The NFL claims 24 of 32 teams remain eligible in the Lombardi Trophy Hunt, and rather than debate those playoff contenders, we have a more pressing matter to predict. Which team will give JaMarcus Russell his next snap? Beyond a 2010 preseason game, that is.

Rule out the Raiders, who first benched him in favor of Bruce Gradkowski last month and now are turning to Charlie Frye, this week’s starter at Denver. Assume Russell is elsewhere next season (while Al Davis sues him for damages). Carolina, Washington, Buffalo, Miami, St. Louis and Cleveland need an arm. But are any gullible enough to fall for Russell’s arm and overlook his, ahem, collective body of work?

While we await fans in those cities to take out a billboard imploring their owners to stay away from Russell, let’s turn to the Week 15 picks:

BRONCOS 24, RAIDERS 13: Frye’s debut doesn’t go well against the league’s second-best pass defense. But wait until he returns to Cleveland next week, when he will seek revenge against the Browns, his first NFL employer.

EAGLES 30, 49ERS 14: If the 49ers ever end their playoff drought, they’ll need to win away from Candlestick, and this marks their sixth straight road loss. The Eagles are playoff bound, and (alert: bonus prediction) look for them to reach yet another NFC Championship game.

COLTS 26, JAGUARS 21: The Colts climb to 14-0, and we dare you to name 14 of their players. Clarification: Name 14 of their players after halftime. Several stars will be resting because the Colts already own home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.

SAINTS 30, COWBOYS 20: The NFL returns to the Saturday night lineup, and the Saints close in on the NFC’s first 16-0 season. The Cowboys should replace the star on their helmets with an asterisk every December.

BILLS 17, PATRIOTS 16: Having spent so much energy this past week defending Randy (”I play when I want to play”) Moss, the Patriots feebly lose for the first time in 13 meetings against the host Bills. The Team of This Decade is cracking.

LIONS 26, CARDINALS 24: Detroit wins? Detroit wins?! More like the Cardinals lose, thanks to the perfect storm (see: short week, back-to-back road games, star receiver is limping, offense still has the shakes from its San Francisco visit Monday).

PACKERS 20, STEELERS 17: It’s hot vs. cold, five-game winning streak vs. five-game losing streak. Make that six apiece. Heinz Field still has a hangover from the Raiders’ upset.

BROWNS 15, CHIEFS 13: Next time these teams will be linked: “With the third pick in the 2010 NFL draft “ And then with the fourth pick “ “

VIKINGS 32, PANTHERS 10: The last time the Vikings left Carolina, they did so with an injured franchise quarterback (Daunte Culpepper). This time, the Vikings skip town with the NFC North title and the most resilient quarterback ever (Brett Favre).

RAVENS 23, BEARS 16: Ray Lewis vs. Brian Urlacher. Er, no Urlacher, who hasn’t played since Week 1 for the Bears (now 1-6 on the road). The Ravens stay alive in the playoff hunt.

JETS 27, FALCONS 10: And you thought the 49ers were frauds after starting 3-1? This is the Falcons’ seventh loss in nine games since they opened 4-1. The Jets extend their win streak to four and need to close strong against Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

TEXANS 19, RAMS 0: Already shut out twice on the road this season, the Rams bring that ineptitude home for the Texans’ first visit.

DOLPHINS 17, TITANS 16: Ricky Williams breaks the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the first time since 2003. Not bad for a 32-year-old running back. Check back next week when Chris Johnson (age: 24) surpasses 2,000 yards for the Titans.

CHARGERS 31, BENGALS 23: Drafted two spots after the Raiders took lineman Robert Gallery, quarterback Philip Rivers is panning out nicely, especially in December (now 17-0). A nifty byproduct: a fourth straight AFC West title.

SEAHAWKS 20, BUCCANEERS 19: This game comes down to a crucial call by the officials, who are employed by the NFL, which can’t be pleased that Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham estimated 30 percent of players use human growth hormone.

GIANTS 20, REDSKINS 14: Nope, JaMarcus Russell isn’t around to spur a Redskins rally for a second straight week. The Giants pick up a key NFC win to help their playoff bid.