The bipolar Saints will defeat the Chicago Bears on a wintry Sunday, but will learn they didn't make the NFC playoffs on the charter back home. The Redskins will beat the Cowboys in a 3:15 p.m. game and earn the final NFC wild card spot.

If I am wrong and the Saints win and the Redskins and Vikings fall, the Saints would make the playoffs for the second straight season, but this trisect isn't likely. But their coach Sean Payton said his team isn't going to give up regardless of the situation they are in entering the Chicago game.

"We're going in there with full guns blazing regardless," said Payton. "What we want to do is win. We prepared this week and put our best game plan together to beat a team that is playing well."

The coach said that's all his team can do in order to salvage a breakeven season after a 38-23 loss to Philadelphia last week. "We'd better be watching our own scoreboard right now," said Payton. "Our players know that. We have one game left to finish better in all areas."

Maybe it's a good thing the Saints are finishing up on the road. They won't be hearing the crowd chant L-S-U if they fall behind. The Saints' struggles continued  in the Superdome last week and finished the home season 3-5 after going 4-4 in 200 in 2006. The Saints recorded six straight winning seasons at home (in the regular season) under Jim Mora. But since then, they have had just one--going 5-3 in 2003 under Jim Haslett.

"It's frustrating," said Payton. "I think our fans do a great job, probably the most rewarding part of my job is the fan base. I've never seen anything like it. When we travel, they are with us. When we're at home they are loud. I'm disappointed for them.

"We'll do everything we can to figure out our home-field problems. We should have an advantage playing here. We have to learn o\how to take advantage of playing in this environment.

Drew Brees needs just 11 more completions against the Bears to break the NFL record for completions (418) in a single season, set by Rich Gannon of Oakland in 2002.

Even though the Saints rank near the bottom of the league in rushing (28th), they've been solid at pass blocking the past two seasons. The Saints rank third in passing offense at 267.4 yards per game and the offensive lone has given up a league low  13 sacks, which is impressive considering the team leads the NFL is pass attempts with 597.

Six times this season they have not allowed a sack and the most they've given up was three against Tampa Bay.

Payton said Terrance Copper hasn't passed Devery Henderson on the depth chart as the team's fourth receiver even though he's been more involved in the passing game recently.

"I wouldn't look at it that way," said Payton. “We have plays that call for run-blocking assignments and play the receivers that fit in best on those plays. All of the receivers have a role, and they understand that."

This will be the 23rd meeting between the Saints and the Bears, with the Saints taking five of the last seven regular-season games since 1996.

This week's picks (drum roll, cymbals clash, please): NFL--Saints over Bears +2,  Patriots over Giants +14 1/2. Eagles -7 1/2 over Bills, Bucs +3 over Panthers, Bengals -3 over Fins, Redskins -8 1/2 over Cowboys, Packers over Lions +4, Texans -6 1/2 over Jaguars, Steelers -3 1/2 over Ravens, Browns -10 over 49ers, Colts +6 1/2 over Titans, Broncos +3 over Vikings, Chargers -8 over Raiders, Cardinals -6 over Rams, and Jets -6 over Chiefs.

Bowl games--Texas -2 1/2 over Arizona State in Holiday Bowl, Boston College -4 over Michigan State (best bet), TCU -4 over Houston in Texas Bowl, Maryland +5 over Oregon State in Emerald Bowl, UConn +2 1/2 over Wake Forest in Meineke Car Care Bowl, Mississippi State +3 over Central Florida in Liberty Bowl, Penn State -5 1/2 over Texas A&M in Alamo Bowl, Alabama -3 1/2 over Colorado in Independence Bowl, Cal -3 1/2 over Air Force (best play) in Armed Forces Bowl,  Oregon +6 1/2 over South Florida in in Sun Bowl, Fresno State +5 1/2 over Georgia Tech in Humanitarian Bowl, Kentucky -9 over Florida State in Music City Bowl, Oklahoma State -4 over Indiana in Insight Bowl, Clemson -2 over Auburn in Chick-Fil-A Bowl,  Wisconsin +2 over Tennessee in Outback Bowl, Missouri -3 over Arkansas in Cotton Bowl, Florida -10 1/2 over Michigan in Capital One Bowl, Virginia +6 in Gator Bowl, USC -14 over Illinois in Rose Bowl, Georgia -8 over Hawaii in Sugar Bowl, Oklahoma -7 1/2 over West Virginia in Fiesta Bowl, Virginia Tech -3 1/2 over Kansas in Orange Bowl, Rutgers -10 over Ball State in International Bowl (excellent play), Tulsa -4 1/2 over Bowling Green in GMAC Bowl, and LSU -4 over Ohio State in BCS Championship Bowl.

BUCKEYES, TIGERS TO GET GIFTS

Ohio State and LSU will make millions of dollars by playing in he BCS national championship game and their players will walk away with one of the hottest gifts of the holiday season.

They will receive a Nintendo Wii video-game system in addition to several other gifts for playing in the game. Most stores have sold out of the Wii, a game which allows persons in their living rooms to participate in video sporting events. A wave of the controller is represented on the screen as the swing of a bat or a golf club or a tennis racket.

Along with the video game console, each of he players will get four Wii games, a baseball cap, a watch and a fleece pullover. According to NCAA guidelines dealing with amateurism, a bowl can spend up to $500 per player. Each school can also give merchandise worth up to $350 per player.

The Sugar Bowl is giving the players from Hawaii and Georgia a Sony digital camcorder.

Each Ohio State player also receives six free tickets to the game, which cannot be resold for profit.

JAMARCUS TO MAKE FIRST START

Rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell took all the snaps with the first-team offense for the Raiders in preparation for his first NFL start on Sunday against San Diego.

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said it is another step in Russell's process of maturing into a full-time starter, something likely to become a reality next season. For now, there's plenty to learn.

"We've really talked to him this week that the practice needs to be like a game," Kiffin told the Oakland area media. Kiffin told him, "You're s\the starter now, A guy's going to come free or a guy's going to miss an assignment somewhere, and you can't, just because it's practice, sit there and just throw the ball. You got to treat it like a game."

"You've just got to learn from that decision I made then that you can't always get away with it.," Russell told the media. "I try to make any and every throw because I feel like I'm confident, and I can make that."

Maybe that was the case at LSU, but his is the NFL, where the game is played by more talented players at a faster speed.

that's one of the things regular starter Josh McCowan is trying to impress upon Russell.

"Some of the things he he got away with because of his arm in college he's not going to be able to get away with at this level," said McCowan. "But actually, there are a lot of things he can get away with with his arm that I can't get away with.

"It will just take him time. He;ll find that mix of what he can do and what he can't do, and the good thing is, hopefully, he found out a lot of the things he can't do when he played the other day."

"There's time where I can just keep the that down and get two or three yards and hold the ball for your team for the next drive or series," said Russell. "Coach said that's he best play in football, having the ball he next play."

It's doubtful the Raiders will re-sign Daunte Culpepper now that Russell is signed and targeted as their starting quarterback next season.

Soundbites...

Damon Stoudmarie, Memphis Grizzlies, after playing against the Hornets' Chris Paul the other night: "I've never sen anything like the way Chris Paul busted us. I've played against guys like Allen Iverson in his prime and Tim Hardaman in his prime. Chris scored the easiest 40 points I've seen from somebody who doesn't want to score like that. Go ask him. He'll tell you."