After the Denver Broncos made the drastic decision to start second-year quarterback Tim Tebow over veteran gunslinger Kyle Orton earlier in the season, the struggling NFL franchise were able to completely turn things around and become a force to be reckoned with in the AFC Conference. Even though the Broncos were winning football in an ugly fashion, the fact of the matter was that they were winning and finally starting to become the football team that John Elway had envisioned.

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The NFL legend and the greatest Broncos’ quarterback of all-time has had his criticisms about Tebow and many believe that he isn’t a fan of his new starting quarterback, but he couldn’t knock the guy for winning football games and inspiring the team the way he has. Even though Tebow was red-hot as the team’s starter for a while, the Tebow mania in the Mile High City has quickly started to wear off with the Denver Broncos losing three straight to end the regular season.

Tim Tebow leads the Broncos to the Playoffs

Despite the three straight losses to end the regular season, Tim Tebow has been able to lead the Denver Broncos to an AFC West division title and as a result a spot in the playoffs. Even though the team is really struggling to get back to their winning ways, the Broncos will have a chance to bounce back in the postseason and try and do the seemingly impossible by making a run at the Super Bowl.

In the AFC Wild-Card Round, the Denver Broncos will have arguably the toughest opponent of any other in the first round of the playoffs as they are set to face off against the defending AFC Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though the Steelers will be without running back Rashard Mendenhall (out for season) who suffered a torn ACL last week and have a banged up quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (ankle), Pittsburgh is still considered to be one of the best teams in the NFL and will almost certainly give the Denver Broncos a tough challenge from start to finish on both sides of the football.

The one thing that everyone will be looking forward to in this AFC Wild-Card showdown is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense against Tim Tebow. The Steelers might not be as sharp as they were a few years ago or even last season when they went to the Super Bowl, but Troy Polamalu and company are still a force to be reckoned with and should frustrated Tim Tebow all day long.

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Another interesting matchup will be Elvis Dumervil and rookie Von Miller going after Ben Roethlisberger. With the Steelers no longer having a dominant running game without Rashard Mendenhall, Big Ben will have to almost everything on the offensive side of the football by airing it out in order to put points on the board.

This should be an intriguing matchup with the possibility of the Denver Broncos pulling off the upset over the defending AFC Conference champions, but in the end the Pittsburgh Steelers will most likely advance and make another run for a Super Bowl title.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Francisco 49ers Mon. Dec. 19, 2011 8:30 p.m. EST

Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers were arguably the best team in the AFC Conference as they were able to dominate the competition in playoffs and make it all the way back to the Super Bowl for the third time in the Ben Roethlisberger era. With Mike Tomlin proving his is once again the right man for the job on the sidelines and the Steelers defense living up to the hype, Pittsburgh was able to make an inspired run on their way to what was supposed to be their seventh Super Bowl title in franchise history.

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Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way the storied NFL franchise had planned and they ultimately fell to a much better Green Bay Packers squad led by Super Bowl MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. With the loss to the Packers still fresh in the minds of the Steelers’ players, Pittsburgh was on a mission this season despite being labeled old and potentially passed their prime.

Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled at times this season and were dominated by the arch division rival Baltimore Ravens in both head-to-head matchups this season, Mike Tomlin’s squad has a 10-3 record heading into Week 15 of the NFL regular season. The winning the AFC North division title might be a stretch at this point in time with the Ravens on the verge of clinching the division, but the Steelers seem to have one of the two spots in the AFC Wild Card locked up.

In Week 15, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face arguably their toughest test of the last three games of the regular season in the form of Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers. Even though the 49ers are coming off a loss to the lowly Arizona Cardinals in Week 14, San Francisco is without a doubt one of the best teams in the NFL this season and will be looking to bounce back with a vengeance this week against one of the toughest opponents on their remaining schedule.

Fortunately, the 49ers will have the advantage of going up against the Steelers in Week 15 as Pittsburgh will almost certainly be without superstar quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to a leg injury he sustained in the win over the division rival Cleveland Browns last week. With Big Ben most likely watching from the sidelines, the Steelers will have trouble on offense and might not be able to contend with the likes of the 49ers’ lockdown defense led by linebacker Patrick Willis.

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Not only will this game be played on the 49ers’ home field in San Francisco, but even if Big Ben was healthy this would be a matchup that Jim Harbaugh’s squad could win. The Steelers may still be one of the best teams in the league, but they will most likely be on the losing side on Monday Night Football this week.

As of right now, the San Francisco 49ers has been given the edge in this matchup with a -3 point spread. That sounds just about right to me.

