It was a strange week last week. The AFC now has all division titles crowned and five out of six playoff teams determined. The NFC has no division titles crowned and three playoff spots still up for grabs.
Top 12 Teams [Last week's position]
1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3) [1] : Their winning record at home was shattered this week, but they still maintain the top spot.
2. Denver Broncos (12-3) [3] : An impressive win gave them the AFC West title; now they are hoping for top seed in the AFC
3. San Francisco 49ers (11-4) [4] : The 49ers clinched the playoffs and are now competing for the division title
4. Carolina Panthers (11-4) [5] : The Panthers took the lead in the NFC South with a strong defensive performance.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) [2] :A tough loss cost them any chance at the division title and sewed up fifth seed.
6. New England Patriots (11-4) [7] : Strong win over the Ravens keeps their hopes for top seed alive
7. Cincinnati Bengals (10-5) [8] : The Bengals had an impressive game to provide excellent momentum into the playoffs. They also keep alive hopes for a first-round bye.
8. New Orleans Saints (10-5) [6] : Tough loss to the Panthers cost them the NFC South lead
9. Indianapolis Colts (10-5) [10] : Nice win for the only team to have earned a division title going into last week
10. Arizona Cardinals (10-5) [9] : Knocked off the Seahawks to throw NFC seedings out the window
11. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6) [11] : Scored more points than they have in six years against a porous Bears rush defense.
12. San Diego Chargers (8-7) [13] : Nice game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Divisional rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC West [1] : With three Top Ten teams and two confirmed playoff teams, this team will end the season on top.
2. AFC West [2] : The two best teams in the AFC live here, and the sixth seed could come from this division, too.
3 (tie). NFC South [3] : The Saints are faltering a bit, but this division is still likely to provide two playoff teams.
3 (tie). AFC East [6] : What a way to come roaring back! After being one of the worst divisions at the start of the season, they have performed well, accumulating the third best overall record behind the NFC West and AFC West.
5. AFC North [4] : Pitt won and Cincy won big, but bad losses to Baltimore and Cleveland hurt this division.
6. NFC North [5] : Very poor showing this week, with all teams suffering losses
7. NFC East [7] : Strong win for Philly and the Giants looked good, but they had too large a gap to overcome.
8. AFC South [8] : Far in the basement
Playoff race
It's gotten easy for the AFC, while the NFC is still wide open.
AFC East: New England Patriots win
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals win
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts win
AFC West: Denver Broncos win
AFC seeds: Denver gains the top seed with a win OR a Patriots loss. The Pats gain the top seed with a win AND Broncos loss. Even if Denver wins, New England gets a first-round bye with a win. If the Pats lose, the Bengals can gain the second seed with a win. If both New England and Cincy lose, Indy can gain the second seed with a win. Third seed is currently held by the Bengals. If New England wins and takes second, the Bengals clinch third seed with a win OR a Colts loss. The Colts need a Bengals loss AND a win themselves to take third, otherwise they are the fourth seed.
KC already has locked the fifth seed. The sixth seed gets interesting. If Miami wins and Baltimore loses, the Dolphins have it. If Miami and Baltimore win AND San Diego loses, the Ravens gain the wildcard due to a regular season victory over the Dolphins. However, if all three win, the Dolphins gain the sixth seed. Now, if all three LOSE and Pittsburgh wins, the Steelers capture the final spot. That is the only hope Pittsburgh has, so that is very slim.
NFC East: The winner of the Philadelphia - Dallas showdown wins the division
NFC North: The winner of the Bears - Packers bout wins the division
NFC South: The Panthers gain the title if they win OR the Saints lose. The Saints need to win and have Atlanta upset Carolina in order to capture the title.
NFC West: The Seahawks win the division with a win OR 49ers loss. The 49ers get the title if they win and the Seahawks lose.
NFC Seeds: The winner of the NFC West gains the top seed. The winner of the NFC South gains the second seed. If the Eagles win the East, they capture the third seed. If Chicago wins the North and Dallas wins the East, the Bears capture the third seed. If the Bears lose, the NFC East winner is the third seed and Green Bay is the fourth seed. If the 49ers win, the NFC West runner-up is the fifth seed. If the Saints win and the 49ers lose and the Panthers win the NFC South, the Saints are the fifth seed and the 49ers are the sixth seed. If the Saints lose and the Cardinals win, the Cardinals are the sixth seed. If the Saints win and the Panthers win, the Saints are the sixth seed.
