 (Brett Clendaniel)
Team We Own You 1-1 (Erik Espenberg)
The Kings of Krista 1-1 (Josh Usher)
Team Rowland 1-1 (Justin Rowland)

Fantasy Fix - This isn’t the week to play “reaches.” This is the week you play your go-to guys and the usual suspects. Unfortunately with that said, I will not be writing about anymore fantasy reaches this season. Except Matt Moore, Carolina Panthers and Quinton Ganther, Washington Redskins. I just won’t do it!

NFL Week 16 Picks!

I slipped up a bit last week going 11-5 after going 12-4 last week. I am 145-81 overall on the season straight up in games. Now for the NFL Week 16 Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

San Diego Chargers vs Tennessee Titans
Buffalo Bills vs Atlanta Falcons
Kansas City Chiefs vs Cincinnati Bengals
Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans vs Miami Dolphins
Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints
Carolina Panthers vs New York Giants
Detroit at San Francisco
St. Louis at Arizona
New York Jets vs Indianapolis Colts (A loss if Manning sits)
Denver Broncos vs Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins
Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Join ESPN Insider today for the best sports analysis online, plus ESPN The Magazine!

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

Before I start off, you know that “Fantasy Football Stats” always need some disclaimers. The following stats are considered in a point per catch league and are through NFL Week 15. So let’s not have hate mail people!

Well, by now most of the fantasy football playoffs and championships have come to a close, not too soon for some, and kind of sad for others I’m sure. We all had our ups and downs, our duds, our sleepers and our MVP’s. We have all cursed guys we swear we will never draft again, and praised the guys we hope to get again next year. We have all pumped our chest out for those great waiver wire picks, but have also dealt with the painful phrase, “I knew I should have started (insert any players name here).”

So as you look back at your draft boards to see what you did wrong, and who you should have taken instead, also take a few minutes to look upon my “Sharky Awards” and pay honor to, and of course bash, everyone who made our fantasy football season that much more fun. For every Roy Williams that made you cry, there was a Miles Austin to make you smile, just remember those good times and keep having fun!

Ok so with all the guest dressed up in black ties, and all the gorgeous celebrity types ready to present awards at the podium, we are ready to hand out the awards. Sorry, I could not possibly pull off some big after party. I just could not get the stars to commit to coming out, being the holiday season and all. Maybe next year?

2009 “Sharky” MVP Award:
I present this award to the player who never really took a week off, or a play off for that matter, a player that killed it week in and week out. The winner is:

Chris Johnson, Running Back, Tennessee Titans.
1730 rush yards,11 tds, 44 receptions, 446 yards, 2 tds.
Johnson is the new coming of L.T. for all of you who can remember back that far (some 2 years!). Johnson has had 200 yard games, killed it from scrimmage all year and has the ability to bring home the league MVP award on a team that may not even make the playoffs. He made his team forget all about a commitee situation with LenDale White, and was clearly the most started player in any league this year.

Comeback Player Of The Year:
To celebrate a guy we would have never dreamed of drafting or playing again, and showed awesome numbers this season. The winner is:

Ricky Williams, Running Back, Miami Dolphins
1055 rush yards, 11 tds, 27 receptions, 234 yards, 2 tds.
Let’s face it, no one in their right mind thought that Ricky Williams would be a guy you had to start every week. Granted the season ending injury to Ronnie Brown helped, but Williams showed numbers much like the ones he showed early in his career. Most of the young guys can’t even stand up to what he has done this year. After bouts with marijuana, and retirement and defying age, Williams has been a top 10 back this season.

Best Waiver Wire Pick Up Performer:
This goes out to a player that pretty much no one drafted, but picked him up later in the year and was greatly awarded. The winner is:

Jamaal Charles, Running Back, Kansas City Chiefs
759 rush yards, 5 tds, 36 receptions, 272 yards, 1 td, 925 return yards, 1 td
For some reason, the Chiefs rode the Larry Johnson train much longer then they should have. Charles has great hands and great speed and when the Chiefs finally had enough of Johnson, he stepped in and has been huge. He does it all, runs, catches, returns and scores. Let’s face it, when you picked him up on the wire, some laughed at you, simply because he was on a bad club. Well we will all see who is jumping on this bandwagon at next seasons draft, won’t we!

