There is no greater time to try to get into this competition than right now, as every week you beat me gives you another opportunity at that big cash prize at the end of the year. Let's get started right now with my Week 16 picks…

Detroit Lions @ Miami Dolphins (-3.5) – I know that every single person and their brother is going to think that the Lions are going to find a way to win yet another road game, while the floundering Fins just continue to be mired in their own sorrow, but I have to remember that this is just a case of the Lions being the Lions. Would you really want to back this team with QB Matt Stafford in this spot? What about with QB Shaun Hill? No? Then why are you doing it with QB Drew Stanton? Miami -3.5

Washington Redskins (+7) @ Jacksonville Jaguars – You might as well just flip a dang coin in this game. Who knows which Washington offense is going to show up in this one… The one where a quarterback didn't throw for two TDs in the same game for over two month of the season, or the bizarre one that saw QB Rex Grossman score four TDs. Sexy Rexy is coming back to the Sunshine State, and he really might be ready to shine when push comes to shove. So what the hell… Gimme Washington +7.

San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams (-1.5) – For the love of god, please let St. Louis win this game so we at least have a chance of the NFC West winner finishing at .500… St. Louis -1.5

Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs (-5) – This line makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. The Titans are only still technically in the playoff race because they have ran into teams that are more dysfunctional than they are right now. Have we forgotten that, contrary to popular belief, the Chiefs are a fully functional team? KC moves within one win of shocking the world and winning the AFC West. Kansas City -5

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns (+3.5) – When I see 81% of the people on one side of a game and the line really hasn't moved all that much, you better believe that I'm playing the other side. Cleveland has been playing the last month of this season for the right to spoil the seasons of the Ravens and Steelers. The Browns will nip of these two teams in the butt and cost one of the them the division title. Baltimore is the team in my opinion. Cleveland +3.5

New York Jets @ Chicago Bears (-1) – Toughest game of the day, by far. New York is in a spot where it really isn't going to need this game if the chips fall properly around it, and though it is going to be trying to improve on the best road record in the league at 6-1, it isn't going to figure it out. I think the Bears are too tough… but then again, I just can't stand backing the Bears on a regular basis. This one could go either way, but I'll take Chicago -1 and curse myself later if QB Jay Cutler throws four picks in typical Jay Cutler fashion.

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills (+9) – Yuck. If there is a team out there that I hate to back more than the Bears, it's the Bills. In fairness, these guys have been absolute gold to NFL bettors over the course of the last couple months, and that's because of the play of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. This is the biggest game of the year in Buffalo, and the Bills would love nothing more than to pull the upset. New England knows that it is going to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC at some point one way or the other. We know that the Pats are mortal, and it is encouraging to me that the Bills already hung around in this series once this year, before they got on a roll. Grab Buffalo +9.

San Diego Chargers (-9) @ Cincinnati Bengals – Who dey gonna stop dem Bengals? Everybody, apparently. The Bolts have kicked it into gear and look like an absolutely unbeatable team right now, but they know that they need to make a stand to have any chance of getting into the playoffs. A loss would be hilarious and would be well worth my money. However, I'll put my money where San Diego's mouth should be and back the Bolts -9.

Indianapolis Colts @ Oakland Raiders (+2) – The Raiders aren't in the greatest playoff positioning in the world right now, but they are in a position where they can really spoil the season for the Colts. Indy looks beatable and might be ready to fall from its throne atop the AFC South. Don't be shocked if Oakland +2 comes in for an outright upset.

Houston Texans (-2.5) @ Denver Broncos – Here's the biggest dog game of the day. The Texans look like a team just going through the motions right now, but just as they figured out how to beat the crap out of Rusty Smith and the Titans, they'll figure out how to beat QB Tim Tebow and his gimmick offense and the Broncos. Houston -2.5

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers (-3) – QB Aaron Rodgers is back, but who really knows whether he is going to be able to play at the highest level this week after coming back from his second concussion of the season. The Pack still have revenge on their side in this one, as they know that they can really do some damage to the playoff lives of the G-Men with a victory here. New York might clinch a playoff berth with a win, but I'm still going with Green Bay -3.

Seattle Seahawks (+6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Do I need to say anything else about the Seahawks aside from the fact that I clearly have a man crush on this team. Seattle +6

Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles (-14.5) – Remember to make your tiebreaker picks in this game!!! There really doesn't seem to be a tremendous desire for anyone to back the Vikes in this game, and there's good reason for it. QB Michael Vick is an MVP candidate. QB Joe Webb is surely to be an MVP candidate in the CFL sometime soon. There is just a discrepancy in this game so great that there really isn't a way that the Vikes hang in this one. There isn't a line high enough to keep me from taking Philadelphia -14.5.

