NFL Picks Week 15: Predicting Winners for Every Key Game

This week in pro football sure has some great matchups and a lot more than usual have playoff implications. With only four of the possible 12 playoff spots clinched, there's quite a few teams in each conference battling for the final eight.

To that end, here are the five biggest games of Week 15 that will have the biggest affect on the 2012 NFL postseason seedings.

Seattle at Chicago

Thanks to a late season surge as well as the Lions having gone 3-5 the last eight weeks, the Seattle Seahawks are still alive for the postseason.

This week the Seahawks play at Chicago, where we see a struggling Bears team unable to overcome some serious injuries or even play a full game (as evidence by their three-game losing streak).

Well, the Seahawks have been a scrappy bunch based on having two big wins over the Giants and Ravens, so it's clear they're capable of besting superior teams. Chicago still has a solid rushing attack, but it's uncertain as to whether RB Marion Barber can carry the load.

Additionally, they've lacked a passing game all season and the defense has been inconsistent to say the least. Seattle's rushing attack with RB Marshawn Lynch has been menacing defenses and their solid pass defense knows how to lock it down.

The Bears may have the better special teams play, but Devin Hester and Robbie Gould alone won't beat Seattle who's very close to becoming a complete team. Expect the Hawks to stack the box and play press coverage while feeding the beast on offense to wear down The Monsters of the Midway.

Winner: Seahawks

Detroit at Oakland

It would be an understatement to say that the Lions 3-5 record since beginning 5-0 was a vehement disappointment.

Much of the same can be said about the Raiders who were at 7-4 just a few weeks ago, but now sit at 7-6 and one game back of Denver in the AFC West.

Last week, Oakland was bit hard by the cheese-heads and Detroit barely managed to oust an Adrian Peterson-less Vikings team. So, expect a lot of work on the ground for Oakland who still has the NFL's No. 6 ranked rushing offense (average almost 140 yards per game).

As for the Lions, they've had trouble stopping solid rushing teams all year and allow 136 yards per game (rank No. 27). The question in this game however, is the way in which Oakland defends Detroit.

Obviously we have to expect a double-team on Calvin Johnson, but QB Matthew Stafford is good enough to dish the rock elsewhere. The Raiders will be tested as well, since they allow over 230 pass yards per game and that is the Lions' strength.

All that said, Detroit has been struggling with consistency as of late and the Raiders still know how to run the ball. Oakland wins thanks to a stud ground game and keeps the Lions offense off the field.

Winner: Raiders

New England at Denver

The matchup between New England and Denver is arguably the game of the week. Let's just hope that the Broncos don't bust out those ugly-ass uniforms ever again.

Anyway, here we have Tom Brady going up against Tim Tebow in what's considered to be a colossal matchup, as evidence by Denver's six-game surge and New England fighting for another top AFC seed.

What's interesting about this game is that we have the NFL's No. 31-ranked pass offense (Broncos) against the No. 32-ranked pass defense (Patriots). So, the intriguing chess match will surely be when Denver's offense is on the field.

As for when Brady takes center stage, his No. 2-ranked pass offense will most definitely attack Denver's No. 16-ranked pass defense. Here though, the Broncos also have an excellent pass rush in Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil to attack Brady.

He's been sacked quite a bit this season and that is the key for The Orange Crush in this game. Also, the Broncos must control the clock offensively however, they must score. New England is going to put up a lot of points if Tebow doesn't get Denver up early on and help out the defense.

Let's put it this way, all the Pats' have to score is 17-to-24 points and they win this game.

Winner: Patriots

Pittsburgh at San Francisco

For the San Francisco 49ers, this is a statement game. After losing to Arizona on the road, it's no surprise to see how vulnerable they truly are.

The Cardinals exploited their pass defense and forced Alex Smith to beat them. Hence, the recipe to beat the 2011 49ers. Therefore, expect Pittsburgh to do just that.

Coach Dick LeBeau's Steel Curtain defense will stack the box against RB Frank Gore and play physical coverage on each of Alex Smith's receiving targets, not to mention a barrage of blitzes every series.

You shutdown Gore (or at least limit his production even a little), Smith has to perform in order for Frisco to have a chance. As for when the Steelers have the rock, being that Arizona sliced the Niners with John Skelton, even a banged up Ben Roethlisberger will do well.

None of San Fran's DBs can cover Mike Wallace one-on-one and provide that Big Ben can move a little bit, his mobility will help. This game is in the 49ers' defense hands because slowing Pittsburgh's passing game is the key.

Unfortunately for coach Jim Harbaugh's squad, Pittsburgh's defense is the much better unit and they are the difference.

Winner: Steelers

NY Jets at Philadelphia

It's easily the biggest long-shot of 2011, but the Philadelphia Eagles are still in the playoff hunt. Right now Philly sits in the No. 11 spot in the NFC and can still sneak in at 8-8.

First off, the Cardinals and Seahawks must lose at least twice more, and the Bears and Lions must lose out. The Eagles don't have the tiebreaker over Seattle, Arizona, or Chicago however, they can win it over Detroit based on strength of victory.

The Cowboys are a moot point as the Eagles already beat them once and need to beat them again, so that's another tiebreaker. Moving on to the Jets, it's a much easier situation as Gang Green is the current AFC No. 6 seed and control their own destiny.

As for the game, the Eagles must run the ball to win. The Jets weakness is defending the run and Philly struggles with the passing game.

New York, on the other hand, needs to keep a balanced attack. They're not good enough to control the game in one dimension, but if the ground game sets up Mark Sanchez then he can be effective against the Eagles' secondary.

The x-factor here is Jets WR Plaxico Burress. If the Jets can get inside the red zone, all Sanchez has to do is toss one up because he's too big and tall for any Eagle DB to jump with him.

Winner: Jets

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27