NFL's Week 15 Pick'em: Off To the Races!

By Derek Lofland

After a 13-3 week, my 2008 record stands at 140-67 for a .676 percent clip.The race for a playoff spot is tightening up with three weeks left to play, and some matchups are more intriguing than others.

It all starts with the Thursday game that features two teams that are hanging in balance hoping to live yet another week by avoiding elimination.

Does Dallas have any gas left in the tank? Will Pittsburgh clinch this week? Can Atlanta still hope for a wild-card spot?

New Orleans (7-6) at Chicago (7-6): This is pretty much a NFC elimination game. The Bears can’t afford to lose more ground to the Vikings. The Saints are in last place in the competitive NFC South and cannot fall further behind. The weather is frightful in Chicago right now, and I am expecting a wet field with some wind.

New Orleans is not a good road team and is not built for cold weather. I like the Bears running game against the Saints defense, and I like the weather to be a 12th man for a bad Bears pass defense that will need all the help it can get to slow down Drew Brees.

Winner: Chicago

Tampa Bay (9-4) at Atlanta (8-5): I know Tampa Bay was run over, so the natural reaction is to pick Turner to have a big game against this wounded defense. I’m not seeing it. Tampa Bay held him in check in the first game. It desperately needs this game and has a lot of veterans that have been in this very situation.

Atlanta is still learning how to win. We saw that in New Orleans last week. Atlanta is at home and has only one loss there. This is a situation where I am taking the experienced team over the unproven team. I look for Tampa Bay’s run defense to return to its previous form and I look for the unthinkable, a NFC South team losing at home.

Winner: Tampa Bay

Minnesota (8-5) at Arizona (8-5): Minnesota stops the run well, but it doesn’t matter against Arizona. What matters is the 20th ranked pass defense going up against Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. Teams that have beaten Arizona have beaten them with the pass, something the Vikings are not very strong with.

The Vikings are also 3-4 on the road. The Cardinals are 5-1 at home. The matchups don’t favor Minnesota, although Adrian Peterson is the type of player that can make matchups irrelevant. Still, I look for Warner to have a big day in the air and for the Cardinals to get a big victory in terms of playoff seeding.

Winner: Arizona

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