The season is now three-quarters gone and there are many things left to be determined in the few remaining weeks.
The New England Patriots look like a sure bet for the playoffs - a fact that should please many hometown fans. Even with their 7-5 record, a far cry from the league's elite, the AFC East is so weak that it would take a near collapse for the defending Super Bowl champs to miss the playoffs.
With that said, the most interesting playoff race shaping up is for the AFC wildcards. There are four teams - the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars - competing for just two wildcard spots.
The biggest question mark is how the Chargers and Chiefs will fare down the stretch, as the two face especially tough schedules through the remainder of the season. Both San Diego and Kansas City are better than the Patriots, as evidenced by their respective 41-17 and 26-16 wins over the reigning Super Bowl champs, but will that be enough to distance them from Pittsburgh and Jacksonville?
The Chargers are arguably the most talented offense in football. Yes, Indianapolis Colts fans are probably screaming in protest, but the pieces are all there. Charger coach Marty Schottenheimer recently said that LaDainian Tomlinson was the greatest running back he had ever seen. Combine that with the best tight end in football - Antonio Gates - plus three solid wide receivers in Keenan McCardell, Eric Parker and Reche Caldwell, and you've got a talented offense capable of giving any team in the league a run for its money.
What may sink the Chargers, however, is their tough schedule. After what should be an easy win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, they will be forced to play their last three games against Indianapolis, Kansas City, and the Denver Broncos.
Coming away from Indianapolis with a win has looked unthinkable this season, with the Colts easily handling the competition. But if there is one team that can knock out the Colts, it's the Chargers. The Bolts took the Colts into overtime last year at the RCA dome, and their defense was able to confuse the always-collected Peyton Manning for three quarters.
The Chargers' defense is even better this year, thanks to the addition of Shawne Merriman, who, as a rookie, is becoming one of the better linebackers in football. His teammates have been foaming at the mouth over this guy's talent, and with good reason.
With Wade Phillips as creative game planner, expect the Chargers to come at the Colts with a lot of blitzes. Peyton had better keep his head up, as Chargers linebacker Steve Foley has come into his own this season by forcing quarterbacks outside of the pocket.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, have been tough as nails this year on both sides of the ball. Their offensive power couple of Trent Green and Larry Johnson has made life miserable for opposing defenses, and their defense has been successful at stopping the run all year long.
Kansas City faces a tough schedule as well, however, matching up against the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants on the road in the coming weeks. While they have a long winning streak at home in December, the Chiefs are a very different team away from Arrowhead Stadium, especially late in the season, and these road games might be just enough to keep them out of the playoffs...
Tim Lewis and Cam Cameron
There are likely to be as many as nine head coaching vacancies in the NFL this offseason and look for these two names to top some teams' lists of potential leaders. Cameron has done an excellent job in San Diego as offensive coordinator, making Drew Brees into a reliable pocket passer (fifth in the league with a 93.9 QB rating) and turning the Chargers' offense into a formidable unit.
Lewis, as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, has also set himself up for a head coaching position. With Eli Manning struggling on Sunday, he created a masterful game plan that confused the heck out of Drew Bledsoe and Dallas' offensive coordinator Sean Payton.
The Cowboys wanted to double-team the Giants' lethal combination of Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, and Lewis responded by lining the two on the same side, making the double-team difficult. All season long, Lewis has headed a New York defense that sports two of the league's top four in tackles and sacks. Combine the talent of Umenyiora and Strahan with the pressure of defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, and the Giants might have the best defensive line in football; a nice line for Lewis' resume.