There is no greater time to try to get into this competition than right now, as every week you beat me gives you another opportunity at that big cash prize at the end of the year. Let's get started right now with my Week 15 picks…

Kansas City Chiefs (-2) @ St. Louis Rams – Call me a sucker. Call me a contrarian. Call me whatever you want. The Chiefs are just a better team in this game, and I tend to think that the oddsmakers are trying to trap you by giving you a sexy looking line on a St. Louis team that, on paper, feels like it should be favored in this one. QB Matt Cassel will hopefully suit up, but whether he does or not, I tend to think that RB Jamaal Charles and RB Thomas Jones are going to be in for big time days. I'm just not a believer that the Rams are actually getting into the playoffs. Thus, give me Kansas City -2.

Houston Texans (+1) @ Tennessee Titans – Haven't we seen this script for the Texans before? Like, every single season? The team gets down to the point that it basically can't make the playoffs, and then it flips the season, finishes with a .500 record, and saves Head Coach Gary Kubiak's job. Good news for Houston fans, though. Even if he does finish 8-8, unless he happens to win the AFC South with that record (good luck), Kubiak is toast regardless. Still, the rest of the script is probably going to remain exactly the same. Houston +1

Jacksonville Jaguars (+5) @ Indianapolis Colts – Will it be 100% of you mere mortals that are backing the Colts, or just the mass majority of you? Think for just one second, if you would, if the quarterback in this game were Drew Brees, not Peyton Manning. Same guy in terms of on field talent, right? We'd look at this game and say, "Wow, Jacksonville is just so much of a better team than Indy is," and love jumping all over this five point spread. However, we don't say that. We say, "Wow, there's no way that Peyton Freaking Manning isn't making the playoffs!" I beg to differ. Manning is past the point in his career and doesn't have the pieces to the puzzle around him to really make that much of a difference. Jacksonville is winning this game and winning it outright. Gimme the Jags +5.

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers (-2.5) – Skelton! Clausen! It's the NFL on Fox!!! Really, if the oddsmakers have the balls to make a 1-12 team a favorite in any situation, I just have to roll with the punches. Either I look like a genius, or I come back to myself next week, laugh at why I laid 2.5 points with a 1-12 team, and move on. It's too funny not to do, so I'll take Carolina -2.5.

Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) – Haha. Same situation. Same exact situation. Just replace 1-12 with 2-11 and 2.5 points to 1.5 points. Why the hell not? Cincinnati -1.5

Buffalo Bills (+5.5) @ Miami Dolphins – Miami's going to find a way to blow this, right? I mean really, can I lay 5.5 points with a team that has exactly two offensive touchdowns in its last two games combined? Really? The Bills have only been beaten once by more than three points in the last two months, and I tend to think that that's going to continue. However, if I had my guess, I won't be needing the 5.5 points. Something tells me that the Dolphins are hitting the self-destruct button just as they did last year against the Houston Texans in a very similar spot. Buffalo +5.5

Philadelphia Eagles (+2.5) @ New York Giants – Is it just me, or should this game have been played in primetime this week? The Eagles are good enough to come on the road and win a game like this one, and I could really see it happening. If QB Michael Vick thinks that he is an MVP this year, he can come on the road and take out a New York team that has been known to struggle at times when faced with stiff challenges. Without WR Steve Smith in the lineup, we could be due for another one of these games for QB Eli Manning in which he throws for 340 yards and three scores, but gets picked off three times as well. In what should be the de facto NFC East title game, gimme Philadelphia +2.5.

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys (-6) – Remember when this series used to mean something every single year? Not this year. Dallas remembers the beginning of the season when the Redskins smacked it around thanks to that holding penalty at the end of the game. Memories like that just don't go away, and when you've got two teams that have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, you look for any motivation you can find. Dallas is 5-0 ATS under Head Coach Jason Garrett. Make it 6-0 and take Dallas -6 on Sunday.

Detroit Lions @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5) – The Bucs are limping towards staying in the race in the NFC playoffs, but they keep finding teams like this one to put on the schedule. They had no business beating a very similar Washington Redskins crew last week, and now they must be very, very careful. I know that the Lions played well last week against the Green Bay Packers, but in the end, this is still a team that has lost 25 consecutive games on the road. Though it would be poetic justice if the team that streak ended with was the team with the longest losing streak all time in this league (Tampa Bay once had 26 straight losses), it just isn't happening. I'll take Tampa Bay -5.5.

