In the Red Zone: Week 14 down, 3 to go Published Dec. 14, 2010 By Bryan Swink Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- It was fun to see natures affect on this week's games. The Bears got blasted on their own turf by the Patriots in a snow-filled game. Who would have thought the Vikings wouldn't be able to play in their in-door stadium because of the weather? The video of the roof collapsing in was quite a sight to see. The Patriots were the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season while the Falcons continue to maintain the #1 seed in the NFC. I am curious to see how the AFC South shapes up. If the Colts win out, they will win the division, but the Jaguars might have something to say about it this week. Let's look at how Week 15 shapes up. San Francisco at San Diego Both teams are coming off big wins last week and need another victory to stay in the hunt for their division playoff spot. The Chargers absolutely embarrassed the division Chiefs last week and improve their post-November record to 20-1 since 2006. The 49ers have been extremely sporadic and have struggled against good teams all season. I don't see San Francisco's defense stopping Philip Rivers. Swink's prediction: Chargers win at home Cleveland at Cincinnati Unlike the previously mentioned game, these two teams were embarrassed last week. I expected a better showing from Cleveland but wasn't surprised to see the Bengals offense struggle against the Steelers. The Bengals have now extended their impressive losing streak to 10 games. Cleveland gave them their first loss of this streak and I see them extending it. Swink's prediction: Browns win on the road Washington at Dallas Washington's special teams lost them the game last week. This week they travel to Dallas to play a Cowboy team that is playing much better than their record would suggest. It may be a long day for Donovan McNabb if the Cowboys front seven apply pressure to him like they did to Michael Vick last week. The Redskins have lost three straight games and the Cowboys have played much better over the last five weeks. Swink's prediction: Cowboys win at home Houston at Tennessee The bottom dwellers in the AFC South square off for a meaningless game. Three weeks ago the Titans were shutout in Houston and were dominated in every aspect of the game. I don't see this game playing out the same way but I do expect the Texans to win. Both teams have horrendous defenses that struggle against the pass and two high powered running backs. It could turn out to be an offensive shootout. Swink's prediction: Texans win on the road Jacksonville at Indianapolis Jacksonville keeps on trucking within the division but this week's game will determine if they are the real deal in the AFC South. If the Colts win, they will be tied for first place in the division and will hold the tiebreaker. Peyton Manning looks to have come out of his funk with an impressive performance last week against the Titans. He should have no problem carrying that momentum into this week's home game. Swink's prediction: Colts win at home Kansas City at St. Louis How bad do you think the Chiefs missed Matt Cassel last week in San Diego? If last week was any indicator, he is the heart and soul of that team. The Chargers are nipping at their heels for the division lead. If they win their remaining three games, they will lock up a playoff spot. The Rams on the other hand, are still tied for the division lead and could be the sole owner of the position with a win and a Seattle loss to Atlanta. Both teams need this win. Swink's prediction: Rams win at home Buffalo at Miami Miami is cherishing the Jets victory from last week but they better not overlook the feisty Bills team. Miami won the first matchup in Week 1 but both teams are different than they were at the beginning of the season. The Dolphins have won only one game at home all season and the Bills have given just about every opponent a run for their money, even though their record isn't impressive. Swink's prediction: Bills win on the road Detroit at Tampa Bay I don't know what it is about the Bucs, but they are resilient. Detroit is coming off a big win against the Packers in which they knocked out Aaron Rodgers. They have now won three games this season but have yet to win one on the road. Tampa Bay has been beaten up by the best teams in the league and easily beat the bad ones. Detroit is one of the bad ones, so I don't see them losing this home game. Swink's prediction: Bucs win at home Arizona at Carolina The Cardinals have broken their seven game losing streak with a convincing win over the Broncos while the Panthers are just trying to make it through the rest of the month. This could be the week that Carolina gets their second win of the season. Arizona, even though they won last week, is still a joke of a team and has only won one game on the road all season. Swink's prediction: Panthers win at home New Orleans at Baltimore This should be an exciting game. The Ravens have struggled to win against the top teams in the league, but have put up a good fight. All four of their losses have come by less than six points. The Saints are one of the hottest teams in the league, reeling off six straight wins. New Orleans needs to keep winning in order to stay in contention for the NFC South division title. Swink's prediction: Saints win on the road Philadelphia at NY Giants If the Eagles want a chance to win against this tough defense, they have to find a way to protect Michael Vick. Their offensive line looked like garbage last week against the Cowboys and he took some big hits. The return of cornerback Asante Samuel will help the Eagles shut down the explosive Giants receivers. The winner of this game most likely will win the NFC East. Swink's prediction: Eagles win on the road Atlanta at Seattle Atlanta has continued to truck along and cruise into playoffs while the Seahawks were embarrassed last week and continue to battle within their own division for a playoff birth. It shows the true talent in the NFC West when two teams are tied for the division lead with a 6-7 record. Seattle has one of the worst defenses in the league. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner should have no problem carving up the Seahawks. Swink's prediction: Falcons win on the road NY Jets at Pittsburgh The Jets have looked absolutely terrible over the last two weeks, only scoring a total of nine points. Mark Sanchez has turned the ball over six times in those games. The Steelers defense on the other hand had two turnovers returned for touchdowns last week against the Bengals. The Steelers are playing with a ton of confidence and the Jets are looking confused. Swink's prediction: Steelers win at home Denver at Oakland This could be another week in which Darren McFadden gains more than 200 yards. The Broncos have one of the worst defenses in the league and have many other locker room issues they're dealing with. The Raiders didn't just win their last meeting in Denver, they absolutely dominated the Broncos. McFadden scored four touchdowns as they won 59-14. Déjà vu? Swink's prediction: Raiders win at home Green Bay at New England The Packers suffered a tough loss last week against the Lions, largely due to the concussion sustained by Aaron Rodgers. He should be good to go this week against the Patriots but it won't matter who is under center. I don't think a single team in the league can handle the Patriots right now, especially in Foxboro. Tom Brady is unstoppable at home during the regular season. Swink's prediction: Patriots win at home Chicago at Minnesota Chicago looked awful last week at home against the Patriots. They were absolutely manhandled. Minnesota is out of the playoffs and is basically playing for respect. I know Chicago isn't the best team in the NFL at this point, but they do have a defense that can stop Adrian Peterson. I see this game being a defensive one with many turnovers. Swink's prediction: Bears win on the road If you want to argue a prediction or point I made, please e-mail me at bryan.swink-02@mcguire.af.mil. Give a detailed explanation of why you disagree and some responses will be posted in next week's column with, of course, my explanation of why you are wrong.