Editor's note: ESPN senior NFL writer John Clayton's weekly "First And 10" column takes you around the league with a look at the best game of the week followed by primers for 10 other games. Here's his look at Week 15.

First ... Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins: Watching Ricky Williams put up 216 yards on the Chicago Bears might have scared the Oakland Raiders a couple of weeks ago. Not now. They are confident heading into Sunday's potential AFC championship showdown in Miami.

	Ricky Williams leads the NFL in rushing with 1,500 yards.

The Raiders have been extremely successful stopping the run lately. They held Curtis Martin to 26 yards and LaDainian Tomlinson to 57 in a six-day stretch. Highlights of five and six defenders chasing down Tomlinson dance in the head of delighted coach Bill Callahan. Last year, the Raiders gave up 124 yards a game rushing, or 4.6 yards per carry. This season, they rank third in the NFL against the run, giving up only 92.8 yards a game, just 3.8 per carry.

Williams enters Sunday's game with a league-best 1,500 yards. He's playing like a runner possessed. The Dolphins restructured his incentive-laden contract and he's gaining yards and money with each carry.

Both teams realize the importance of this game. The Dolphins aren't assured of making the playoffs. They are in a dogfight in the AFC East, tied with the Patriots and knowing that they have to go to Foxboro on the final weekend of the season. To give up a few million dollars and two first-round choices to get Williams and not make the playoffs would be a disaster for them.

The Dolphins also know that winning the division isn't enough, they want a first-week playoff bye. They've won the AFC East in the past but didn't earn a bye, which adds one tough extra game to the Super Bowl run. Beat the Raiders and the Dolphins would be a step closer to that postseason week of rest.

To win, Williams has to have a big day. His running limits the number of times Jay Fiedler has to throw coming off his recovery from a broken thumb. Plus, Williams has been generating the big plays that were missing in his New Orleans days.

A secondary story line will be how Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon works against the league's fourth-ranked but perhaps most talented pass defense. Unlike teams that fall into zone defenses against Gannon, who has an NFL record 10 300-yard games, the Dolphins love to jump to the line of scrimmage and go man-to-man, jamming receivers.

Of course, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown are experienced at breaking away from jams. They've done it for years. But Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison are the best at making those jams.

Because the Raiders have the league's top-ranked offense, the Dolphins will want to win the battle of ball possession. That puts the burden on Williams. So far, he has handled it well.

And 10. Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers: This is the last time this season that two of the six likely playoff teams in the NFC go head-to-head. For that matter, over the finals three weeks there are only four other times the NFC's top six teams play foes with winning records. More than any other game down the stretch in the NFC, this one could sort out whether a potential NFC championship game will be held in warm or cold weather. Brett Favre learned last year that playing on the road is tough in the playoffs. Because the NFC Six take on mostly teams with losing records, the stakes are high in terms of earning a home playoff game. It'll probably take 12 or 13 wins, and four or five NFC teams could end up with 12 wins. The Packers, with losses to Tampa Bay and New Orleans, have to make sure they get to 13. That's why this game is so important. Ahman Green is expected back at halfback after missing a game with a knee injury. The 49ers' backfield has its own knee problems. Kevan Barlow is coming off knee surgery and Garrison Hearts banged up a knee last Sunday. This will be a great show, watching how Terrell Owens goes against the Packers secondary, and how Jeff Garcia moves in the pocket to complete those passes. The worry for the 49ers is that their safeties and secondary have had so many injuries that it will be hard to prevent Favre from making big plays.

9. New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans: This game could determine whether a second wild-card team will emerge from the AFC East or AFC South. Each team is 8-5, so a sixth loss, particularly a conference loss, will make a major impact on the playoff tie-breakers. For the Patriots, a victory will give them breathing room and a lot of confidence. Their final two home games are against AFC East teams. They would control the fate of the division by beating the Titans. The Titans took control of the AFC South by beating the Colts last week and have a tie-breaking edge against them because of the sweep. The Patriots' biggest worry is stopping Steve McNair and what's left of the Titans' running offense. The Patriots have been disappointing against the run, allowing 122.8 yards a game. Titans halfback Eddie George should cross the 1,000-yard mark over the next two or three weeks, but he's averaging only 3.3 yards a carry. The Patriots' biggest worry is McNair, who has carried the offense during the Titans' playoff run. In recent weeks, the Titans' pass defense has played better, but it must stay focused against Tom Brady's efficient, short-passing offense. The Titans should have defensive end Jevon Kearse back for the first time since the opener.

8. Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: What has happened to the Broncos' defense? Currently ranked third in the league, the Broncos are giving up yards and points at the wrong time, and now the team is almost on the verge of playoff elimination. In many ways, this is like a wild-card playoff game. If the Broncos win, they can advance to Oakland next week and climb back in the race. A Chiefs win pits them against the Chargers next Sunday for the chance to stay in position to catch the Raiders in the final weekend of the season. The worry for the Broncos is that they surrendered more than 200 yards rushing to LaDainian Tomlinson a few weeks ago, and Priest Holmes could do the same. No one is keeping Holmes out of the end zone. The Chiefs' offense averages 32.2 points a game, but the amazing stat is that they have only 70 completions to their starting wide receivers. Holmes has two less than that with 68. The Chiefs are the hot team. The Broncos are the cold team, but they have home-field advantage ... unless they start to lose the game and the fans start to lose patience.