Here's something unusual -- EVEN SINGLE game this weekend is a divisional match-up.
Sunday early games
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals: Baltimore needs a win to reach the playoffs, but Cincy won't make it easy. If the Bengals seed was set, or they had no chance at a first-round bye, they might rest their key players and give Baltimore a stronger chance to win. However, since they still have an outside chance at the second seed, they'll play hard. Baltimore is still smarting from the beating administered by the Patriots last week. BENGALS, 20-17
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: A first round bye is the prize for Carolina if they win. That, plus their defense against a depleted Falcons offense, makes this pick easy. PANTHERS, 27-13
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers still have a long shot at a wildcard berth. Even if they were completely out of the playoff race, they'd still want to beat the Browns. STEELERS, 17-13
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: Neither of these two are in the playoff hunt. Both teams might be playing for their coaches' careers, although it seems likely that both coaches will be fired next week anyway. For Detroit, this one may depend upon Matt Stafford's job. With the likelihood that Adrian Peterson will be out, I'll pick Detroit. LIONS, 24-13
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: The Titans halted their fall last week, and since they get to host the worst team in the league, they should end with a two-game winning streak. TITANS, 16-13
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts chances for any seed higher than fourth are slim, so they may rest players. That could allow the Jags to win the game. However, the Colts also know the value of momentum going into the playoffs. I think the stars will start, and then be pulled when they lead by enough. COLTS, 24-16
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins know they have to win to get a wildcard, and then hope Cincy beats the Ravens. They are playing the pathetic Jets offense, so they should get the first half of the equation. DOLPHINS, 21-10
Washington Redskins at New York Giants: Only the third game with no playoff implications, this one is for pride. Kurt Cousins is starting for Washington, while the Giants' Eli Manning wants to put a bright conclusion on a career-disaster season. They should accomplish that, but they may go into their second consecutive overtime to do it. GIANTS, 23-20
Sunday late games
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: The Patriots have a shot at the number one seed. With that incentive, they won't be stopped. PATS, 31-17
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders: Denver needs one more victory to clinch home field throughout the playoffs, and that is important to them. Oakland is pretty devastated right now. The Raiders might give them some trouble early, but Peyton will sling some shots past their defenders and knock them down. BRONCOS, 34-16
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: I doubt Aaron Rodgers will start, with gives Chicago an edge. However, their run defense sucks, and Ed Lacy is having a great season. I'd favor the Pack, except they showed last week that their defense is also weak, and the Bears offense is potent. I'll give the Bears the edge, but Green Bay could take over this game with a ground assault. BEARS, 34-30
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: The Chiefs have been a tremendous road team this season, but the Chargers can play divisional opponents tough. The difference might be the results from earlier in the day. If Miami wins and the Ravens lose, the Chargers have no wildcard slot to play for. That could remove much of their incentive to win. KC might rest their stars, as their seed is firmly established. If the Chargers still have a wildcard to play for, they will beat a resting Chiefs team. If not, this might be close, and definitely a snoozer. Since I think the Chargers will already know they have no shot at the playoffs, neither team will be playing hard. CHIEFS, 21-20
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals: Wow, this should be a great bout! Arizona already upset Seattle, and they are the hottest team right now. The 49ers have struggled on the road this season. The 49ers want a chance to win the top seed, but Arizona is playing for a wildcard spot. I have to go for the upset on this one. CARDINALS, 20-17
St Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are potent at home. They can be beaten, as Arizona proved, and the Rams have a strong defense. However, I think Seattle will prevail, although not by as much as they might want. SEAHAWKS, 23-20
Tampa Bay Bucs at New Orleans Saints: This is an important game for the Saints. They will already know if they have a shot at the division title and the second seed. Even if Carolina wins earlier, they know a win is needed to remain ahead of the Cardinals and grab that sixth seed. They should get it against a weak Bucs team. SAINTS, 30-16
Sunday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys: The loss of Tony Romo hurts this team's chances. Kyle Orton is good, but he can't keep pace with the Eagles offense, especially since the Cowboys defense stinks. EAGLES, 35-24
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