Best Rookie Performer:
We award the best fantasy newcomer, and the people with the guts to run them out there every week. The winner is:

Percy Harvin, Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings
49 catches, 691 yards, 6 tds 1017 return yards, 2 tds, 103 rush yards
It was a very close race, and I need to give props to Knowshon Moreno, but very few rookies have meant as much, or has done as much for their team then Harvin. Teamed with veteran QB Brett Favre, Harvin has made the Vikings offense a passing team as well as a running team. He had doubters coming out of college, but now his stock is rising for sure.

Biggest Bust Award:
This is easy. A player picked very hgh in most drafts that you found yourself benching mid-way through the season. You know there is plenty of good candidates, but we narrowed it down to this winner:

Brandon Jacobs, Running Back, New York Giants.
782 rush yards, 5 tds, 17 receptions, 182 yards, 1 td
How many of you thought that when Derrick Ward left for Tampa that Jacobs would be just that better a fantasy pick up? Well for all who did, you used first or second round picks on him, and well from the numbers it didn’t pan out. Jacobs averages about 14 points a week in a yahoo system, which for a starting RB is average at best. The Giants have no real set identity on offense, and this shows us that.

Biggest Season Killing Injury:
We give this out to the poor player and people that drafted him high and lost him quickly. Every year one player totally torches a season by getting hurt, and this year we have a clear cut winner:

Brian Westbrook, Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles.
We always suggest to handcuff players with their back ups, so if you grabbed Westbrook (and if you did you know it was first or second round) and did not grab LeSean McCoy, then you had a tough season. Westbrooks stats are not even worth printing, they are that meaningless to anyone. Also you have to wonder that at 30 years old, has his days of being a productive fantasy player passed him bye? It never goes gradual as guys such as Marshal Faulk, Shaun Alexander, and even L.T. will tell you.

Quarterback Of The Year:
Given to the QB who has put up the best fantasy numbers. The season is not over yet, but this winner will shock many of you:

Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Green Bay Packers
3962 yards, 28 tds, 305 rush yards, 4 tds
Manning? Brees? Brady? Schaub? I know you are all asking that, but look at it closely folks, and you will see it’s Rodgers. The man that has replaced Favre in Green Bay is finally playing as such, and his ability to run as well as throw, and to score more from bigger distance is what has him at the top. Ok,so maybe you all like the, “other guys” but I have found in being in 4 leagues this year, that Rodgers is a guy that kills it every week. Could you just imagine how much better his numbers can be if Greg Jennings actually showed up and they had a stronger running game?

Best Running Back:
Simple, the bread winners of your fantasy team. The winner is (of course)

Chris Johnson, Titans
See MVP above for all his stats. Maurice Jones Drew was a very close second however with 16 total tds, but Johnson just trumps everyone with all his combined stats. We may have a new overall number 1 pick next year Mr. Peterson. I think Chris should get ready for his close ups, as he should be on the cover of many a magazine next August.

Best Wide Receiver:
Always the toughest to choose in a class filled with stars. So after lots of sorting we came up with this winner:

Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver, Houston Texans.
90 receptions, 1433 yards, 8 tds
Always tough to say who is the best here. So many guys deserve props, so a big round of applause for Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne, DeSean Jackson and on and on. Johnson just goes crazy with yards, and will most likely do 100 grabs again this year. He’s big and tough, a total freak on the field. Yes many say Larry Fitzgerald is the best, but let Andre get to a Super Bowl, and see what we all say about him.

Best Defense:
We celebrate the defense that just racks up all the goods in all the catagories. This winner is back to its old fantasy form:

The Philadelphia Eagles
39 sacks, 2 safeties, 23 ints, 13 fumble recoveries, 4 tds, 1 block FG

Yes the Saints defense has scored 8 tds, which is huge, but Philly has done it all, and it seems to be week in and week out. In every fantasy catagory the Birds show up in the top 5, and were a point scoring machine. It kind of looks like the old Buddy Ryan days again in Philly, huh Eagles fans? Asante Samuel, Trent Cole, Sheldon Brown and the rest have made it a big year for owners of this defense.

Best Kicker:
From all over the field, and after the td’s this guy has put them through the uprights for us. The winner is:

David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles
Akers? A couple of years ago he was in the talks as the first kicker taken, then he lost his form and his clutch abaility. This year he leads all fantasy kickers in FG’s from 40-49 yards, and has 40 PAT’s to go along with it. He’s been much more accurate and reliable then just about any kicker this year. Only Nate Kaeding of San Diego can compete with Akers numbers this season.