Take the 49ers at -3.

Detroit Lions @ Oakland Raiders Sun. Dec. 18, 2011 4:05 p.m. EST

Over the last two years, the Oakland Raiders have slowly but surely started to move up the rankings in the AFC Conference with a bright future on the horizon. With talented young players on both sides of the football and veterans like quarterback Carson Palmer and defensive tackle Richard Seymour; the Raiders have become a force to be reckoned with once again and seem to get closer and closer to finally ending the playoff drought.

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This season the Oakland Raiders have arguably been the best all-around team in the AFC West division with a first place standing throughout the majority of the season. Last week that all changed when the undefeated Green Bay Packers dominated the Oakland Raiders (46-16) at Lambeau Field which dropped to the silver and black to a 7-6 record. With the Raiders losing and the Denver Broncos winning, Oakland fell to second place in the AFC West and might be in serious danger of missing the playoffs entirely.

Matthew Stafford - Detroit Lions

With that being said, the Oakland Raiders need to bounce back immediately in order to salvage the once promising season with only three regular season games remaining on the schedule. Fortunately, the Raiders will play the lowly division rivals in the Kansas City Chiefs (Week 16) and the San Diego Chargers (Week 17) in which they will probably be favored to win, but they must first face the up-and-coming Detroit Lions in Week 15.

Now that the Detroit Lions have become a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the NFC Conference, Matthew Stafford and company could be headed to a playoff appearance. Much like the Raiders, this would be the first playoff appearance by the Lions in a very long time, but Detroit’s chances of making the playoffs are much better than Oakland’s at this point.

Since they play in the same division (NFC North) as the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers who remain undefeated heading into Week 15 (13-0), the Detroit Lions will have to settle for a playoff berth through the NFC Wild Card. Even though the Lions look like they could be on their way to making the playoffs for the first time in quite some time, Detroit will have to keep their foot on the gas pedal moving forward as they have to contend with the Oakland Raiders this week and both the San Diego Chargers and the undefeated Green Bay Packers in the last two weeks of the NFL regular season.

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Both the Detroit Lions and the Oakland Raiders are talented football teams on both sides of the ball with potentially bright futures down the road, but coming into this matchup I believe the Lions are the better team and should get the win.

As of right now, the Detroit Lions are favored to get the win over the Oakland Raiders with a -2 point spread.

Take the Lions at -2.

Oakland Raiders @ Green Bay Packers Sun. Dec. 11, 2011 4:15 p.m. EST

After 13 weeks of the NFL regular season, the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers have been as advertised with 12 straight wins and a flawless record coming into Week 14’s matchup against the Oakland Raiders. With superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers the clear favorite for NFL MVP and the Packers offense firing on all cylinders right now, the perfect season has never been more realistic and plausible than it is right now.

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The Green Bay Packers defense might not be what it was last season with Clay Matthews and company dominating opposing offenses, but they are still good enough to maintain leads for this undefeated team and that is good enough to keep winning football games in the title defense. With only four games left in the regular season, the Packers will try to maintain this dominance over their opponents with a seemingly unstoppable offense led by arguably the best quarterback in the NFL.

Jermichael Finley

In Week 14, the Green Bay Packers will try to keep the perfect season alive as they will host the gritty Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field. The fact that this game is being play at Lambeau in winter gives the Packers a big advantage, but the Raiders have been a scrappy team this season that could come into Green Bay and do the impossible by handing Aaron Rodgers and company their first loss of the season.

Unfortunately, the Oakland Raiders are coming off a disappointing loss to the lowly Miami Dolphins in Week 13 and may have suffered a big hit to the team’s overall confidence. The Raiders are definitely a team on the rise in the NFL right now as they seem to be coming together with Carson Palmer under center and a vastly improved defense, but this team is streaky and tends to go through many ups-and-downs in their attempt to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

With the red-hot Denver Broncos in a tie for AFC West division lead, the Oakland Raiders will have to get back to form as soon as possible in order to avoid falling to second place within the division standing. The Raiders are definitely capable of pulling off the upset this week over the Packers, but chances are that they go to Green Bay and suffer a second straight loss.

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The one thing that will be challenged constantly this Sunday at Lambeau Field will be the Raiders defense. Trying to contain Aaron Rodgers and this potent offense of the Packers. There is no doubt that the Packers will put up points, but whether or not Oakland can limit their production remains to be seen.

As of right now, the Green Bay Packers have been favored to come out on top in this one with a -12 point spread. Even though the Packers could pull this off, I believe the smart bet would be to take the Raiders.

Take the Raiders at +12.