Getty ImagesWell, that was some Christmas Eve of football.
The Lions are headed to the playoffs. Tebowmania imploded. The Giants beat the Jets, which made Rex Ryan very unhappy and set up a Giants-Cowboys rematch?next Sunday night for the NFC East title.
So after all the fun, where do the playoff races stand? Let?s take a look.
Four spots remain.
The last wild card spot in both conferences remain up for grabs. So do the NFC East and AFC West division titles. One more spot could be decided Sunday night.
This Sunday night still matters.
With a late field goal, the 49ers narrowly?won in Seattle 19-17?to keep their hopes alive for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That means Green Bay still has to go all out to beat Chicago on Christmas in order to clinch the top spot in the NFC.
San Francisco can clinch a playoff bye if they beat the Rams next week. (They can also get the bye if New Orleans loses one of their remaining two games. The Saints host the Falcons Monday night.)
A Packers win Sunday night would also clinch the final NFC wild card spot for the Falcons.
Only one NFC East team will make it in.
The Eagles are out. The winner of Cowboys-Giants gets a division title and a home playoff game. The loser is out of the playoffs. Simple.
Patriots clinch bye, have inside track for No. 1 seed.
New England?s 17-point comeback win over Miami puts them in good shape to have homefield advantage. The Patriots clinched a bye on Saturday, and they will get the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a home win over Buffalo next week.
The Ravens and Steelers still have a shot at the No. 1 seed. The winner of the AFC North will earn a bye. Speaking of which . . .
Ravens and the Bengals play the biggest AFC game next week.
If Baltimore wins in Cincinnati, the Ravens get a bye. If the Bengals win, they clinch the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Steelers will be rooting for Cincinnati to sneak in. Pittsburgh can still win the division and get a bye if they beat the Browns and the Ravens lose. The Steelers still have an outside shot for the No. 1 seed if they won and both the Ravens and Patriots lose.
All the AFC North games will be at 4:15 p.m. ET. If the Bengals lose, things get complicated. The Titans, Jets, and Raiders are also alive for the last wild card spot if Cincinnati falls. Oakland could also win the AFC West.
The Bengals could even lose and make the playoffs if they end up in a two-way tie with the Titans at 9-7.
The Jets need a miracle.
Rex Ryan?s crew doesn?t look like a team good enough to win in Miami next week. Even if the Jets win, they need a ton of help to get into the playoffs.
Here?s what needs to happen for the Jets to make it: They need to win and they need a Bengals loss, a Titans loss, and a Raiders or Broncos loss.
The Titans also need a complicated combination of events to make it. Their scenarios are listed right here.
Texans are the No. 3 seed in the AFC.
This much we know for sure. They will avoid the Ravens or Steelers in the first round.
It?s down to the Raiders and Broncos in the AFC West.
The Chiefs and Chargers are out after Saturday?s results. The Raiders and Broncos are both 8-7. The Broncos still hold the tiebreaker advantage over Oakland, so the Broncos still control their fate. They are in with a win next week against Kyle Orton and the Chiefs. How great a matchup is that?
The Raiders can win the division if they beat San Diego in Oakland and Denver loses to the Chiefs. ?Oakland also has a shot for the final wild card spot. It?s possible Oakland could win and still miss the playoffs.
To get the wild card, the Raiders would need a win, a Bengals loss, and a Titans loss. Or a win, a Bengals loss, and a Jets win.
Got all that?
Merry Christmas anyway.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/24/mri-confirms-acl-tear-for-peterson/related/
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