The fond farewell tour:
We pay homage to those who were once big point producers, but now appear at the end of the line. Some players who have been first and second round picks who may now be late rounders if even drafted. So without all kinds of numbers let’s give it up for:

Terrell Owens
Torry Holt
Ladainian Tomlinson
Brian Westbrook
Larry Johnson
Matt Hasselbeck

And lets give it up for some stars on the rise, or players who may have just found first round glory with some late season heroics:

Jamaal Charles
Jerome Harrison
Sidney Rice
Ray Rice
Mike Sims-Walker
Hakeem Nicks

Now we hand out a few more “DUD” awards, we all love our underachievers.

Biggest QB Dud:

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
3117 yards, 19 tds 25 ints
In leagues that deduct for INTs, Cutler must have been a nightmare. Yes he had a couple of good yardage games, but his performance became downright brutla near the end of the season. So Chicago finally got it’s big time QB huh? Tell that to Denver.

Biggest RB Dud:

Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
754 yards, 4 tds, 53 receptions, 455 yards
Rejoice Steve Slaton owners, by the numbers you did not get burned as bad as Forte owners. Wow the Bears went all out to let us down this year huh folks? Forte was a mere shell of what he was last year, and it made his team and every fantasy owners team that owned him suffer. If back up Kevin Jones did not get hurt, or if Adrian Peterson showed a lick of ability to play then Forte would have gotten even less action then the garbage he posted.

Biggest WR Dud:

Roy Williams, Dallas Cowboys
37 receptions, 592 yards, 6 tds
He ran Terrell Owens out of town. He had Jerry Jones trade for him last year. He also made many draftees pumped up about his potential. Do you think he still says “I’m a number 1 receiver”? Because in fantasy value he’s more like 101.

Lifetime ( or so it feels like ) Achievement Award

Can you believe that Donald Driver and Derrick Mason still get put into fantasy dtarting lineups? It’s hard to imagine, but its true. at 36 and 37 years YOUNG, these guys continue to put up good fantasy numbers, but you have to wonder when it finally will come to an end?

Just a side bar note fans, in my last fantasy article of the year,which will be in 2 weeks, we will give you the results of our very own CamelClutchBlog Fantasy League. The Championship game is looking like The Sharks very own Team Nice Guys vs our beloved blog moderator Eric G and his Team Dusty’s Red Belly Spot. Should be a big time match up. For all of you who are still in contention, good luck, and for all of you who have won it all, we say congrats to you!

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Join ESPN Insider today for the best sports analysis online, plus ESPN The Magazine!

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

If you think you can fare better then me or the rest of The Wheelhouse Radio crew join us every Thursday Night during our live broadcast at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse you will have the chance to win a “prize pack” (some of which will include stuff from our good friends at EA SPORTS!). All you have to do is beat our weekly NFL Pick Em’ guru…Copernicus! You beat him that week you get a prize pack from us! For more info visit our official website at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

We are ever so closer to some to possibly the best playoffs in all of American sports when the NFL playoffs start in January. Starting this Thursday Night we will be three weeks away from the playoffs beginning as the playoff picture will be that much more clearly following the weekend games. Let’s take a look at some of the key matchups in Week 15 of the NFL!

The New Orleans Saints will look to improve to 14-0 as they take on the Dallas Cowboys Saturday night live in the Superdome. The Cowboys are a team that enjoys self destructing in the month of December and more importantly I enjoy watching them self destruct in December. The Cowboys lack leaderships in many positions and this is probably the last season where the head coach, quarterback or both are working with the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas enjoys giving the NFC East to either the Philadelphia Eagles or the New York Giants this time of the year. It’s usually a great holiday gift to both franchises and the Cowboys love putting the bow on the division during this time of the year. The Saints will help add to the Cowboys’ holiday help by defeating them what is becoming the hardest place to win a road game, the superdome. I can not wait to watch the pregame shows on Sunday morning to hear about how the Cowboys are collapsing again.

The Titans/Dolphins game will eliminate one of these two teams from playoff contention this week. Whoever wins this game will be still holding on by the edge of their teeth while the other prepares their vacation plans for January. I really like watching the Vince Young experiment in Tennessee this season and should be interesting to see if he can be as dominant leading into the 2010 season for the Titans as he is their to stay as their Quarterback now.

