After a seven-season absence, the Silver & Black are close to clinching their first playoff berth since 1993.
Oakland needs only to tie the New York Jets on Sunday to secure their first postseason trip since Art Shell's fifth season as head coach.
The Raiders were still in Los Angeles for their last playoff appearance, and they defeated the Broncos 42-24 on Jan. 1, 1994, at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Oakland went on the road the following week and lost to the eventual AFC champion Buffalo Bills 29-23 on Jan. 15.
The battle for home-field advantage in the AFC is especially tight, with six teams bunched within a game of each other for the top record. For all the playoff success the Raiders have had in their history, not much of it has come on the road.
The Raiders are 15-4 at home in the playoffs, 3-10 on the road and 3-1 in neutral sites -- a 33-14 loss to the Packers in Super Bowl II in Miami; a 32-14 win against the Vikings in Super Bowl XI in Pasadena, Calif.; a 27-10 win against the Eagles in Super Bowl XV in New Orleans; and a 38-9 win against the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa, Fla.
Home or neutral, the Raiders look like a good bet. But if they have to go on the road in the playoffs, a trip to Tampa becomes much less likely. Oakland's opponents in the final three weeks have a combined record of 20-19, making a run at home-field advantage another test that they will have to pass if they hope to play in Super Bowl XXXV.
| Week 15 NFL Preview |
| Panthers (6-7) at Chiefs (5-8), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 11-0: Chiefs' home record against NFC opponents since head coach Gunther Cunningham joined the coaching staff in 1995 as defensive coordinator under Marty Schottenheimer. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac (eight interceptions in the past five games) against Panthers cornerbacks Doug Evans (first interception of season against Rams last week), Eric Davis (three interceptions in the past four games) and Jimmy Hitchcock (three interceptions in the past two games). |
| Player to Watch |
| Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City: Needs only seven catches to break the team single-season record of 80 held by Carlos Carson. |
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Lions (8-5) at Packers (6-7), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 25-0: Career record of Packers quarterback Brett Favre when the game-time temperature is 34 degrees or below, with Favre throwing 56 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions in those games.
Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Packers wide receivers Bill Schroeder (52 catches for 806 yards and three touchdowns) and Antonio Freeman (51 catches for 735 yards and eight touchdowns) against patchwork Lions secondary that may be forced to start reserves Ray Roberts, Lamar Campbell, Corwin Brown and Darnell Walker with cornerbacks Marquis Walker and Bryant Westbrook out for the season and starting safeties Kurt Schulz and Ron Rice questionable with injuries. |
| Player to Watch |
| Bubba Franks, TE, Green Bay: Numerous key drops in the past few games have fans questioning his spot as a starter, though Favre believes he will be a Pro Bowler before too long. |
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Patriots (4-9) at Bears (3-10), 1 p.m. |
Key Stat |
| 9: Punts needed by Patriots punter Lee Johnson to break the record of 1,154 for most career punts held by Dave Jennings. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Bears running back James Allen (1,160 total yards) against Patriots inside linebacker Ted Johnson (58 total tackles, two stuffs) and Tedy Bruschi (90 total tackles, two stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Glyn Milburn, KR/PR, Chicago: Accomplished return man needs 139 yards to pass Dennis Gentry (4,353) as the Bears' all-time kick return leader and only nine kick returns to become the third player with 400 career returns. |
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| Bengals (3-11) at Titans (10-3), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 184.7: Bengals' rushing average in the past 10 games, with Corey Dillon carrying 223 times for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Titans running back Eddie George (career-low 3.6 yards per game) against Bengals middle linebacker Takeo Spikes (107 total tackles, 5 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Al Del Greco, K, Tennessee: Three of the past four games have come down to Del Greco kicks, and the Titans like their chances with his 76.6 career field-goal percentage, including an 83.3 success rate in his 10 years with the Oilers/Titans franchise. |
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| Cardinals (3-10) at Jaguars (6-7), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 0: Number of previous meetings between these two teams. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Jaguars tight end Kyle Brady (career highs of 54 catches for 639 yards) against Cardinals strong safety Pat Tillman (115 total tackles, two stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville: Has rushed for 100 yards in each of the past seven games, and aims to become the fourth in league history to run for eight consecutive 100-yards games, joining Barry Sanders (14), Marcus Allen (11) and Walter Payton (9). |
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| Buccaneers (8-5) at Dolphins (10-3), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 4-2: Dolphins' record against the Buccaneers, including wins in three of the past four. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Dolphins defensive ends Trace Armstrong (15 1/2 sacks, seven fumble recoveries) and Jason Taylor (13 sacks, 2 1/2 stuffs) against Buccaneers offensive tackles Pete Pierson and Jerry Wunsch. |
| Player to Watch |
| Warrick Dunn, RB, Tampa Bay: Has rushed for 612 yards on 102 carries (6.0 average) in the past six games. |
| Multimedia |
 The Bucs defense doesn't' scare Dolphins QB Jay Fiedler.
Miami CB Sam Madison thinks defense will win the game.
Bucs QB Shaun King worries more about winning than statistics.
