Playoffs, playoffs, playoffs.
That's the logline of Week 15. Every game on the slate has playoff implications, save for Broncos at Colts, which carries serious draft weight. The other 15 matchups will influence postseason schematics, from major heavyweight bouts (Patriots at Steelers) to the, well, less relevant (Cardinals at Redskins). While it would take some combination of warp drive and the return of the Borg for the Cards to find their way into the playoffs, they can still technically transport their way to a sixth seed. Then there are all the important games in between, from the return of Aaron Rodgers in Carolina to keep the Packers in the mix, to the return of Nick Foles as a starting quarterback for the Eagles in New Jersey. Fun matchups, too, like Cowboys at Raiders, which we don't see often.
Besides the fact that Dallas and Oakland are still alive in the postseason race, their respective histories make this a faceoff of iconic brands. The ironic side of that is, despite all of the shared success, the Cowboys and Raiders have never shared a Super Bowl field. What really makes that (black) hole in league history fascinating is that each team was in its league/conference championship game in 1967, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977 and 1980 -- and yet, not once did both franchises advance. That last season, Al Davis' Raiders won it all, but Dallas had taken them down in December.
You can read more below about Raiders-Cowboysregular-season history below, as well as how the teams' Sunday affair might play out. You'll also see who else will improve their January prospects this weekend. Your predictions are welcome right now: @HarrisonNFL is the place.
Now, let's get to it!
Elliot Harrison went 10-6 on his predictions for Week 14, giving him a record of 130-78 thus far this season. How will he fare in Week 15? His picks are below:
THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAME
Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter @HarrisonNFL.