I like the Titans in this one because they are playing with “house money.” They have nothing to lose at this point. They either make it in the playoffs or they don’t and they are playing every game as if it is the actual Super Bowl. The other motivation for this Titans teams is Chris Johnson’s pursuit of eclipsing Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. He has already claimed he will break the record and a very motivated (and very fast) Chris Johnson is going to be tough to beat.

The Eagles/49ers is another key matchup this week as the Eagles may be on step closer to the NFC East crown or the 49ers may still hold onto their playoff hopes. The Eagles could be that team in the NFC playoffs that surprises and shocks teams like the Saints & Vikings. I really think the Eagles are going to win this one against the Niners ending any chance they had making the playoffs.

San Francisco is going to be a good team next season for sure. People in San Fran are still a little weary on Alex Smith as your starting quarterback but I think Mike Singletary is on the verge of making this franchise a top team again in the NFC. They will be eliminated from the playoff push this season but they will eventually be a top team along with Green Bay & Atlanta as teams that will be atop the NFC soon.

Finally I’m going to take a look at an eventual playoff matchup that has a first round bye on the line. The San Diego Chargers will take on their very emotionally heavy Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are going into this game with their hearts on their sleeve after losing teammate Chris Henry on Thursday which can honestly work for or against the Bengals favor.

Either way the Chargers are the best “under the radar” team in the NFL right now and a red hot this season on their way to the AFC West crown. If it wasn’t for the Colts & Saints this would be the team everyone is talking about. They are the AFC’s version of the Philadelphia Eagles as they always seem to fall under radar and always seem to have a good season year in and year out. I like the Chargers in this one as they will be on their way to a first round bye in the AFC playoffs.

Now onto my Week 15 picks…

Week 15 Picks:

Saints over Cowboys
Chiefs over Browns
Jets over Falcons
Titans over Dolphins
Texans over Rams
Cardinals over Lions
Eagles over 49ers
Patriots over Bills
Ravens over Bears
Broncos over Raiders
Chargers over Bengals
Seahawks over Buccaneers
Packers over Steelers
Vikings over Panthers
Giants over Redskins

Week 14 Record: 12-4

2009 Record: 133-61

Want to challenge my picks? Send me an e-mail at wheelhouseradio.jp@gmail.com and remember to tune in Thursday December 17th @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse for your chance to win a “prize pack” by picking the most correct NFL games courtesy of The Wheelhouse!

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can follow Wheelhouse Radio! on Twitter by visiting their page @ www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse and you can e-mail them @ wheelhouseradio@gmail.com.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Join ESPN Insider today for the best sports analysis online, plus ESPN The Magazine!

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

5. The NFL needs to rethink their Thanksgiving schedule:

Just like every Football fan this past Thursday I sat down with family and watched some of the worst scheduled NFL games on Thanksgiving in some time. I am a Green Bay Packers fan, was happy they were playing on Thanksgiving but against the Detroit Lions!? Why not Minnesota? Then the other game was the Oakland Raiders against the Dallas Cowboys. What was the NFL trying to do? Make us want to eat!?

I get it Dallas and Detroit is tradition but come on give me a break. Those two franchises haven’t been noteworthy in the last decade. I don’t care what you say about the Cowboys – they just aren’t “America’s Team” anymore. Those days are over.

The only game that had promise was Broncos/Giants and that two…sucked. Denver looked great while New York just rolled over and slowly faded away. My suggestion to the NFL next season is to give us a Super Bowl rematch, the two runners up’s from both AFC & NFC Championship games and throw in a GOOD rivalry game. Seriously this should be one of the biggest days of the year for the NFL!

4. New York Giants all but eliminated:

Like I stated up above, the Giants all but rolled over and died this past Thanksgiving. This is not the same the team that started the season 5-0. This is a team with no leadership and is starting to fade away from the NFC East & NFC Wild Card races.

Antonio Pierce, one of the veteran Defensive leaders is done for the season with a ruptured disk in his back. Eli Manning is playing with a potentially bad foot and still hasn’t found a good rhythm with his offense in the last six games. I think it’s safe to say that we can write off the New York Giants this season and wish them luck on finding a big time Wide Receiver next season.