New Orleans Saints (+1) @ Baltimore Ravens – Toughest call on the entire board. If you're a fan of super teasers, I've got the streak for you! The Ravens haven't been beaten by more than eight points at home in a game since 2007… or basically, since they've been good in the post-Trent Dilfer era. That being said, I just can't do it. There's something screaming to me about this New Orleans team, as the Saints have won six in a row. They know that they are going to have to play on the road in the playoffs, and they know that they have the biggest game of the year next week against the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome. Even if 13-3 doesn't turn out to be good enough to win the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, that would send a huge message to everyone else in the league. The defending champs are back to try to regain the Lombardi Trophy again. Take New Orleans +1.

Atlanta Falcons @ Seattle Seahawks (+7) – One of these days, I'm going to learn that betting against the Falcons and betting on the Seahawks (or any team from the NFC West for that matter) are both very, very bad ideas. But for whatever reason, I chose not to learn for this one. Going with Seattle +7.

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-6) – Aren't the Jets due to make us really think that they're done? I mean really, that's what happened last year when Head Coach Rex Ryan thought that his team was eliminated from the playoffs, and then when they got in, he promptly said that his team should be favored to win the Super Bowl. Damn if he wasn't nearly right about it, too! Still, Pittsburgh is just too tough of a town to play ball in, especially when you're a playoff contending team. The Steelers just live for games like this, and they'll find a way to win by two scores. Pittsburgh -6

Denver Broncos (+6.5) @ Oakland Raiders – Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. Tim Tebow. It sure sounds like the legendary Florida Gator is going to try his best to make winners out of a miserable team on Sunday, but if there is one man that has the inspirational tools to do just that, this is the guy. Oh yeah, it's not going to help Oakland that it ran up the score and dropped 59 on the Broncos in Mile High. Gotta take the points in this one and go with Denver +6.5 even though the Broncos don't have any pulse whatsoever right now.

Green Bay Packers (OTB) @ New England Patriots – Remember to make your tiebreaker picks in this game!!! No picks on this game, as we don't know whether QB Aaron Rodgers is going to be healthy enough to give it a whirl or not after suffering his second concussion of the year. Do remember to make your tiebreaker total picks, but there's no action on this game.

There is no greater time to try to get into this competition than right now, as every week you beat me gives you another opportunity at that big cash prize at the end of the year. Let's get started right now with my Week 14 picks…

Oakland Raiders @ Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5) – There's something about the way that the Jags are playing right now that I like. They're running the ball well, they're playing the stoutest defense that they have played in quite some time, and they just feel like a winning team. They're really going to win the AFC South, something that even myself, the smartest of NFL pundits, never would have thought at the start of the year. This is a tough, tough test for Oakland to come all the way to the East Coast in an early start time game, and I just don't see it being able to hang for the full 60 minutes. Take Jacksonville -3.5.

Cincinnati Bengals (+9) @ Pittsburgh Steelers – This is a horrifying letdown spot for the Steelers this week at home, and the oddsmakers have put us into a perfect trap because of it. The Bengals really don't have many games left to get up for this season, and though they have lost about 174 games in a row, this is one that they are going to want to use their best in. They can throw the ball all over the field with QB Carson Palmer, and that is the one chance to win this one against the iffy Pittsburgh secondary. If Palmer gets some time, this one could be remotely interesting, especially with the Steelers in a bad scheduling spot after the SNF win over the Ravens. Cincinnati +9

New England Patriots @ Chicago Bears (+3) – Here we go again. The Bears are getting disrespected at home against a team that it might be better than. I'm sorry, the Pats aren't nearly this good. Perception is high as a kite on them because of that ridiculous 45-3 beat down that was issued to the New York Jets last Monday Night Football. This is a brutal road game and a test that will not easily be passed. Chicago just keeps finding ways to win games, whether by hook or by crook. It might have to be by crook in this one, but the Bears get it done again. Chicago +3

Cleveland Browns (+1) @ Buffalo Bills – Let me just get my snooze button out for this one, and hopefully I'll sleep for the whole three hours that it is on TV… Actually, this game is remotely intriguing to me, because these two teams, in spite of the fact that they stink, play some entertaining football at times. RB Peyton Hillis is the difference maker in this one. The Bills have not fared well against power running games all season long, and if that remains the case, they aren't going to survive for their third victory of the season against a Cleveland team that has already nailed down a few really big road wins on the year, including last week against the Miami Dolphins. I'm taking Cleveland +1.

New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) – Sometimes, you just have to let sleeping dogs lie, and perhaps I should be doing just that with the Giants on Sunday, but I just love this spot for the Vikes. They're back at home once again, and QB Brett Favre (whom you absolutely know is not sitting this one out) wants to make one last charge to see if he can really get his team to claw all the way back from a 3-7 start to the season to at least finish .500. I'm also not all that convinced that the G-Men are all that good this year, as they really haven't beaten any tremendous teams with consistency. It's a rough road trip. I wish I was getting the full field goal, but I'll have to settle for taking Minnesota +2.5 instead.

