- Mar 19, 2006
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By Jay Busbee
Well, so much for the Week 18 drama. With one week to go in the NFL's newly expanded regular season, 11 of 14 teams have already clinched a playoff berth, five in the AFC and six in the NFC. That means we're talking primarily about positioning. But before we get to that point, let's run down the teams still alive, and the games they'll need to survive to get to the postseason:
Los Angeles Chargers (-3) at Las Vegas Raiders. The NFL struck gold, making this the final game of the regular season, because it's the only win-or-go-home game of the entire Sunday slate. The Chargers are a good team with bad moments, the Raiders are a bad team with good moments, so it's anyone's guess how this one goes. (Fun fact: if Indianapolis loses to Jacksonville, both teams would get in with a tie. Chaos! Let's have it!)
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (-4.5). San Francisco controls its own fate, at least as far as the playoffs go, and can clinch a berth with a win. Lose, and the Niners will have to hope the Falcons can knock off the Saints, otherwise New Orleans somehow weasels its way into the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-4.5). Ben Roethlisberger's official, real final game doesn't mean a whole lot; even if the Steelers win, they'd still need the Colts to lose to the Jaguars. If the Ravens win, they'd need the Colts to lose, the Chargers to lose, and the Dolphins to lose or tie. Good luck with all that.
The one-seeds are prized commodities now, since they're the only seeds that come with a bye attached. Tennessee clinches the AFC top seed with a win; Kansas City, New England and Cincinnati (!) all have a shot at the top seed if several more dominos fall.
Over in the NFC, the Packers have already locked down the top seed; the only title still up for debate is the NFC West crown, which Arizona can claim with a win and a Rams loss.
OK, so, look ... not the greatest range of possible outcomes. But hey, it could be worse ... this could be like the Premier League, where there are no playoffs and Green Bay would already have clinched the title. (Sing it with me now: "And I'm proud to be an Americaaaan...")
Enjoy the weekend, folks, and we'll see you back here Monday for a little Southern-college football scuffle.
?Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter
*
Well, so much for the Week 18 drama. With one week to go in the NFL's newly expanded regular season, 11 of 14 teams have already clinched a playoff berth, five in the AFC and six in the NFC. That means we're talking primarily about positioning. But before we get to that point, let's run down the teams still alive, and the games they'll need to survive to get to the postseason:
Los Angeles Chargers (-3) at Las Vegas Raiders. The NFL struck gold, making this the final game of the regular season, because it's the only win-or-go-home game of the entire Sunday slate. The Chargers are a good team with bad moments, the Raiders are a bad team with good moments, so it's anyone's guess how this one goes. (Fun fact: if Indianapolis loses to Jacksonville, both teams would get in with a tie. Chaos! Let's have it!)
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (-4.5). San Francisco controls its own fate, at least as far as the playoffs go, and can clinch a berth with a win. Lose, and the Niners will have to hope the Falcons can knock off the Saints, otherwise New Orleans somehow weasels its way into the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-4.5). Ben Roethlisberger's official, real final game doesn't mean a whole lot; even if the Steelers win, they'd still need the Colts to lose to the Jaguars. If the Ravens win, they'd need the Colts to lose, the Chargers to lose, and the Dolphins to lose or tie. Good luck with all that.
The one-seeds are prized commodities now, since they're the only seeds that come with a bye attached. Tennessee clinches the AFC top seed with a win; Kansas City, New England and Cincinnati (!) all have a shot at the top seed if several more dominos fall.
Over in the NFC, the Packers have already locked down the top seed; the only title still up for debate is the NFC West crown, which Arizona can claim with a win and a Rams loss.
OK, so, look ... not the greatest range of possible outcomes. But hey, it could be worse ... this could be like the Premier League, where there are no playoffs and Green Bay would already have clinched the title. (Sing it with me now: "And I'm proud to be an Americaaaan...")
Enjoy the weekend, folks, and we'll see you back here Monday for a little Southern-college football scuffle.
?Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter
*