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| Eagles (9-5) at Browns (3-10), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| .716: Eagles' winning percentage against the Browns, though Cleveland has won seven of the past nine. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (597 rushing yards for six touchdowns) against Browns middle linebacker Wali Rainer (106 total tackles, 5 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Chad Lewis, TE, Philadelphia: McNabb's favorite target leads NFC tight ends with 55 catches, including 20 catches for 201 yards in the past four games. |
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| Steelers (7-6) at Giants (9-4), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 5: Touchdown passes by Kordell Stewart in the past two games, compared to four in the previous 10 games this season in which he saw action. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Steelers running back Jerome Bettis (1,147 rushing yards, eight touchdowns) against Giants middle linebacker Michael Barrow (70 total tackles, 3 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Ron Dayne, RB, New York: Promising rookie has rushed for 478 yards and three touchdowns in the past seven games, providing a bruising change of pace to starter Tiki Barber. |
| Multimedia |
Giants coach Jim Fassel admires the Steelers' offense.
DB Jason Sehorn thinks the Giants' defense can handle Kordell Stewart.
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| Chargers (1-12) at Ravens (9-4), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 166: Points the Ravens are on pace to allow, which would be the fewest in a 16-game season. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe (57 catches for 720 yards and five touchdowns) against Chargers strong safety Rodney Harrison (103 total tackles, six sacks, 4 1/2 stuffs, two interceptions). |
| Player to Watch |
| Jamal Lewis, RB, Baltimore: Has a team-record 1,095 rushing yards and needs 273 yards in the final three games to move into the top 10 all-time rookie rushers. |
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| Seahawks (5-8) at Broncos (9-4), 4:05 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 34:00: Broncos' league-leading average time of possession. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Seahawks right defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy (37 total tackles, one stuff) and right defensive end Lamar King (48 total tackles, two stuffs) against Broncos center Tom Nalen, left guard Lennie Friedman and left tackle Tony Jones (Denver averages 4.8 yards per carry on runs to the left side). |
| Player to Watch |
| Mike Anderson, RB, Denver: The most surprising Broncos rookie since, well, Olandis Gary last season, is tied for third with 60 first downs rushing and has been stuffed for no gain or a loss only 15 times in 230 carries. |
| Multimedia |
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Denver coach Mike Shanahan hopes for more improvement.
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| Saints (8-5) at 49ers (5-8), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 43-17-2: 49ers' record against the Saints (.710 winning percentage), including wins in the past four at home. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Saints wide receiver Joe Horn (77 catches for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns) against 49ers rookie cornerbacks Jason Webster (two interceptions) and Ahmed Plummer (zero interceptions). |
| Players to Watch |
| Aaron Brooks, QB, New Orleans: Coming off a 441-yard game against the Broncos, and has thrown for 818 yards and five touchdowns (but also five interceptions) in the past three games. |
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| Vikings (11-2) at Rams (8-5), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 61: Combined regular-season wins for the Vikings and Rams the past three seasons. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Vikings wide receivers Cris Carter (78 catches for 1,050 yards and seven touchdowns) and Randy Moss (68 catches for 1,196 yards and 12 touchdowns) against struggling Rams secondary that allows 242.5 yards per game. |
| Player to Watch |
| Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis: Leads the league with a 66.2 percent completion rate, but suffered his worst game as a pro last week, with his career-high four interceptions leading to an awful 26.0 quarterback rating for the game. |
| Multimedia |
Vikings coach Dennis Green expects a strong effort from the Rams.
Rams SS Devin Bush thinks his team must become more physical.
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| Redskins (7-6) at Cowboys (4-9), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 176.9: Rushing yards per game allowed by the Cowboys, worst in the league by 16 yards over the 30th-place Browns. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Redskins running back Stephen Davis (2,507 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in past 26 games) against Cowboys middle linebacker Barron Wortham (60 total tackles, seven stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Bruce Smith, DE, Washington: Has sacked 64 different quarterbacks in his illustrious 16-year career, but none of those have come against Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. Smith he needs one sack for his 13th 10-sack season, which would break a tie with Panthers defensive end Reggie White for the most double-digit sack seasons ever. |
| Multimedia |
 Interim coach Terry Robiskie hopes changes will spark the Redskins.
Robiskie wants to prove that he can lead an NFL team.
Playing against his former team won't distract Skins CB Deion Sanders.
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| Jets (9-4) at Raiders (10-3), 8:35 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 17-10-2: Raiders' record against the Jets, including wins in six of the past seven. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet (58 catches for 753 yards and seven touchdowns) against Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson (nine career interceptions). |
| Player to Watch |
| Curtis Martin, RB, New York: Has rushed for 704 yards and six touchdowns in the past eight games, and needs only 61 yards to reach 1,500 total yards for the third consecutive season. |
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| Bills (7-6) at Colts (7-6), 9:00 p.m. Monday |
| Key Stat |
| 995: Career points for Bills kicker Steve Christie, who can become the first Buffalo player with 1,000 points. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Bills quarterback Rob Johnson (40 sacks in 281 passing attempts) against Colts starting front four that has only 15 1/2 sacks. |
| Player to Watch |
| Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: Needs 179 total yards to pass 2,000 yards for the second consecutive season, but has averaged only 104 total yards in three games against the Bills. |
| Multimedia |
Colts coach Jim Mora knows what's at stake.
QB Peyton Manning thinks the Bills defense presents a sizable challenge.
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