Week 16 Matchups: Different Motivations, Same Goal Falcons (12-2) at Lions (4-10) Saturday, 8:30 p.m. Eastern The nice thing about being the Lions is that no matter how bad a season gets, they are not in danger of being the worst team in franchise history. If you go 0-16 once, every other season seems like a success in some regard. But as Detroit is on the verge of an eighth consecutive loss, it is worth remembering that this team had far higher expectations than that winless 2008 squad. The Falcons, meanwhile, have a playoff spot secured and can clinch home-field advantage with one more win or losses by the Packers and the 49ers, but will not be able to celebrate until they replicate some of that success in the postseason. The last two seasons have seen Atlanta charge into the playoffs on a high only to lose in the first round. Their motivations may be different, but at least both teams have something on the line. Bengals (8-6) at Steelers (7-7) Steelers, 1 p.m. Line: Steelers by 4 For the Bengals, things are fairly simple. Win and they are in the playoffs. Then a win against the Ravens next week, combined with a Baltimore loss to the Giants this week, and Cincinnati improbably wins the A.F.C. North. However, things never seem to stay simple when it comes to the Bengals and their division rivals. Cincinnati has lost five consecutive games against the Steelers and four against the Ravens. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is 0-6 against the two teams. Things could be different this week, with the Bengals looking more like a classic Steelers team than the Bungles of old. Having relied on Dalton earlier this season, their recent hot streak has been led by their defense, which has been holding opponents to an N.F.L.-low 12.5 points a game over their last six contests and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who has rushed for 593 yards and 3 touchdowns on 4.9 yards a carry over that span. The Steelers are likely surprised they are still in contention. Having struggled because of injuries to Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison (among others), a loss to the Cowboys last week nearly finished them off, and one more loss would eliminate them entirely. If Cincinnati can grind things out with Green-Ellis and have their defense continue to impress, Dalton may get that first win against Pittsburgh. Giants (8-6) at Ravens (9-5) Line: Giants by 1 The problem with the strategy of not worrying about the regular season and saving yourself for the playoffs is that it does not work should you fall behind enough that you find yourselves watching the playoffs from a couch at home. The Giants, winners of two Super Bowls in the last five seasons, have the talent to win it all again, but almost certainly need to win both of their remaining games to sneak into the playoffs. As last season's 9-7 team showed, regular-season success is not a good indication of whether or not the Giants are real contenders. 49ers (10-3-1) at Seahawks (9-5) Line: 49ers by 1 Over their last two games the Seahawks have scored 108 points while allowing just 17. "We're definitely clicking well," Russell Wilson, the team's rookie quarterback, told reporters this week. I've been on a couple of teams that have scored that many in college. But to do it in the National Football League, I mean that's really tough to do. He was understating things. The 108 points in a two-game stretch is tied for the third most ever, but Seattle is unlikely in the words of Barry Switzer to "hang half a hundred" for a third consecutive game. The Seahawks now face a 49ers defense that is the best in the N.F.L. at limiting points, with an average of 15.6 a game. The 49ers can clinch the N.F.C. West with a win, and are riding high after beating New England, but if the All-Pro defensive lineman Justin Smith is out or limited after injuring his arm in last week's win, Seattle could stay alive in the division race for another week. Saints (6-8) at Cowboys (8-6) Line: Cowboys by 1 After beating the Steelers last week to move into a tie for the N.F.C. East division lead, the Cowboys are closing the season with quite a bit of momentum. As everything has come together, Jerry Jones, the team's outspoken owner, has seen parallels with last year's Giants team that went on to win the Super Bowl. "You can legitimately look at how the Giants played last year, what they did at the end of the year and how they took it all the way," Jones told reporters this week. And that's not unrealistic to think that that can happen to you. Momentum has swung the other way for New Orleans. At one point it looked like the Saints' awful start would not stop them from marching to the playoffs, as they put together a stretch of strong midseason games. But their chances are now slim. They need to win both remaining games, along with receiving an enormous amount of help from other teams. Vikings (8-6) at Texans (12-2) Line: Texans by 9 The Texans have already clinched their division title, and can secure home-field advantage in the playoffs with one more win or losses by Denver and New England. The Vikings, while currently clinging to the final wild-card spot in the N.F.C., appear unlikely to hold on, since they would almost certainly need wins against Houston and Green Bay in consecutive weeks. So with relatively little drama in terms of playoff possibilities, this becomes the Adrian Peterson show. He needs 294 rushing yards to break Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 for the season. In the midst of a phenomenal streak in which he has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight consecutive games, with an average of 164.1 yards a game, Peterson has his last big test against a Texans defense that is ranked fifth in the N.F.L. against the run with an average of 93.2 yards allowed a game. The Texans appeared somewhat vulnerable last week, giving up 105 yards to Vick Ballard, a Colts rookie. If Peterson, a native Texan, could match that total, he would need less than 200 yards to break the record in a home game against a soft Packers defense, which would help cushion the blow for a team that failed to live up to their early hype. Titans (5-9) at Packers (10-4) Line: Packers by 13 The Titans have not lost to the Packers since 1998. Their defense has looked capable for five consecutive weeks, Chris Johnson managed a 94-yard run on prime-time television Monday and the team has nothing to lose, having already been eliminated