3. The Colts comeback to defeat the Texans and stay perfect:

Throughout the day on Sunday I kept checking out the score from the Colts/Texans game and for the most part it looked like the Texans would finally get that win against the Colts that they have been looking for. The Colts would finally lose and we could stop talking about the undefeated season that may lay ahead for Indy. The Texans had looked like they had all but closed it by the first half.

And then the Colts woke up. Led by Peyton Manning and a huge interception the Colts tied it up, and then took the lead from the Houston Texans; never looking back. The Colts improve to 11-0 and are five games away from that perfect regular season. I don’t think Indy will end undefeated but you have to give new head coach Jim Caldwell some props on how this team didn’t fall over & die after the transition from Tony Dungy to him.

2. Vince Young does it again to Matt Leinart, Titans win 5th straight:

This is becoming my favorite story in the NFL and Vince Young is winning over fans every week the Titans continue to win on this great run they have had the last five games. After looking like Matt Leinart would finally get a victory over Vince Young, VY once again drive down the field and wins the game in the final seconds. With the win the Titans improve to 5-6, still in the playoff hunt and winning their five last games after starting 0-6. This is a team everyone football fan has to be rooting for every Sunday.

1. Drew Brees & the Saints look like the team to beat on Monday Night:

In a game many dubbed as a potential “Super Bowl matchup” the New England Patriots & New Orleans Saints took the field on Monday Night. Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints sent a loud message to all NFL teams & their fans…the Saints are here and are dangerous. New Orleans took it to the New England Patriots and in convincing fashion.

Drew Brees did something no other Quarterback has done against Bill Belichick…ever. He threw five touchdown passes against a Belichick defense. An amazing feat for sure and even more amazing was that it was to five different receivers.

The Saints now have the better chance of the two remaining teams undefeated this season to stay undefeated. New Orleans is the favorite in the NFC & for the Super Bowl. It’s a team that is good on offense & defense and is by far the best team in the NFL right now

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can follow Wheelhouse Radio! on Twitter by visiting their page @ www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse and you can e-mail them @ wheelhouseradio@gmail.com.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Join ESPN Insider today for the best sports analysis online, plus ESPN The Magazine!

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

In a moment right out of the Rose Bowl, Vince Young did it to Matt Leinart again and scored a touchdown to win the game as time wound down. Vince Young drove the Tennessee Titans 99 yards, converted three fourth-downs, and used just one time out to provide one of the best finishes to an NFL regular season game you will ever see. Young’s game-winning touchdown was as clutch as it comes, and once again stole another win from Matt Leinart. Check out the video of Vince Young’s game-winning touchdown drive below.

This was one of those great sports finishes that will give you chills. The irony here is that it was Young’s mistake to close out the first half that necessitated the theatrics. Young had the ball with 0:08 left in the first half at Arizona’s 11-yard line. Young wound up holding on to the ball too long and took a sack, which ended the half and cost the Titans an easy three points. The irony there is if Young didn’t make the mistake, the Titans get the field goal, and the game-winning drive ends on a far less theatrical field goal. Maybe Vince just wanted to ensure another Rose Bowl finish?

Jeff Fisher is getting a lot of praise for turning around the Tennessee Titans 0-6 season. Fisher switched quarterbacks coming out of the bye and has gone undefeated since starting Vince Young. Jeff Fisher should be roasted and criticized the same way he has been praised, for keeping someone as talented as Vince Young on the bench. If not for owner Bud Adams asking that Young play, one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL would still be sitting on the bench. This is nothing I would be proud of I were Jeff Fisher. Personally, I think Fisher should be on the hot seat for costing his team six games with such a ridiculous move.

As for Vince Young, it is obvious that this kid is a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. You don’t win as many NFL games as he has won by accident. Plus, this guy has been winning games in the clutch going back to his days in Texas. Young had three back-to-back fourth quarter wins in his NFL rookie season! There is something to be said about a quarterback that constantly finds wayS to win. He may not be the smartest quarterback at times (see the above first-half ending sack against the Cardinals), but he always gives you a chance to win. The amazing part of this story is that if not for Bud Adams, he would probably still be on the bench. Hopefully Jeff Fisher traded in his Peyton Manning jersey for a Vince Young jersey.

I can’t think of a better season for game-winning touchdowns than the 2009 NFL season and it’s not even December yet.

The game and the touchdown

The Rose Bowl

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Join ESPN Insider today for the best sports analysis online, plus ESPN The Magazine!

