Who to Root for This Weekend

Week 17 of the NFL season is upon us, which means my favorite time of the year is coming to a close. Football really does go by way too quickly. However, there is still one week of important games to be played and I thought you guys should get a heads up on who we should probably be rooting for in this weekend's games.

1. Miami- Now that the #1 pick is locked up, we don't have to fear losing it to some miracle run at the end of the season. Beating Cincy wouldn't mean much on paper, but if we can get a look at John Beck (unlikely at this point) or even other young players, that would be a good thing. Hopefully we can end this miserable season with a respectable finish.
2. NY Giants- Having failed at breaking the streak last week, the Dolphins and their fans are resigned to rooting for a New York based team. At least it's not the Jets. Saturday's matchup vs the Patriots is the last chance for the Patriots to lose a game in the regular season. Unfortunately, the Giants have 1) clinched in the 5 seed and thus have little to play for besides spoiler and 2) have Eli Manning on their roster. Don't expect any miracles.
3. Washington- The Skins feature one of the largest collections of former Canes on their roster, so barring some previous vendetta, most Canes fans should support the Redskins on a weekly basis. Now they are in the driver's seat to the playoffs. Pray that Clinton Portis and Co. can carry the load and sneak in for Sean Taylor. It would only be fitting that this team would rally around their fallen teammate.
4. San Francisco- Their unlikely win over the Bucs last week capped a series of games that moved New England's pick from 2nd overall to now 8th overall. A win for the 49ers makes it potentially the 11th or 12th pick in the draft (I would have to see the SOS tiebreakers for the other teams involved). The lower the better, because if the Patriots have a top 5 pick, that would spell disaster for the rest of the AFC, much less the Dolphins. Additionally, a 49ers win would mean a Cleveland loss. Cleveland missing the playoffs is a good thing for us considering the potential trade with Dallas that would include the Cleveland pick for Darren McFadden. A Cleveland loss would mean their pick would be higher and it would be more likely that a deal with Dallas could be reached.
   
5. Tennessee- see above for Cleveland.

EDIT: Cleveland doesn't need to win to make the playoffs, so there is an emphasis on Tennessee needing to win that game vs Indianapolis. Still root for the 49ers though, we don't want the Patriots having a top 5 pick.