7. San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills: Do you think Bills owner Ralph Wilson might throw a party if the Bills beat the Chargers? Count on it. The Bills lost their playoff bid because Bill Belichick twice rattled quarterback Drew Bledsoe with schemes that forced him into mistakes. So the Bills have to play the role of spoiler. What better than beating the general manager (John Butler) and front office that he allowed to move to San Diego to rebuild the Chargers? The Chargers aren't much for playing in the cold, but they have a cold-weather friendly offense. They run the ball with LaDainain Tomlinson and try to give quarterback Drew Brees easy throws to win games. Last week against the Raiders, they fell behind by 13 points in the third quarter, and the game was over. The Chargers should be able to run the ball against the Bills, who are giving up 138.7 yards a game. The key is running well and getting the lead. Coach Marty Schottenheimer will preach ball security all week. He can't have a repeat of the three-interception day by Brees against the Raiders. He can't afford a Tomlinson fumble, but L.T. remarkably has had only two all season, none that were lost.

	Marvin Harrison leads the NFL with 118 receptions -- just six from breaking the NFL record.

6. Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns: Worried about Peyton Manning's bursa sac problem in his right knee? Sure, it bothered him at Tennessee and it has caused some swelling this year. He considers it a minor handicap, and he says it won't affect anything he does this week. This is a big game for the Browns. Their "Hail Mary" victory gave them brief playoff life, and the 423 rushing yards gained by halfback William Green over the past four weeks gives them great hope for the future of their offense. Manning and Browns quarterback Tim Couch are good friends and they run the same type of offense. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians took it to Cleveland from Indy, where he was Manning's quarterback coach. Colts receiver Marvin Harrison needs six catches to break Herman Moore's season record of 123. The way that Manning gets him the ball, that might occur in the first quarter.

5. Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons: The game is a sellout because of Michael Vick, but the quarterback more in focus might be former Falcon signal-caller Jeff George. George is getting most of the work for the Seahawks this week because starter Matt Hasselbeck has a sprained foot. If Hasselbeck can't go, George gets the start. Will the Falcons invite former coach June Jones to the sidelines for a ceremonial argument? The Seahawks' inability to stop the run is well documented. They are surrendering 168.2 yards a game, and each week they let a halfback gain 100 yards. This could be a game in which Vick rushes for 100 and halfback Warrick Dunn or T.J. Duckett do the same. The sight of George should energize the crowd because he didn't leave town as the most popular former Falcon.

4. Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers: Bill Cowher incited a lot of critics by going with Tommy Maddox over Kordell Stewart, but it's clear the Steelers are either going to the Super Bowl with Maddox as their quarterback or they'll fade. It's up to Maddox. He wasn't sharp after coming back from a concussion and an injured spine. He played a part in three turnovers that resulted in touchdowns for Houston last week. Still, somebody has the win the AFC North. Maybe the Panthers should apply. They are 3-0 against AFC North teams and 2-8 against the rest. The Steelers are 5-0 in division and 2-5-1 against the non-AFC North teams. Last week's loss to the Texans might have cost them a chance to get a bye during the playoffs. A victory would be huge for credibility. Had they beaten the Texans, the Steelers might have been cruising into the playoffs. Now they have a half-game lead over the Browns and 1½ games over the Ravens. The pressure is on.

3. Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants: The only interesting thing about this game is that two coaches on the hot seat are battling each other. Dave Campo might have committed the final mistake in his head coaching era by going for a futile field goal in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's loss to San Francisco. Owner Jerry Jones spewed anger in the locker room after the game, but he came back the next day and said he wasn't aiming that anger at the coaches. Still, he didn't like Campo's decision on that play. Giants coach Jim Fassel is on the hot seat, but he's doing a good job. Last week, he beat the Redskins without two starting cornerbacks and two starting linebackers. He has patched together a passing offense that starts only one experienced receiver. The Giants are the only remaining challenger to the six teams that have pretty well set up their chances in the NFC playoffs. A loss would eliminate the Giants. A victory would keep them alive.

2. Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans: Welcome to the NFL's version of "Survivor.'' Texans quarterback David Carr has survived 763 plays and 68 sacks. The NFL record is 72 set by Randall Cunningham in 1986. That record should be sacked Sunday, and Carr should be able to survive again. The future looks bright for the Texans. They have an experienced defense that ranks 14th in the league. They have 14 draft choices to add depth to the offense. And they have Carr, who hasn't complained about an offensive line that is young and trying to get better. This is an interesting matchup because the Texans might be the expansion team, but the Ravens are younger. Coach Brian Billick started the season with an NFL record 19 rookie or first-year players. He has won six games despite not having middle linebacker Ray Lewis, defensive end Michael McCrary and cornerback Chris McAlister for a good portion of the season.

1. Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: A.J. Feeley is probably getting his last start filling in for Koy Detmer, who is filling in for Donovan McNabb. Detmer is expected to be back after missing two games with an elbow dislocation. Feeley is 2-0 as his replacement. The Eagles' offense can still do good things. The Redskins are going with rookie Patrick Ramsey, who will be dizzy watching the blitzes and fake blitzes of Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Ramsey is expected to start the final three games, and coach Steve Spurrier needs to see as much of him as possible to determine whether he has the skills to be next year's starting quarterback. But let's say that Ramsey throws four picks? That probably means a change to Shane Matthews. It just doesn't stop.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.