NFL Playoff Predictions: Contenders Who Will Fail Down the Stretch

With just two weeks remaining in the NFL season, every game matters, and one loss could send you home unhappy.

There are several contenders still in the playoff hunt but only a few playoff spots open.

Here are three playoff contenders who will fail down the stretch.

3. San Diego Chargers (7-7)

The Chargers may have won their last three games, but I'm not buying them soaring into the playoffs.

In the last three games, they've beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars and Bills are bad teams, and the Ravens have proven to be susceptible to letdowns from time to time this season, including against the Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.

I expect the Chargers to lose to the Detroit Lions in Week 16, and that's all it will take to drop them from the playoffs.

2. New York Giants (7-7)

After starting 6-2, the Giants have fallen back down to earth, and they are dangerously close to falling out of the playoffs for the second straight season.

They won a squeaker against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, then quarterback Eli Manning let the team down against the Washington Redskins in Week 16.

The Giants will at least lose to the Cowboys in Week 17, and they have a good chance of losing to the New York Jets in Week 16 as well.

1. Chicago Bears (7-7)

After advancing to the NFC Championship Game last season, it's highly unlikely the Bears will even make the playoffs this season.

The Bears got on a roll in the middle of the season with quarterback Jay Cutler, but when he went down with an injury, everything fell apart.

The Bears have to win their next two games to even have a shot at a playoff spot, and there's no way they're beating the Green Bay Packers in Week 16.