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SPF's Week Fifteen Pre-Pregame Show

It has been a largely disappointing season for SPF, but these final weeks can redeem or further decimate a team's momentum for 2008.

There are three shoe-in playoff teams in the Footprint - Dallas, Indy, and Tampa.  Two others (Jacksonville and Tennessee) have to keep winning each week to assure their spot.  The Redskins, Saints, and Texans have remote chances to get in, but this seems very unlikely.

This weekend begins the playoff push.  Teams will be setting the stage for 2008.

Cincinnati (5-8, 1-5 away)
San Francisco (3-10, 1-5 home)
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This is the first of three important games for the Bengals.  They are out of the playoffs, but finishing 8-8 is an important step.  The Bengals must continue to show improvement on defense and a running game to help out Carson Palmer.

San Fran is one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they usually play hard. This game is a test of focus for the Bengals who have been known to fall asleep at times.

Jacksonville (9-4, 4-2 away)
Pittsburgh (9-4, 7-0 home)
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Here we are again.  The Jags have a critical game.  Despite their 9-4 record, the Jags must keep winning to keep their playoff spot.  The AFC is still a battle.

The Jags have lost to the Colts twice, the Titans, and the Saints.  Their "quality" wins are against Tennessee on the road and home wins against AFC West leader San Diego and Buffalo (SPF is being generous by including Buffalo).

Pittsburgh is a critical test for the Jags.  This is a team that the Jags should beat.

If they don't, this Jags team is nothing more than a "one and done" wild card team.  That's what the fans have come to expect from Del Rio's boys.  That's why there are staying away in droves.

Atlanta (3-10, 1-5 away)
Tampa Bay (8-5, 5-1 home)
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The Bucs have had a nice season, but they are still winning with mirrors.  Gruden has still not been able to develop a consistently effective offense since coming to Tampa.  The facts don't lie, the Bucs have the worst red zone efficiency of any team in the playoff race.

Who knows what Atlanta will show us?  There is always a school of thought that getting rid of an unpopular coach could release the fire in a team.  SPF doubts it.  Much like the Redskins tank job after Sean Taylor's murder, emotional outpourings are usually for movies, not real life.

Tennessee (7-6, 3-3 away)
Kansas City (4-9, 2-5 home)
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Tennessee finished 8-8 last year and barely missed the playoffs.  Running the table may still not get them in, but they need to do so anyway.

The Titans only need to finish strong with a sweep of their last three games to make the playoffs.  Yes, Cleveland and Jacksonville would finish ahead of them by winning out, but that seems like an unlikely scenario.  SPF already believes that Jax won't even win in Pittsburgh this weekend.

The Titans have supposedly easy games against KC this week and the hapless Jets next weekend.  They finish against the Colts who may have nothing to play for in the final week, their playoff spot likely already decided.

Let's see if Fisher and company can take a quantum leap by finishing out with a flourish.

Arizona (6-7, 2-5 away)
New Orleans (6-7, 2-4 home)
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This is a huge test for the Saints.  The Cards are one of the NFC's playoff pretenders.  They have no meaningful wins.  Their record is a reflection of being the one of the worst divisions in football.

New Orleans needs to make quick work of this team and show that they are not a pretender as well.

Baltimore (4-9, 1-5 away)
Miami (0-13, 0-6 home)
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As if the Dolphins needed any more distractions, now there are reports that owner Wayne Huizenga is selling the team.  (SPF has a lot more to say about this development.  We can assure you of that!)

People keep expecting the winless Dolphins to sneak up and get a win, but SPF thinks that is unlikely.  No team in the NFL wants to lose to the Dolphins right now.  We've already seen two low echelon teams (Oakland and the Jets) both come into Dolphin Stadium and trounce the Fins.  No one wants to be worse than a winless team, especially a bad team.

0-16 looks well within sight.  The unbeaten Pats and the "playing for pride" Bengals await on the other side. 

The Dolphins are poised to make history again!

Seattle (9-4, 3-3 away)
Carolina (5-8, 1-5 home)
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Seattle is a bad division leader much like their AFC counterpart in San Diego.  Carolina can make a big statement by winning this game.

John Fox appears gone, but they can make a statement to close out the season.  The Panthers finish with three playoff-bound teams and host two at home.  If the Panthers can win 2 of 3, maybe Fox will get a reprieve.  SPF thinks the Panthers are only an imaginative OC and a healthy QB away from being back in the playoffs.

If they go 0-3, Fox will be gone. 

Knowing that the Cowboys (who need every win to stay in front of Green Bay for home field throughout the playoffs) are a likely loss for the Panthers in the remaining three games, the Seattle game is critical in Fox's effort to return as coach.

It will be interesting to see how the team responds to their coach's desperate situation.

Green Bay (11-2, 5-1 away)
St. Louis (3-10, 1-5 home)
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Marc Bulger is back under center.  Stephen Jackson is playing as well.  Despite the disparity in the records of these two teams, the Rams SHOULD stay very competitive in this game.  Since their bye week, the Rams have gone 3-2 with one of the losses in the final seconds to Seattle with backup Gus Frerotte as the starter and the other was last week with scout team QB Brock Berlin starting.

The Rams have already announce that coach Scott Linehan is back.  Their reasoning is that the team has had too many injuries to blame him for their poor record and 0-8 start.

This game is a test of that theory.  SPF is calling on the Rams to win this game.  They should based on the evidence.  If they don't win or at least come within a hair of winning, Linehan's job security should be revisited.  We're not sold on him.  The Rams are hurting in this fine sports market.  Patience can only be a virtue for so long.

Philadelphia (5-8, 3-3 away)
Dallas (12-1, 6-1 home)
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One of Dallas' finest accomplishments has been the way that they have quickly dispatched with their division rivals.  Usually, the NFC East has a way of beating up on one another.  The Redskins have let that plague them all season.

Dallas has been under Philly's thumb for several years now.  They don't like that.  Expect a blowout.

Indianapolis (11-2, 6-1 away)
Oakland (4-9, 2-4 home)
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Indy knows what's at stake.  They have to take care of business this week since they end with Houston and Tennessee, two division teams that are nipping at their heels.

Expect Oakland to face an onslaught much like the one Baltimore witnessed last week.

Washington (6-7, 2-4 away)
New York Giants (9-4, 3-3 home)
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Redskins fans are a loyal bunch.  They are still talking playoffs.

A game between these two teams will always get a big rating because of their respective markets, but this game will also tell something about the respective teams.  Redskins QB Todd Collins understands Al Saunders' system far better than any QB on their roster.  If he can rack up another good game and win, the Redskins can start focusing on the future. 

If they lay an egg on the road to the playoff contending Giants, then the team must start questioning the entire approach that they have taken over the last two years.

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