Faceoff: Darkhorse roundup? Titans-Lions? Sitting Ben?

CBSSports.com pro football writers Pete Prisco and Clark Judge face off weekly throughout the season.

Pete Prisco	Clark Judge
Give me one darkhorse playoff team from each conference.
In the AFC, I'll go with the Colts. I think they're getting healthy again and the schedule the rest of the way isn't all that daunting. With Peyton Manning playing behind an offensive line that can now protect him, they will be good on offense again. The defense, which has also been hit by injuries, has Bob Sanders back playing and he makes a huge difference. The Colts have played from behind a lot this season, which has impacted the defense. They are a unit built to play with the lead. They haven't pressured up front as much as in the past because they haven't been in the lead that much. As a small, fast defense they need that. It's coming. When it does, the defense will be better. In the NFC, I'll go with the Falcons. They have shown they can compete with anybody. They can run it with Michael Turner, they can throw it with Matt Ryan and they can pressure the quarterback with John Abraham. They play four of their final seven at home, including tough division games with Carolina and Tampa Bay. The road games are at San Diego, at New Orleans and at Minnesota. They have the look of a playoff team.	In the AFC it's the Miami Dolphins. In the NFC it's Atlanta. I believe in the Dolphins and am not quite sold on the Falcons. I guess I have a hard time believing a rookie quarterback can drive a team -- especially that team -- to the playoffs, but I never figured Matt Ryan to be this good this fast, either. The problem for Atlanta is its division: It must compete with Tampa Bay and Carolina. It has one game left with each, and now the good news: It plays them at home. I've talked about the Dolphins before and how advantageous their schedule is. Between now and Dec. 28 you can find St. Louis, San Francisco and Kansas City on it, and that's three more wins. Then they get New England at home and go to Buffalo. That may mean their Dec. 28 finale with the Jets is for a playoff spot. Hard to believe, I know, but the numbers add up.

Should the Steelers rest Ben Roethlisberger this week?

My answer is yes. I think Ben Roethlisberger is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. But that's hurting him right now. He's taken a beating over the past month and his shoulder has to be hurting more than he's leading on. If that's the case, he's doing more damage to the team by playing rather than not. He's thrown eight interceptions and one touchdown in the past three games. That's terrible. He's always been able to drive the football, but now he can't and his passes are getting picked off. Byron Leftwich showed in that Monday night victory over the Redskins a couple of weeks ago that he could get the job done. He can still play. So let him play against San Diego and then bring Roethlisberger back when he's ready. He's clearly not the same quarterback he was last season.

Maybe. But I'd definitely sit him down for next Thursday's game with Cincinnati. I don't know how sore his shoulder is. All I know is that it's affecting his play. So give the guy some time off. If you want to do it Sunday, fine. I have no problem with that. San Diego is in town, and while the Chargers are capable of a second-half run like last year, they're also 1-4 on the road -- beating Oakland only after a second-half comeback. If you want to give him this Sunday and next week off, do that, too. You can win one of them, and you might win both. In the meantime, you save Big Ben for a stretch drive where he will be needed. Baltimore is right there with the Steelers, and the Ravens play them Dec. 14 in Baltimore. But that's not the worst of it. Pittsburgh has a four-week run of New England, Dallas, Baltimore and Tennessee -- with only the Dallas game at home. If I'm Mike Tomlin, I want Roethlisberger healthy for that push into January.

What happens first, a Titans' loss or a Lions' win?

It will be a Titans loss. That will come Sunday at Jacksonville. The Jaguars will be playing Sunday with their season on the line. The Titans will be playing for playoff seeding -- after all the division is over -- and a chance at an undefeated season. The motivation goes to the Jaguars in that comparison. Plus, the Jaguars looked like the offensive line, a sore spot all season, might be getting to where it can get the run game going again. At 4-5, the Jaguars can't afford a loss and still have a chance to make the playoffs. The Titans can. The Lions might go winless. After seeing what they did last week against the Jaguars, it's possible. They won't win Sunday at Carolina and the remaining six games after that are tough as well. I see the 0-16 season coming. So I'll go with the Titans losing first, even if it doesn't come Sunday.

A Titans' loss. It's going to happen sooner or later, and it could be sooner. In fact, I could see them losing this weekend at Jacksonville. Tennessee isn't the most complete team out there. The Giants are. But the Titans are so well coached, creating opportunities with an outstanding defense that Kerry Collins and a solid rushing attack then exploit, and they're playing with enormous confidence. Still, I see the run ending soon, and maybe it's this Sunday. When I look at the remainder of the Lions' schedule, I'll be honest: I have trouble finding a win in there. There is only one opponent with a losing record, and that's New Orleans. But does anyone really believe the Saints don't beat these guys with Drew Brees throwing for a couple thousand yards? The Lions will steal one somewhere, only because the odds of finishing 0-16 are extraordinary. But I think it happens later rather than sooner.