Inside The Star
Only 23 teams, 11 in the NFC and 12 in the AFC, remain alive for the playoffs after 14 weeks of the NFL season.
Of the nine teams on the outside looking in, three of them pretty much have as their only hope, somehow rallying to win their division.
Carolina is tied with Tampa Bay, but currently loses the tie-breaker in the NFC. In the AFC, both Baltimore and Cincinnati, at 6-7, have little hope at a wildcard berth.
But both teams trail Pittsburgh by just a game.
Ironically, the team currently in the cat-bird seat in the AFC North if it came down to a tie-breaker would be the 4-9 Bengals.
These next four weeks are going to be wild.
#1 NFC: Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
#2 NFC: Green Bay (9-3-1)
#3 NFC: Philadelphia (8-5)
#4 NFC: Tampa Bay (7-6)
#1 AFC: Denver (11-2)
#2 AFC: New England (11-2)
#3 AFC: Jacksonville (9-4)
#4 AFC: Pittsburgh (7-6)
The Rams are looking like solid picks for the top seed and the playoff bye week. Los Angeles has a slightly easier schedule than Green Bay.
The Eagles have the easier slate of the top three, but they face Buffalo and the Eagles are not looking so good lately.
Tampa Bay could catch Philadelphia for that third seed too.
In the AFC, Denver and New England are in a dogfight.
Denver currently has the tie-breaker. But the Broncos also have the tougher four-game schedule ahead.
Jacksonville plays at Denver on the 21st and their remaining three games are very winnable.
If the Patriots and Broncos slip up, Jacksonville could sneak in and steal that top seed.
#5 NFC: Seattle (10-3)
#6 NFC: San Francisco (9-4)
#7 NFC: Chicago (9-4)
#5 AFC: Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
#6: AFC: Buffalo (9-4)
#7 AFC: Houston (8-5)
Dallas: The Cowboys are one of four teams outside the NFC’s seven playoff seeds. Unless they can catch the Eagles for the NFC East title, they would have to rely on some very slim playoff hopes.
If the Eagles win the division, Dallas would have to run the table and finish 10-6-1.
They would then need one of the following teams, the 49ers, Bears, or Packers, to go 1-3 or worse.
They could only afford the Lions winning two of their last four. The Panthers could go 3-1 and the Cowboys would still edge them by a half-game.
This is why Dallas’ current odds of making the playoffs stand at 6%.
Detroit: At 8-5, the Lions are now sitting in eighth. That puts them a game behind the 49ers (6th) and Bears (7th) in the wildcard hunt.
But the Lions are also very much in the hunt for the NFC North title too.
They trail Green Bay by 1.5 games.
Carolina: The Panthers are a half-game ahead of Dallas, and...