Green Bay Packers (-6.5) @ Detroit Lions – Ugh, I am so sick and tired of these damn Lions! These guys feel like they are blowing me up each and every week, and now they're going it with guys like RB Maurice Morris and QB Drew Stanton. That's right. Drew Freaking Stanton. Hopefully, Mr. Clay Matthews introduces himself to Stanton a few times on the afternoon in this one. The Green Bay defense has played too well on the road this year to be toppled like this, and as long as things don't fall apart at the seam offensively, there is no reason to think that the 'O' can't put together a 400+ yard performance with at least 28 on the board against the Lions. I'll stick with Green Bay -6.5.

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers (+7.5) – Call me crazy (go ahead…. "You're crazy!"), but I kinda think the Panthers can win this game… outright… I don't know why. I just do. This is probably the last stand for Head Coach John Fox, as this is the last truly meaningful game on the slate in all likelihood for the Panthers, and he would love nothing more than to at least make a case for his future job somewhere else if he can take this one down and give his team in black and blue something to be happy about. If all else fails, at least I have 7.5 points on my side… Carolina +7.5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Redskins (+2) – For my money, this is the toughest call on the board all week long. The Bucs really, really need this game, while Washington is finished, but there is something about the way that Tampa Bay finished that game last week against the Atlanta Falcons that is disturbing to me. I just don't think that it has a great comeback to get into the playoffs in it. Head Coach Raheem Morris should be proud of his men for sticking around in the race this long, but the Bucs are finished. Take Washington +2.

St. Louis Rams (+9) @ New Orleans Saints – Preseason football doesn't mean much to me, but the most vivid memory I have of the 2010 preseason was seeing QB Sam Bradford with his head held high in Gillette Stadium as his Rams beat the New England Patriots in the third game of the preseason, the one that the starters usually play at least three quarters of. Bradford and this St. Louis team are special and deserve to get into the playoffs this year. New Orleans is going to find a way to squeak this one out, but its home struggles are going to come back to rear their ugly head once again, as St. Louis +9 proves to be the right play.

Seattle Seahawks (+5.5) @ San Francisco 49ers – Hey oddsmakers, give me a break, will ya? It's absolutely ridiculous, with the season on the line or not, that the 49ers are laying 5.5 points against anyone in the NFL, even the Seahawks, who are about as effective on the road as the Arizona Cardinals have been anywhere this year. QB Matt Hasselbeck and company were booed off the field at halftime against the Carolina Panthers, but then they stormed to 31 unanswered points to put the worst team in the NFL away. Now, they'll use that momentum to help put the biggest disappointment in the NFL away as well. Seattle +5.5

Miami Dolphins (+5.5) @ New York Jets – This one just seems to be a close game waiting to happen. The Dolphins have been a stingy team all season long, particularly on the road, and especially against really good teams like New York. The Jets think that they have moved on from that 45-3 debacle against the New England Patriots, but I'm not totally sure that they can win this one by a TD. New York will come away with a victory I think, but the play for me is on the Dolphins +5.5, as they really know that a loss in this one ends their season.

Denver Broncos @ Arizona Cardinals (+5.5) – What. Ever. Hopefully the Broncos continue to get what they deserve for hiring HC Josh McDaniels in the first place. About the only intrigue right now in Denver is the fact that Florida Gators HC Urban Meyer quit just two days after McDaniels was canned. Does anyone aside from me see the parallels here? Oh, the game? C'mon, do you REALLY care? Arizona +5.5.

Kansas City Chiefs (+7) @ San Diego Chargers – Is there going to be a squarer team on the schedule this week than the Chargers? I mean, really. San Diego has its entire season on the line, knowing that it will be mathematically eliminated from the postseason with a defeat, while Kansas City is starting to crumble just a bit and had its quarterback in the emergency room getting his appendix removed on Wednesday night. KC is winning this game, and it is finding a way to win it outright by shoving the ball right down the Chargers' throats, just like the Oakland Raiders did last week. I don't need the points, but I'll take Kansas City +7 anyway.

Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) @ Dallas Cowboys – Remember to make your tiebreaker picks in this game!!! The Eagles are laying 3.5 points against a team that has looked absolutely unstoppable since interim Head Coach Jason Garrett took over, but we tend to believe that it is justified. QB Michael Vick threw a second INT last week against the Houston Texans, but that was a game that was really in control for the most part from start to finish with just one hiccup in the middle in the third quarter. Philly has everything rolling right now, and as long as its defense doesn't totally collapse under the pressure of playing on MNF in "Big D," the Eagles are going to fly high and pull out a big time win. Philadelphia -3.5