6-6 teams still in NFL playoff hunt

There's plenty of parity in the NFL especially in the AFC. As week 14 rolls around, the best record this conference can boast is 8-4 allowing the conference's three 6-6 teams to hold on to their playoff dreams.

The story doesn't look so much better in the NFC either. Though this conference does boast three teams tied for the NFL's best record at 9-3; the Philadelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The playoff picture for both leagues is still blurry.

It's likely that many of the league's mediocre teams will get a shot at the playoffs this season. The question now remains, which of these mediocre teams will make the playoffs and which ones will be left on the outside looking in.

Sitting at 6-6, the Baltimore Ravens still have a chance to make it into the postseason. Granted it's a long shot, but the fact that a team whose roster was overhauled because of salary cap problems, and a team that also has Jeff Blake as its starting quarterback, shouldn't even have a shot at making the playoffs. The rest of the Ravens schedule consists of four games, one each against the Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans, the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers respectively.

Assuming even the Ravens have enough in them to beat the Browns and the Texans, if they can also beat the Steelers, they could wind up as the AFC North Champions. Currently sitting only one game back of the division leading Steelers, Billick's team is holding on to hope by more than just the skin of their teeth.

The story is a bit different for the 6-6 and perhaps more talented New York Giants. After starting the season at 3-4, the Giants then went on a three game winning streak that put them smack back in the playoff race. The Giants playoff hopes seemed to gain even more momentum when the division leading Eagles lost Donavan McNabb to an ankle injury which will sideline the QB for six to eight weeks.

Little did the Eagles know that losing their most valuable player would put no damper on their roll through the NFC. Even losing their back-up quarterback Koy Detmer didn't stop the Eagles from beating the St. Louis Rams. The Eagles wins paired with the Giants two game losing streak, has pushed the Giants three games back of Philly and their playoff hopes are fading fast.

Two more 6-6 teams, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills have had better luck gaining on their division leader, the Miami Dolphins, who also lost their starting quarterback to injury. Surprisingly, it seems that the Dolphins are much more dependant on quarterback Jay Fiedler than the Eagles are on McNabb, as they've gone 2-4 since his injury.

Meanwhile, having compiled winning records of their own since Fiedler's injury, the Jets and the Bills are back in the playoff hunt and nobody knows who will win the AFC East, a division whose leader and bottom dweller sit merely one game apart.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the Dolphins have historically played poorly in December, compiling a 4-4 record during this month over the past two seasons. The playoff picture may become clearer this weekend as the New England Patriots prepare to take on the Bills.

With only four weeks left to go, only the Green Bay Packers have secured themselves a playoff spot. Winning the NFC North can hardly be considered a feat, however, as the next best record behind the Packers is the Detriot Lions' 3-9 mark. Though the Chicago Bears began the season at 2-0, and appeared set to challenge the Packers' supremacy, the Bears have not been able to maintain the fast start and currently have a 3-9 record of their own.

It doesn't seem as if the picture will get too much clearer by next week either as no team has the ability to clinch a division title going into week 14.



The Good

In the Atlanta Falcons last three games, quarterback Michael Vick has been unstoppable. Passing for as many yards as he rushed (173) against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, Vick's play of late is the entire reason the Falcons are back in the playoff race. Despite struggling against the Vikings, in week 12 against Carolina the QB finished the afternoon with a quarterback rating of 141.7.



The Bad

Kurt Warner is 0-7 as a starter on the St. Louis Rams. After leading his team to a 0-5 start, Warner sat out for five weeks with a finger injury, allowing Mark Bulger to bring the team back up to the .500 mark. Bulger's efforts to bring the Rams back into the playoff picture went to waste once Warner was healed and regained the starting job only to drive his team back into the ground.



The Ugly

The Washington Redskins' Thanksgiving day match-up against the Dallas Cowboys was perhaps the ugliest game the Redskins have played this season. Adding to their 12 game losing streak against the Cowboys, the Redskins loss killed all playoff hopes dropping the 'Skins to 5-7 on the season.