Heading into Sunday night's battle with the twice-beaten Giants, the controversial Cowboys shouldn't have had a chance, even if they were playing at home in Dallas. They were coming off a disheartening loss in the final moments to the Steelers, the Eagles were breathing down their necks in the wild card race, and Terrell Owens and Jason Witten were headed for an episode of Dr. Phil. So what did they do? They harassed Eli Manning and downed the defending-champions rather easily to improve their playoff chances and momentarily to put bed any rumors of a season-ending civil war. They aren?t out of the woods yet ? not with the Ravens and Eagles upcoming, the Buccaneers and Falcons threatening, and Owens still more than capable of stirring something up. But, they now have control of their own destiny. Win out, and they?re in. The Downs First Down?Set Up For 2009? The Seahawks are pretty bad at 3-11, but they have played tough against some very good teams and could rebound in 2009 under ?new? head coach Jim Mora Jr. If anything, their myriad of injuries has made their group of receivers stronger, and Julius Jones has been much better than I expected he would be in Seattle. Matt Hasselbeck also has more than enough time to figure out exactly what is wrong with his back, and get back to 100% by the start of training camp. The 49ers could be on the rise next season as well, but who?s to say that the Seahawks can?t make 2008 look like an aberration? Second Down?Hooray For Cassel There probably wasn?t much celebrating by Matt Cassel after the Patriots? victory against the Raiders on Sunday, but at the very least he did his late father proud with an incredibly gutsy performance. The system certainly doesn?t hurt, but not everyone can go out and throw four touchdowns in the NFL. What ? Tarvaris Jackson did it? OK, maybe it?s not that hard after all. If Cassel is able to play half as well against the Cardinals and Bills in consecutive weeks, New England will likely make the playoffs. Such a feat didn?t appear possible fifteen weeks ago when Tom Brady went down against Kansas City. Ain?t the NFL whacky? Third Down?The Chargers Are Alive It didn?t appear possible two weeks ago, but the Chargers are somehow still in the AFC playoff hunt. After feasting on Oakland and Kansas City, San Diego is two games behind Denver with two to play. The odds are still against them, but if they down the Buccaneers on Sunday, and the Broncos fall to the Bills, the Week 17 battle between the two teams will be for all the marbles. The incredible comeback they staged against the Chiefs was inspiring, and could symbolize a turned corner, but those types of games have to come earlier than mid-December. Every one of their eight losses has come by fewer than ten points, and each one of them is burning a little deeper as they cling to hope in the dismal AFC West. Fourth Down?Lions Down To Two Games The Lions have two games remaining on their schedule to avoid a winless season, and they are against perhaps the most beatable opponents they have faced in quite some time. After playing the Saints this weekend, they?ll travel to Green Bay to battle the Packers in the season finale. Both teams are out of the playoff hunt, and neither has much to play for right now. Detroit?s Rod Marinelli has already named Dan Orlovsky the starter for this weekend?s game, and that bodes well for the NFL?s only winless team. Orlovsky has put the team in position to win multiple times, and they play their best football when he?s on the field. You may want to sit down for this, but the Lions will win on Sunday, avoiding a lifetime of embarrassment. The ?Who The Heck? Statline of the Week? Dennis Northcutt, Jaguars WR: five catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. Keyboard Prediction for Week Sixteen New Orleans @ Detroit, Sunday 1:00 PM EST Why stray from the prediction I?ve already made? The Lions are hungry for a win, and almost got one against the superior Colts on Sunday. I?ve already stated that they play better with Dan Orlovsky as the starter, and he?ll have all week to go through first-team snaps with the offense. New Orleans is reeling, and there is controversy brewing between Reggie Bush and coach Sean Payton. Bush?s status for the game isn?t yet known, but Pierre Thomas figures to be the feature back regardless. After being eliminated from the playoff picture last week, the Saints could come out flat. They will, and Ford Field will rock for the first, and only, time this season. The Keyboard Prediction: Lions 23, Saints 17 Season Record: 9-6 My Fantasy Diary: The Drew Crew were officially off in Week 15 thanks to a well-deserved bye in the first round of the playoffs. With no opponent, the team put up 112.2 points, a very good haul. In the semifinals of the East Coast Pigskin playoffs, I?ll face The Rugrats, who absolutely destroyed The Little Ponies to advance last week. Let?s see how this matchup looks. Rugrats vs. Drew Crew Peyton Manning vs. Philip Rivers Steve Slaton vs. Thomas Jones Pierre Thomas vs. Joseph Addai (or Ryan Grant) Steve Smith vs. Bernard Berrian Reggie Wayne vs. Santonio Holmes Tony Gonzalez vs. Dallas Clark Matt Prater vs. Ryan Longwell Giants D/ST vs. Eagles D/ST Pray for me, I want this badly. Week One Record: 4-1 Week Two Record: 4-1 Week Three Record: 1-4 Week Four Record: 3-2 Week Five Record: 2-3 Week Six Record: 4-1 Week Seven Record: 3-2 Week Eight Record: 4-1 Week Nine Record: 3-2 Week Ten Record: 2-3 Week Eleven Record: 0-5 Week Twelve Record: 3-2 Week Thirteen Record: 5-0 Week Fourteen Record: 1-2 Week Fourteen Playoff Record: 0-2 Regular Season Record: 39-29 (.573) Playoff Record: 0-3 (.000) Top Ten Fantasy Starters At Each Position For Week Sixteen Based On Prior Week Performance And Matchups Because the fantasy playoffs are upon us, I?m completely disregarding any player with a mid-to-serious injury. Now isn?t the time to take chances. Quarterbacks 1. Kurt Warner, Arizona 2. Drew Brees, New Orleans 3. Philip Rivers, San Diego 4. Jay Cutler, Denver 5. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis 5. Matt Cassel, New England 6. Tony Romo, Dallas 7. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia 8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay 9. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets 10. Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants Running Backs 1. Michael Turner, Atlanta 2. Thomas Jones, N.Y. Jets 3. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina 4. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota 5. Clinton Portis, Washington 6. Steve Slaton, Houston 7. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville 8. Chris Johnson, Tennessee 9. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia 10. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Wide Receivers 1. Andre Johnson, Houston 2. Calvin Johnson, Detroit 3. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona 4. Roddy White, Atlanta 5. Steve Smith, Carolina 6. Anquan Boldin, Arizona 7. Randy Moss, New England 8. Greg Jennings, Green Bay 9. Terrell Owens, Dallas 10. Bernard Berrian, Minnesota Tight Ends 1. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City 2. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis 3. Jason Witten, Dallas 4. Antonio Gates, San Diego 5. John Carlson, Seattle 6. Owen Daniels, Houston 7. Chris Cooley, Washington 8. Zach Miller, Oakland 9. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota 10. Dustin Keller, N.Y. Jets Kickers 1. Rob Bironas, Tennessee 2. Stephen Gostkowski, New England 3. John Carney, New York 4. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota 5. Jason Elam, Atlanta 6. Rian Lindell, Buffalo 7. Mason Crosby, Green Bay 8. Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay 9. John Kasay, Carolina 10. Jeff Reed, Pittsburgh Defense/Special Teams 1. Baltimore Ravens 2. Pittsburgh Steelers 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4. Tennessee Titans 5. New York Giants 6. Minnesota Vikings 7. New York Jets 8. Chicago Bears 9. Philadelphia Eagles 10. Dallas Cowboys Predictions, Fantasy Stories, or Comments? [email protected]