NFL Playoffs: the final push for glory

The NFL playoffs may be just two weeks away, but not much has been decided as yet. Who crawls in for the NFC’s lower playoff spots is anyone’s guess right now.

The NFC East is the most intriguing as the Eagles could end up winning the division, despite losing Donovan McNabb to injury several weeks ago. The division could end up sending three teams to the playoffs, as it has lived up to some of it’s pre-season expectations.

The top stories after week15:

Eagles in the playoffs?
The Philadelphia Eagles have the outright lead in the NFC wild-card race after beating the rival Giants 36-22 on Sunday afternoon. Despite theGiants' loss, both Philly and New York still hold wild-card spots. After a tight three quarters, Philly took the lead for good on a 19-yard Jeff Garcia pass to Reggie Brown. They then sealed it with a 19-yard interception return late in the fourth quarter.

Giants no more
New York players knew from the start that their schedule is one of, if not the toughest of any team this season. So it should come as no surprise that as they get ready for their last two games, with both being do-or-die affairs, that they probably have the toughest schedule of all NFC playoff wannabes. They say you truly have to earn a playoff spot; well that now goes double for the Giants, who host the Saints and then travel to FedEx Field.

Jets looking good
The New York Jets kept their AFC playoff hopes alive with a 26-13 win against the Minnesota Vikings. Chad Pennington threw for a career-high 339 yards and one touchdown against a weak Viking pass defense. Pennington also hooked up with Laveranues Coles 12 times on Sunday for 144 yards and a score. The Jets (8-6) are now tied with Jacksonville, Denver, and Cincinnati for the AFC’s two wild-card spots, and they have the softest remaining schedule amongst these four.

Cutler gets his first win
In only his third start, rookie quarterback Jay Cutler led the Denver Broncos to victory. Cutler completed 21 of 31 passes for 261 yards, two touchdowns and one interception with a QB rating over 100. It was the Broncos' first win in over a month and kept their playoff heart beating. Yet Denver’s offense was never the main concern; its once heralded defense has to regain the form that had them as early-season favorites for the Super Bowl.

Chiefs in the Playoffs? Think again.
The Chiefs’ 20-9 loss to the LaDainian Tomlinson-led Chargers has nearly ended Kansas City’s playoff hopes. There are four teams standing at 7-7 in the AFC, all still with only a small shot at a playoff spot. The Chiefs only managed three field goals on the impressive San Diego defense, and were single-handedly beaten by Tomlinson, who scored two touchdowns as QB Philip Rivers was clearly having one of his worst games of the season.

Jags must mean injuries
Last week Jacksonville ran all over the Colts en route to an impressive spanking of the AFC powerhouse. This week the Jaguars lost 24-17 against a red-hot Titans team that has now reached a 7-7 mark. The Jags’ playoff hopes are being ruined by all their injuries. With an 8-6 record Jacksonville is still in the thick of the race for a playoff spot, but now has to deal with the newest injuries to Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.

Panthers officially out of playoffs
Before the season, the Carolina Panthers were a popular pick to be there in Miami and win the Super Bowl this season. Now, with a 6-8 record and with just a mathematical chance to make the post-season, they will have to look at the positives of getting a mid-first-round draft pick. With Chris Weinke starting for the second straight week, they struggled against the reigning Super Bowl champions. The loss was Carolina’s fourth straight.

The games to watch this week:

Saints-Giants, Sunday 18:00 GMT
This game on paper means more to the Giants than the NFC South champion Saints, but it’ll be a barn-burner nonetheless. New Orleans was embarrassed by the Redskins last week, and will look to rebound against a playoff-caliber team. The Giants will need to win in order to remain in the NFC wild-card picture. Plus the Giants have to prove they can beat a division leader when in a must win situation.

Bengals-Broncos, Sunday 21:15 GMT
This game has two teams fighting for possibly the same playoff spot. The Broncos will need to win in order to improve their chances at grabbing an AFC wild-card spot, as will the Cincinnati Bengals. There is everything to play for here as only the winner of this battle will get to fight another day, while the loser will most likely start making January holiday plans.

Eagles-Cowboys, Monday 22:00 GMT
The Christmas football gift for Boxing Day. When Donovan McNabb went down with a season-ending injury a few weeks back, it seemed as though the Eagles’ season was over. Philadelphia was getting pounded and then McNabb went out, but since then they have surged to an 8-6 record and could tie the Cowboys for the NFC East led with a win on Christmas Day. And, oh yeah, Terrell Owens gets another crack at his old team (and how weird that he faces another one of his old QBs in Jeff Garcia). Let’s just hope no spitting is involved this time.

Jets-Dolphins, Tuesday 1:30 GMT
If Chad Pennington and the Jets want to keep themselves in the AFC playoff race, they’ll have to dispatch  the Dolphins, who have a 1-4 division record, and have been off and then on and then off again. New York will already know just how they stand in the AFC wild-card race when the kick-off takes place on Christmas night as all their adversaries will have finished their games by then. What we will not know until the game is which Dolphin team will show up.