A glimmer of hope remains that the Pittsburgh Steelers could sneak into the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
But even if the Steelers do squeak in, Saturday's game against the Redskins will be the final home game at Three Rivers Stadium. The final curtain is coming down on a place where the Steel Curtain once dominated.
More than 40 former Steelers will attend the game and postgame festivities, and Hall of Famers Jack Ham, Mel Blount, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert and Mike Webster will serve as honorary captains.
Three Rivers was home to four Super Bowl championship teams, seven Hall of Fame players, 13 postseason victories, 14 AFC Central title teams and 23 wins against the archrival Cleveland Browns in its 31-year history.
While never considered a stadium that was aesthetically pleasing, the grand dame that sat at the confluence provided quite a home field advantage with the rabid, raucous fans of the Black and Gold waving their Terrible Towels. Pittsburgh has a 182-72 record at Three Rivers, an impressive .717 winning percentage.
| Week 16 NFL Preview |
| Redskins (7-7) at Steelers (7-7), 12:30 p.m. Saturday |
| Key Stat |
| 12,234,141: Fans who attended Steelers games at Three Rivers Stadium since it opened in 1970. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Redskins running back Stephen Davis (only 171 rushing yards in past three games) against Steelers linebackers Jason Gildon (68 total tackles, 10 sacks, seven stuffs, three fumble recoveries), Joey Porter (51 total tackles, nine sacks, two fumble recoveries), Levon Kirkland (78 total tackles, five stuffs) and Earl Holmes (114 total tackles, 9 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Jerome Bettis, RB, Pittsburgh: Despite being held to 39 yards on 17 carries against the Giants, Bettis has 968 rushing yards in the past 11 games. |
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Raiders (10-4) at Seahawks (5-9), 4:05 p.m. Saturday |
| Key Stat |
| 48.6: Average points per game in the past 11 games between these teams, with the Raiders holding a 6-5 advantage.
Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Seahawks rookie right tackle Chris McIntosh and right guard Floyd Wedderburn (averaging 5.0 yards per carry on runs to right side) against Raiders left defensive end Tony Bryant (4 1/2 sacks, 4 1/2 stuffs, two fumble recoveries) and left defensive tackle Grady Jackson (6 1/2 sacks, seven stuffs, two fumble recoveries). |
| Player to Watch |
| Tim Brown, WR, Oakland: Tied for career-high with 10 touchdowns receptions this season, and has five touchdowns catches in the past three meetings with Seattle. |
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Falcons (3-11) at Saints (9-5), 1 p.m. |
Key Stat |
| 58: Saints' league-leading sack total, which is likely to increase Sunday as the Falcons have allowed 53 sacks, the third most in the league. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Saints running back Terry Allen (9,383 career total yards) against Falcons Chris Draft (48 total tackles), Jeff Kelly (24 total tackles, 3 1/2 sacks) and Henri Crockett (38 total tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, 2 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Joe Horn, WR, New Orleans: Needs four catches to break Eric Martin's 1988 team record of 85, and has already passed Martin's old record (1,090 yards in 1989) for receiving yardage by catching 82 passes for 1,164 yards and seven touchdowns in his first season with the Saints. |
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| Packers (7-7) at Vikings (11-3), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 39-38-1: Vikings' record against the Packers (.506 winning percentage), with Minnesota winning seven of the past eight meetings at the Metrodome. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Packers cornerbacks Tyrone Williams (four interceptions), Antuan Edwards (two interceptions), Tod McBride (two interceptions) and Mike McKenzie (one interception) against Vikings wide receivers Randy Moss (26 catches for 617 yards and six touchdowns in five career games against Green Bay). |
| Player to Watch |
| Ahman Green, RB, Green Bay: Impressive offseason acquisition needs 60 rushing yards to become the seventh Packer to run for 1,000 yards, and can become the first Packer since Barty Smith in 1977 to lead the team in both rushing and receiving. |
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| Broncos (10-4) at Chiefs (6-8), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 6-0: Broncos' record when rookie running back Mike Anderson rushes for 100 yards. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Broncos outside linebackers John Mobley (70 total tackles this season, four career interceptions) and Bill Romanowski (62 total tackles this season, 17 career interceptions) against Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez (team-record 84 receptions for 1,071 yards and eight touchdowns). |
| Player to Watch |
| Rod Smith, WR, Denver: Having a career year with 86 receptions for an NFL-leading 1,421 yards and eight touchdowns. |
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| Lions (8-6) at Jets (9-5), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 496: Walter Stanley's 1989 Lions team record for punt return yardage, though Desmond Howard needs only 65 yards to break that mark. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Jets fullback Richie Anderson (72 catches for 692 yards and one touchdown) against Lions middle linebacker Stephen Boyd (119 total tackles, 2 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Jason Fabini, LT, New York: All-Pro tackle is part of an offensive line that has given up the second-fewest sacks in the league (18) and has helped Curtis Martin rush for his sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season. |
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| Titans (11-3) at Browns (3-12), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 2,476: All-purpose yards for Titans wide receiver-kick returner Derrick Mason, putting him on pace for an NFL-record 2,830. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Titans cornerback Samari Rolle (seven interceptions) against Browns quarterback Doug Pederson (eight interceptions, 15 sacks in 180 passing attempts this season). |