from playoff contention. None of that is likely to matter. The Packers are playing with a great deal of motivation: they are trying to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs and want this season to be different than last, when they went on cruise control for the final two games of the regular season and ended up being bounced early from the playoffs. Even if the game is as boring as oddsmakers believe it to be, with the Packers favored by 13, some N.F.L. history could be set as Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb needs just 108 receiving yards and 36 kick return yards to be the first player ever to have 1,000 of each. He may want to get those return yards early, as it is unlikely that the Titans will be kicking more than a few times. Colts (9-5) at Chiefs (2-12) Line: Colts by 7 Winning seems to cure all problems, so Colts fans will not focus on Andrew Luck's terrible completion percentage, his so-so touchdown-to-interception ratio or his tendency to make a lot of mistakes early in games. With Luck, the statistics matter far less than the Colts being in the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 seasons and rightly so. One more win will accomplish that goal. Statistics also do not matter much for Kansas City, a team in a race with the Jaguars for the worst record in the N.F.L. Even if Kansas City ends up with more wins, the Jaguars could argue that they have never looked as bad as the Chiefs did last week when they managed just 119 yards and 7 first downs against a suspect Oakland defense. Even Jamaal Charles, the team's lone bright spot, managed just 10 yards on the ground. Patriots (10-4) at Jaguars (2-12) Line: Patriots by 15 The Patriots will be in the playoffs no matter what. Whether they are the first, second or third seed in the A.F.C. depends not only on their performance over the final two weeks but also on how Houston and Denver play. "I'm not smart enough to understand the 80 different things that can happen," Patriots Coach Bill Belichick told reporters. I don't really care. There's nothing we can do about any of them. That is not entirely true. The Patriots can help their cause by beating Jacksonville. Though it's possible the famously grumpy coach considers that a given. Pick: Patriots Browns (5-9) at Broncos (11-3) Line: Broncos by 14 As the Browns have struggled through a difficult season, with a brief respite coming in the form of a three-game winning streak prior to last week's loss, the team has stuck with the rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden. Despite being ranked 26th in the N.F.L. in total offense, and Weeden having more interceptions than touchdowns along with a rating of 72.4 that is the fourth worst among qualified starters, the Browns are committed to sticking with their quarterback of the future, even if, at 29, he is not all that young. The Broncos, with nine consecutive wins, look like a Super Bowl contender. With Knowshon Moreno having stepped in nicely at running back, Peyton Manning a top most valuable player candidate and the defense striking fear into the hearts of opponents, their current goal of securing a first-round bye should get one step closer this week. Redskins (8-6) at Eagles (4-10) Line: Redskins by 6 Nick Foles against Kirk Cousins does not have the same ring to it as Michael Vick against Robert Griffin III. Yet that matchup might happen, even if Vick and Griffin are both suited up and ready to go. In the Eagles' case, Vick is expected to be healthy but will be Philadelphia's No. 3 quarterback behind Foles and Trent Edwards. For the Redskins it will come down to how Griffin's injured knee responds to a week of practice. He currently appears ready to play, but if there are any setbacks, Cousins is more than capable of beating Philadelphia. The owners of tiebreakers against both Dallas and the Giants, the Redskins can win the N.F.C. East outright if they win their two remaining games. Bears (8-6) at Cardinals (5-9) Line: Bears by 6 The Bears' early-season strategy of letting the defense score enough touchdowns to win games was not sustainable, but Chicago probably thought the offense would be able to take up some of the slack as the season went on. That has not happened, with the Bears averaging 14.2 points a game over their last six games, and Brandon Marshall, the team's outspoken wide receiver, declaring that should the offense cost the team a trip to the playoffs, it should cost some players their jobs. "When you make a comment like that, it's almost guaranteed that you're going to rub some people the wrong way, and then there's some people that might respond to it in a positive way," Marshall told reporters. It's a little bit of both. Either way, Marshall has done his part. In his first year with the team, he needs just three yards to break Marcus Robinson's single-season record of 1,400 receiving yards, set in 1999. Bills (5-9) at Dolphins (6-8) Line: Dolphins by 5 The Dolphins have not yet been eliminated from the playoffs, but needing wins against Buffalo and New England, as well as a great deal of luck in terms of other results, they are not likely to play beyond next week. The Bills know all about not making the playoffs, having failed to qualify since 1999. Rams (6-7-1) at Buccaneers (6-8) Line: Buccaneers by 3 A week ago, the Rams looked like a good bet to make the playoffs, having won three consecutive games. A loss to Minnesota all but ended that dream. The team has plenty to build on, having flashed occasional talent and a tough attitude this season, and still has a chance of finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2003. Raiders (4-10) at Panthers (5-9) Line: Panthers by 10 Both teams have been eliminated from contention, taking any meaningful drama out of the contest. But with a win, Cam Newton can match his total from last season, something that seemed unlikely when Carolina was 3-9. Chargers (5-9) at Jets (6-8) Line: Jets by 1 Even oddsmakers could not get excited about this matchup of teams already eliminated from the playoffs. With the home team favored by a point, Las Vegas essentially threw its hands up and declared that the game did not matter. Little money may be riding on it, but with Greg McElroy scheduled to start for the Jets, the game could cost the team Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow, who could both be traded. A loss could cost Rex Ryan his job. Pick: Chargers Picks are against the spread. All times are Eastern.