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

5. Titans win 3rd straight game:

All of a sudden the Tennessee Titans have become one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They have won three straight games since Vince Young took over in Tennessee and they continue to keep finding ways to win. While a portion of NFL fans may be rooting against Vince Young due to his past antics over the course of his NFL career, I for one will be rooting this team on to hopefully have a miracle run into a playoff spot.

The Titans are a tough team to root against especially if they continue to win. What NFL fan doesn’t want to see a team come over mid-season adversity like a 0-6 start only to make a run at a playoff push? I know I may be speaking a little over my head at this stage in the season and the Titans at 0-6 but you have got to root this ball club on right now. While we all like to joke about Vince Young on his statement of being a “future hall of famer,” I would like to see him make a run at that prediction. For the time being Vince Young, Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans have made me into believers.

4. Jay Cutler throws 5 INTs:

Jay Cutler has become one of the worst Quarterbacks in the NFL. I repeat Jay Cutler has become one of the worst Quarterbacks in the NFL. He continues to make horrible decisions and is starting to lead the league in interceptions thrown. While people at the four letter network want to seem to blame the Bears offense on Cutler’s struggles, the QB himself needs to be blamed.

This Bears team was supposed to be favorites in the NFC after Jay Cutler joined them at the QB helm. Lovie Smith finally got the QB he always wanted in his Bears tenure and Cutler got out of Denver on bad terms. It now looks like Denver made the right move by getting rid of this troubled quarterback. Another bad couple of weeks for Cutler and the rumor mill will start out that Cutler may actually be a flop in Chicago.

3. The Jaguars are above .500:

Just like many headlines I have written in these blogs throughout the season. I can not believe I just wrote that one. Saying it is even worse. This is something NOBODY (including the fans that don’t go to the game) saw coming! The Jacksonville Jaguars are 5-4 and are above .500 on the season in Week 10.

You could see the Jags have a winning record in Week 1-3 but in Week 10!? Who would have thought that would happen. Credit has to be given to Jack Del Rio and the job he does year in and year out in Jacksonville. To take a team led by David Garrard with little offense with the lone exception of MJD is pretty amazing. I don’t see the Jags making the playoffs, but at best they could be 8-8.

2. Bengals sweep the Steelers:

The Cincinnati Bengals are for real. Anyone questioning this team’s ability got a chance to get it tested after they swept the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. The victory has made the Bengals 5-0 in their division and they need only a victory over the Cleveland Browns to go 6-0 in the AFC North on the season.

The Bengals did lose Cedric Benson for some time with a hip injury but did sign free agent running back Larry Johnson for the rest of the season. Cincy is hoping they get a motivated Larry Johnson to supply the same fire power Benson did for the Bengals running game. Should we get the Larry Johnson that was potentially held back in Kansas City and the same running back we saw the start of his career the Bengals could be dangerous. It’s hard for me to make them a favorite in the AFC with Indy and New England. But they definitely are in the Top 3 in the AFC now.

1. 4th and 2:

This being the top story from Week 10 shouldn’t come as a shocker to any NFL fan. For the first time in Bill Belichick’s historic coaching career in New England he made a mistake. A mistake that cost the Patriots a game against the Colts in Week 10! Not in the playoffs, nothing on the line at all, just another game in Week 10. Granted it was a huge mistake that made many fans in New England scratching their heads on Monday morning but Belichick took a gamble and the gamble didn’t pay off.

Unlike most teams this mistake will not send this team spiraling out of playoff contention. They will learn from their mistake and will most definitely never do it again as long as Bill Belichick is the coach for the Pats. The game proved that New England is an AFC heavyweight and could even defeat Indy if the two meet again in a playoff matchup.

You just have to tip the hat to Peyton Manning and the Colts for having the strength and know how to get the win on Sunday night. The victory for the Colts is very motivating as they continue their undefeated streak this season and improving to 9-0. The play from Peyton and the Colts shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone; this is the type of play we’ve seen from the league’s best Quarterback every single season. As a Football fan, I can only pray to the football gods that we see this matchup again and with a berth to the Super Bowl on the line.

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can follow Wheelhouse Radio! on Twitter by visiting their page @ www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse and you can e-mail them @ wheelhouseradio@gmail.com.

Place your NFL bets with Bodog.com or BetUs.com.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.