| Player to Watch |
| Eddie George, RB, Tennessee: Has 553 total yards and seven toucdowns in the past four games and always has fared well against the Browns, with 344 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in his past three games against Cleveland. |
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| Jaguars (7-7) at Bengals (3-11), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 7-4: Jaguars' record against the Bengals (.636 winning percentage), with Jacksonville winning the past five, including a 13-0 shutout on Sept. 17 at Alltel Stadium. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Bengals left tackle Rod Jones (4.6 yards per carry on runs to the left side) against Jaguars right defensive end Tony Brackens (56 total tackles, 6 1/2 sacks, five stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Jimmy Smith, WR, Jacksonville: The league's quietest superstar has 441 catches for 6,541 yards and 32 touchdowns the past five seasons, including 774 yards in his past eight games against the Bengals. |
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| Chargers (1-13) at Panthers (6-8), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| -27: Chargers' league-worst turnover margin, a net eight turnovers worse than the 30th-ranked Cardinals. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf (31 interceptions in 495 career passing attempts) against Panthers cornerbacks Doug Evans (18 career interceptions) and Eric Davis (37 career interceptions). |
| Player to Watch |
| Muhsin Muhammad, WR, Carolina: Second in the NFC to Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce with 83 catches, and has 29 catches for 328 yards and two touchdowns in the past three games. |
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| Patriots (4-10) at Bills (7-7), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 177: Passing yards needed by Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe for his seventh consecutive 3,000-yard seasons. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Bills quarterback Rob Johnson (sacked 48 times in 303 passing attempts this season) against Patriots defense that has only 23 sacks in 14 games. |
| Player to Watch |
| Eric Moulds, WR, Buffalo: Has a career-high 88 catches for 1,199 yards and five touchdowns, and has 313 yards in his past four games against the Patriots. |
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| Bears (4-10) at 49ers (5-9), 4:05 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 483, 8: Passing yards and touchdown passes needed by 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia to surpass Steve Young's team records of 4,170 yards and 36 TD passes set in 1998. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens (74 catches for 1,133 yards and 12 touchdowns) against Bears cornerbacks Thomas Smith (six career interceptions in 124 career games) and Walt Harris (14 career interceptions in 72 career games). |
| Players to Watch |
| Charlie Garner, RB, San Francisco: Versatile free-agent-to-be running back needs only 68 yards to surpass his career-high of 1,764 total yards set last season. |
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| Ravens (10-4) at Cardinals (3-11), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 9.9: Points per game allowed by the Ravens, putting them on pace to give up 158, which would break the 1985 Bears' record of 187 points allowed in a 16-game regular season. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Cardinals ground attack that has only six rushing touchdowns and a 3.8 yards per carry average against Ravens linebackers Ray Lewis (115 total tackles, 7 1/2 stuffs), Jamie Sharper (64 total tackles, seven stuffs, four fumble recoveries) and Peter Boulware (34 total tackles, seven sacks, two fumble recoveries). |
| Player to Watch |
| Jamal Lewis, RB, Baltimore: Offensive Rookie of the Year award candidate needs 114 yards to become the 14th rookie to surpass 1,300 rushing yards. |
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| Colts (8-6) at Dolphins (10-4), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 41-20: Dolphins' record against the Colts (.672 winning percentage), including wins in four of the past five. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison (197 catches for 2,893 yards and 23 touchdowns in his past 29 games) against Dolphins cornerbacks Sam Madison (20 interceptions in past 46 games) and Patrick Surtain (nine interceptions in 46 career games). |
| Player to Watch |
| Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: Has 4,092 total yards and 34 touchdowns in 30 career games, and needs only 31 rushing yards to join Eric Dickerson as the only players to open their career with back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons. |
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| Giants (10-4) at Cowboys (5-9), 8:35 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 83: Rushing yards needed by Giants rookie running back Ron Dayne to break Tuffy Leemans' team rookie record of 830 rushing yards set in 1936. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Giants running back Tiki Barber (1,805 total yards) against Cowboys linebackers Dexter Coakley (76 total tackles, 2 1/2 stuffs), Barron Wortham (62 total tackles, seven stuffs) and Darren Hambrick (64 total tackles, 3 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Kerry Collins, QB, New York: Has a quarterback rating 83.9 and has already set career highs of 3,149 yards and 19 touchdowns. |
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| Rams (9-5) at Buccaneers (9-5), 9 p.m. Monday |
| Key Stat |
| 119: NFC-leading point differential for the Buccaneers, who have scored a team-record 336 points this season. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Rams interior offensive linemen Tom Nutten, Andy McCollum and Adam Timmerman (averaging 4.0 yards per carry on rushing attempts in the middle of the line) against Bucs defensive tackles Warren Sapp (46 total tackles, 13 1/2 sacks, 5 1/2 stuffs) and Anthony McFarland (39 total tackles, 6 1/2 sacks, two stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Became only the third player to score four touchdowns in a game twice in the same season, and is averaging an impressive 149.7 total yards and 1.6 touchdowns per game. |
