Faceoff: Minny-Favre problem? Best of Week 16? The 7-7s?

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

Whatever is brewing in Minnesota between Brett Favre and coach Brad Childress is a good problem to have vs. starting Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels at QB this season. Agree or disagree?

PRISCO: It's never a good problem when the arrogant quarterback thinks he's bigger than the game. But from a football standpoint, it's still better than starting Jackson or Rosenfels. Favre hasn't been very good lately -- is this the December Old Man Fall? -- but he's still better than those two. The Vikings have committed to him, so they have to stick with him -- faults and all. I don't like what he did last week refusing to come out, but I also don't like what Childress did when he backed down. Does he have the spine of a jellyfish? Stand up to the old man. Yeah, we know he played chauffer when Favre signed with the team, but the coach is always boss. That looks bad in the locker room when Childress allows Baby Brett to get away with what he wants, and not what the coach wants. But the Vikings are still better off with Favre for a playoff push than those other two quarterbacks.

JUDGE:. It's never a good problem when the inmates run the asylum, and it sure looks as if Brett Favre is driving the bus in December. I mean, what coach asks his player if it's OK with him if he comes out of a game? You either do it or you don't. That's why you get paid the big bucks, Brad -- to make the tough decisions. When George Seifert pulled Steve Young in a 1994 hammering by Philadelphia, Young tried to talk his way back on the field. Seifert refused, and Young threw a sideline tantrum. Seifert didn't care. He made a decision, and he stuck with it. He couldn't have Young hurt in a game the 49ers never were going to win, so he pulled him. People thought it was a big deal, but it wasn't because Seifert put down his foot. Childress should do the same thing. Having Favre is a plus for Minnesota because he's better than Jackson or Rosenfels, even with this baggage, but it's time for Childress to treat him like a player -- not his boss.

Which of the six games with AFC playoff ramifications this week is the most compelling?

PRISCO: I like the Chargers-Titans game that I will be covering. Why? The Chargers can lock up the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Plus, it will be my first live look at that passing game. But it's the Titans who are the story in that game. After opening 0-6, they can get to 8-7 with a victory and have a chance to make the playoffs. This is essentially a playoff game for them. How amazing will it be if they can come back from where they were to start the season to make the playoffs? And they're doing it with Vince Young, who has resurrected his career with a better grasp of the passing game. Jeff Fisher has done a nice job turning his team's season around. If the Titans win Friday, it will make for a wild last weekend.

JUDGE: San Diego vs. Tennessee. The Chargers may be playing the best football on the planet right now, while Tennessee is the opponent nobody wants to draw in the playoffs. San Diego hasn't lost in December since 2005; Tennessee hasn't lost at home this season with Vince Young. Something has to give. Baltimore-Pittsburgh and Houston-Miami are compelling, with playoff eliminations in both contests, but San Diego-Tennessee is the weekend's featured film. One team hasn't lost in nine weeks and the other lost once the past two months. Plus, there are subplots galore, with Philip Rivers' unbeaten record in December one of them, and Chris Johnson's pursuit of Eric Dickerson's rushing record another. Bottom line: This is just the best game out there. Somehow, after losing their first six the Titans are alive for the playoffs, while the Bolts could clinch a bye with a victory. There's a lot at stake, one reason the NFL Network is only too happy to air it. Consider this a Christmas present from the league to itself.

Which of the 7-7 road teams (Texans, Jets, Jags) has the best chance to win this weekend, or will all three lose?

PRISCO: I don't think either Houston or Jacksonville will win, but it's tough to gauge the Jets. We don't know if the Colts will play their starters for long. So for that reason, the Jets are the choice as the team with the best chance, but I don't think they will win either. I say all three lose. The Jets will be the conventional pick because the Colts are playing for nothing and will sit banged-up players. But you have to have 11 out there and the way Mark Sanchez is playing, I'm not sure he can move the ball on backups. So I'm saying they all lose.

JUDGE: All three will lose. I have no faith in Houston anymore, Jacksonville faces a New England team that hasn't lost at home and the Jets are up against an Indianapolis club that hasn’t lost period. If I had to pick one, I guess I'd say the Jets have the best chance to pull the upset because Indianapolis might be gearing down for the remainder of the regular season -- content to sacrifice 16-0 for a healthy club in the playoffs. I said might. But I don't think the Colts do it. At least, I don't think they do it until the regular-season finale in Buffalo. That's why the Jets lose. Their starters simply aren't as good as Indy's, and Mark Sanchez is no Peyton Manning. Some people tell me Houston can pull the surprise, but the Texans just squeezed past St. Louis, for crying out loud. Furthermore, they play at Miami, which is also 7-7 and in the playoff picture. Bottom line: I trust Miami more than I do Houston. Hasta la vista, Matt Schaub.