Crunch Time Begins in NFL

Here we are in December. Winter is bearing down on us, the days are shorter and the NFL season is into its final countdown.

The final push for playoff spots will separate the contenders from the pretenders and the strong will slay the weak. December is the time when dreams are won and lost in the National Football League.

Every game, every play and every decision takes on added meaning and purpose. Mental focus, execution and confidence are needed during this stretch run. Everything is amplified to the nth degree.

This season has will give us quite possibly the best December in NFL history, particularly in the NFC, where everyone is in the playoff hunt with the exception of Arizona, Tampa Bay and Detroit.

The jockeying for home field and playoff position begins in earnest here in week 13. For some it will be very unlucky. For others, it will be a rabbits foot on the way to bigger and better things.

Let crunch time begin.

There are plenty of excellent games on tap for any football connoisseur, so set back, grab your chips and dip, get your fantasy football sheets out and enjoy the games.

Here's the Corners predictions for week 13 in the NFL:

Detroit at New England
An indoor club coming to a very cold Foxboro spells even more trouble for the directionless Lions. New England should cruise. Winner: Patriots.

San Diego at Buffalo
L.T. is only five touchdowns away from breaking the single-season rushing TD record of 28. The Chargers are on a five-game winning streak, the offense is smoking and LB Shawne Merriman returns from suspension. The Bills - winners of three of their last four games - have not won three in a row since a six-game streak from Nov. 21-Dec. 26, 2004. Winner: Chargers.

Atlanta at Washington
The Falcons are in a major meltdown, super-dysfunctional mode and the Redskins seem to be playing better with Jason Campbell leading the offense. The Falcons are below .500 for the first time since 2003, and three of their last four losses have come by double digits. The losing streak includes a home defeat to 3-8 Cleveland and a loss at 2-9 Detroit. Winner: Redskins.

Indianapolis at Tennessee
The Colts get back Brandon Stokely and Bob Sanders from the injury and Indy can clinch its fourth consecutive AFC South Division title with a victory. Bad news for the Titans, who are playing better late in the season. Winner: Colts.

Arizona at St. Louis
The Rams snapped a five-game losing streak last week and look to stay alive in the playoff race as the division rival Cardinals come to town. St. Louis QB Marc Bulger is 22-6 as a starter at home. The Cardinals will be trying to earn their first road win of the season Sunday. Arizona is 3-18 away from home in Green's two-plus seasons with the team. Winner: Rams.

San Francisco at New Orleans
The Saints are 2-3 since their bye, but Drew Brees has set an NFL record for passing yards in a five-game span with 1,954. Brees has passed for a league-leading 3,463 yards, 499 better than Indianapolis' Peyton Manning. New Orleans has won its past two games and five of the past seven meetings with San Francisco. Winner: Saints.

New York Jets at Green Bay
New York is only one game back in the hunt for a wild-card spot in the AFC thanks to solid play from its defense. The Jets have allowed 35 points with nine sacks over the past three games. Green Bay needs a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt, Surprisingly, the Packers have stumbled at home, winning only once in five tries this season. They've been outscored 132-78 there while being shut out twice. Winner: Packers.

Kansas City at Cleveland
Larry Johnson, Larry Johnson, Larry Johnson. What more needs to be said. Winner: Chiefs.

Minnesota at Chicago
The Bears can clinch the NFC North with a win and a Green Bay loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. The Vikings have struggled all season on offense but ended a four-game losing streak by scoring 31 against Arizona. Winner: Chicago.

Houston at Oakland
Former tight ends coach John Shoop makes his debut running Oakland's offense as the Raiders try to end a four-game losing streak Sunday against the Texans. The Raiders average an NFL-worst 12.0 points and 239.8 yards per game. Houston's defense is just as bad as the Raiders offense. The Texans are 27th in the league in yards allowed (347.7) and points given up (23.3). Winner: Oakland.

Jacksonville at Miami
Two teams moving in opposite directions. After starting the season 5-2, the Jaguars are 1-3 in their last four games. Miami started out 1-6 and have since won four straight to improve to 5-6. Byron Leftwich was just put on IR and is lost for the season as the problems continue to mount for Jacksonville. Winner: Dolphins.

Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh
The defending Super Bowl champs were shutout last week by Baltimore and saw any hopes of a return to the playoffs crushed. The bad news for the Bucs - Pittsburgh is still pretty good at Heinz Field and should be motivated and angry after last week. Winner: Steelers.

Dallas at New York Giants
Tony Romo has led the Cowboys to a 4-1 record since becoming the starter and Dallas has moved into first place in the NFC East. The Giants, who looked to be the best team in the division early on, has lost three-straight thanks to injuries and internal fighting. The Cowboys, winners of three straight, might need all the momentum they can get. Dallas has dropped eight of its past 10 road games against the Giants, and six of its past seven divisional matchups away from home. Winner: Giants.

Seattle at Denver (Sunday night)
The Jay Cutler era officially begins on Sunday night when the Broncos face the NFC West-leading Seahawks. Jake Plummer has struggled all season long and after back-to-back losses, Mike Shanahan finally pulled the plug on Jake the Snake and made Cutler the new number one. Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck are both back in the lineup and Seattle is 4-0 when they both play. On the downside for the Seahawks, Denver has won six consecutive matchups at home and 12 of the past 13. Seattle hasn't won in Denver since Dec. 10, 1995. Winner: Broncos.

Carolina at Philadelphia (Monday night)
Both teams stumbled last week and need a victory to stay alive in the playoff chase. The Eagles need it more so than the Panthers. Philly has lost five of six since a 4-1 start and Donovan McNabb is no longer the man under center - it's Jeff Garcia. Philadelphia ranks second in the NFL with 385.2 yards per game, but will be up against a Carolina defense that's third-best in the NFC with an average of 295.3 yards allowed. The Panthers have given up only 27 points in their last three contests. Winner: Panthers.

The Corner Lowdown
Last week: 10-3
Overall: 104-53

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