Sports News With The NFL

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in the NFL.

That rotten team you usually root for? Forget them. One lump of coal coming up for their stocking. There are teams closing in on playoff berths and home-field advantage with just two weeks left in the regular season.
Get on board. Pick a new favorite. Live a little.

Five of 12 playoff berths are clinched and 19 of the league’s 32 teams remain alive (if just barely) as Week 16 – without a Thursday night game – dawns.

Some teams can earn a spot in the postseason only with a combination of happenings this weekend, and that’s too convoluted to explain with the NFL’s myriad tiebreakers. We’ll just deal with the teams that simply need a victory to nail down something.

• The New Orleans Saints (12-2) can nab home-field advantage through the playoffs with a Sunday win at home over the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1).

• The Dallas Cowboys (8-6) capture the NFC East title if they defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

• The Houston Texans (10-4) earn the AFC South crown if they can beat the Eagles (7-7) in Philadelphia on Sunday.

• The New England Patriots (9-5), losers of their last two, win the AFC East with a victory at home Sunday against the Buffalo Bills (5-9).

The weekend fun actually begins on Saturday with a doubleheader that includes four teams with at least theoretical playoff chances.

The Washington Redskins (7-7) play the Tennessee Titans (8-6) at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Baltimore Ravens (8-6) meet the Los Angeles Chargers (11-3, already clinched a wild-card berth) at 8:20 p.m. Both games are on NFL Network.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman