HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Dec. 12, 2006 Every now and again, I have to perform the painful task of admitting that I screwed up. When I first started doing my playoff analysis for this NFL season, I said that everyone was still in the hunt for the playoffs at Week 13. Somehow or another, I happened to overlook the eliminated teams in the information I was reviewing to write my column. To make a long story short: The Oakland Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention after Week 12. The Detroit Lions were eliminated after Week 13. And now that I’ve atoned for my previous sin: Arizona, Cleveland, Houston, Tampa Bay and Washington were all put out of their misery at the end of Week 14. That means that 23 teams are now fighting for the remaining six playoff spots. The San Diego Chargers, led by a record-breaking performance by LaDanian Tomlinson, locked up the AFC West title and, by virtue of Jacksonville ’s thumping of Indianapolis , are now the top seed in the conference. They join the Chicago Bears, who clinched the NFC North in Week 13, in the playoff party. The Bears moved one step closer to locking up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by winning a tough road game in St. Louis on Monday night. Of the teams in serious contention for division championships, only the Baltimore Ravens and the New Orleans Saints really helped their caused in Week 14. The Ravens had to win on the road in Kansas City , while the Saints whipped Dallas in a prime-time tilt on Sunday night. The Patriots, the Colts, and the Cowboys all stumbled badly, but are still well in control of their respective playoff destinies. Here’s what to watch for in Week 15: The New England Patriots clinch the AFC East with a win at home against Houston and a New York Jets loss or tie in an interconference tilt at Minnesota . The Patriots also clinch the division if they tie the Texans and the Jets lose to the Vikings. The Baltimore Ravens clinch the AFC North with a win at home against Cleveland and a Cincinnati loss or tie at Indianapolis this coming Monday night. The Ravens also clinch the division if they tie the Browns and the Bengals lose to the Colts. The Ravens also have seven additional scenarios in which they can clinch a playoff berth WITHOUT winning the division, the easiest of which being beating or tying the Browns. Two of the other scenarios involve that pesky Strength of Victory tiebreaker against the Jets. The Indianapolis Colts clinch the AFC South if the Jacksonville Jaguars lose at Tennessee. That is a game that could cause the Jags serious trouble, after blowing out the Colts 44-17 in Week 14. The Colts also clinch the division if they beat or tie Cincinnati on Monday night and the Jags and Titans finish their game in a tie. The Colts clinch can clinch a playoff berth WITHOUT winning the division if they win or tie OR if Denver suffers a loss or tie at Arizona. The Dallas Cowboys cannot clinch the NFC East in Week 15. They can, however, clinch a playoff berth under two different scenarios. In both scenarios, they must win on the road at Atlanta on Sunday night AND have the Vikings lose or tie against the Jets. Then, either the New Orleans Saints have to beat or tie Washington at home OR the Carolina Panthers have to lose or tie at home against Pittsburgh. The Chicago Bears have clinched the NFC North and a first-round bye in the playoffs, guaranteeing them at least one game at home. The Bears clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they win at home against Tampa Bay and the Saints lose or tie against the Redskins. The Bears also clinch home field if they tie the Bucs and New Orleans loses. The New Orleans Saints clinch the NFC South with a win against Washington. They also clinch the division if they tie and the Falcons lose or tie against Dallas , OR if Atlanta loses AND Carolina loses or ties against the Steelers. The Saints clinch the division AND a first-round bye with a win, a Dallas loss, a New York Giants loss or tie at home against Philadelphia AND a Seattle loss or tie at home against San Francisco on Thursday night. The Saints can also clinch a playoff berth WITHOUT winning the division under four additional scenarios, the easiest of which would be tying Washington . The Seattle Seahawks clinch the NFC West with a win or a tie against San Francisco. For the latest team and playoff information, go to NFL.com. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written over 100 articles for Useless Knowledge. He has also written the unpublished novels The Writer's Nightmare and Santa's Sleigh Is Missing. He works as a business analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
