Fathead Blog

In the final week of the NFL season, there are still 3 playoff spots still unclaimed. The NFC East, AFC West and the final AFC Wild Card are up for grabs and will be decided this weekend. We take a look at which teams will earn, or back into, a berth in this year’s NFL playoffs.

NFC EAST Champion

The NFC East was given to the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason after they went out and made some big free agent signings. Long considered one of the tougher conferences in the NFL, not many would be surprised if you told them the NFC East would come down to the final week before we had a winner. However, it would be surprising to hear the Eagles didn’t have a chance. The Dallas Cowboys will travel to New York to take on the Giants in what is essentially the NFC East Championship game.

The Cowboys have had multiple chances to put distance between themselves and the Giants, but failed to take advantage of the opportunities. Add to that the injured throwing hand of Tony Romo, and all of the momentum seems to lie with Eli Manning and the Giants. Look for the Giants to get after Romo and get out to an early lead to keep the home crowd in the game. I like the Giants to claim the NFC East championship this year.

The New York Giants will be after Tony Romo and his injured throwing hand as they look to claim the NFC East crown.

AFC WEST Champions

The AFC West seems to be the division nobody wants to win. The Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos are both fighting to stay above .500 on the season and haven’t looked strong in the last couple weeks. Denver has dropped two in a row, while the Raiders have lost 3 of 4, needing OT to beat Kansas City last week.

Unlike the NFC East game, these two teams don’t get to play each other for the right to go to the playoffs. If both teams win this weekend Denver will win the AFC West and Oakland will have a chance to win the final remaining Wild Card spot, but we will get to that later. Denver has the better draw, having only need to beat the Chiefs while Oakland must beat San Diego. I like Tim Tebow to find a way to beat his predecessor Kyle Orton and return the Broncos back to the postseason.

AFC Wildcard (6^th seed)

This is where it all gets interesting. Four teams can still claim this final AFC Wild Card spot: the Benals, Jets, Titans and Raiders. Try to stay with me here.  The Cincinnati Bengals have the easiest road to get to the playoffs: win and they are in.  They can also get in if the Jets and Raiders or Broncos lose.

If that doesn’t happen, the Raiders can get in if they win, the Bengals lose and either the Titans lose or the Jets win.

The Jets get in if they win and the Titans, Bengals, and either the Raiders or Broncos lose.

Finally, there is Tennessee. They need to win. They also need the Bengals to lose. Then, if the Jets win, they need the Raiders or Broncos to lose. If the Jets lose, they need both the Raiders AND the Broncos to win.

Head spinning yet? Mine too. After all of those scenarios, here is all you need to know. I think the New York Jets find a way to sneak in. If the Bengals can find a way to knock of a veteran Ravens team who doesn’t come out prepared to play, they could earn their spot. However, I just don’t think the Raiders, Titans, or Bengals will win this week, which makes me think even though the Jets have had a bad year, they just sneak into the playoffs.

But if the NFL has proven anything this season, it’s that no one has any idea.