Posted on 12/28/2002 10:07:35 AM PST by CounterCounterCulture
*** USELESS VANITY THREAD ***
And thus begins the official end to the season of 20 NFL teams as the 12 survivors jockey for their post-season slots this weekend.
AFC East Team W L T Miami 9 6 0 N.Y. Jets 8 7 0 New England 8 7 0 Buffalo 7 8 0AFC North Team W L T y-Pittsburgh 9 5 1 Cleveland 8 7 0 Baltimore 7 8 0 Cincinnati 2 13 0AFC South Team W L T y-Tennessee 10 5 0 Indianapolis 9 6 0 Jacksonville 6 9 0 Houston 4 11 0AFC West Team W L T y-Oakland 10 5 0 Denver 8 7 0 Kansas City 8 7 0 San Diego 8 7 0
NFC East Team W L T yz-Philadelphia 12 3 0 N.Y. Giants 9 6 0 Washington 6 9 0 Dallas 5 10 0NFC North Team W L T y-Green Bay 12 3 0 Minnesota 5 10 0 Chicago 4 11 0 Detroit 3 12 0NFC South Team W L T y-Tampa Bay 11 4 0 Atlanta 9 5 1 New Orleans 9 6 0 Carolina 6 9 0NFC West Team W L T y-San Francisco 10 5 0 Seattle 6 9 0 St. Louis 6 9 0 Arizona 5 10 0x-clinched playoff berth y-clinched division title z-clinched first-round bye *-clinched homefield advantage
Official playoff scenarios
The following are the official playoff scenarios in each conference and division as determined by the NFL. Strength of victory is the season-ending winning percentage of all the opponents a team has defeated. Strength of victory can change after final week.
AFC EAST
Miami Dolphins: Can clinch AFC East division with win or tie.
To clinch home-field advantage: 1) Win AND Oakland loss AND Tennessee loss AND Pittsburgh loss AND Miami wins strength of victory tiebreaker over Oakland and Tennessee.
To clinch a first-round bye: 1) Win AND Pittsburgh loss or tie AND Oakland loss; 2) Win AND Pittsburgh loss or tie AND Tennessee loss; 3) Win AND Tennessee loss AND Oakland loss AND Miami wins strength of victory tiebreaker over Oakland and Tennessee.
To clinch a playoff spot: 1) N.Y. Jets loss or tie AND Denver win; 2) N.Y. Jets loss or tie AND Kansas City loss or tie.
New England Patriots: Can clinch AFC East division: 1) Win AND N.Y. Jets loss or tie.
To clinch a playoff spot: 1) Win AND Cleveland loss or tie AND Denver loss or tie AND Kansas City win; 2) Win AND Cleveland loss or tie AND Denver loss or tie AND San Diego loss or tie; 3) Tie AND N.Y. Jets loss AND Cleveland loss AND Denver loss AND San Diego loss AND Kansas City loss or tie.
New York Jets: Can clinch AFC East division: 1) Win AND Miami loss.
Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win AND Cleveland loss or tie AND Denver win; 2) Win AND Cleveland loss or tie AND Kansas City loss or tie; 3) Tie AND New England loss or tie AND Cleveland loss AND Denver loss or tie AND Kansas City loss AND San Diego loss or tie.
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers: Have clinched the AFC North title.
Can clinch home-field advantage: 1) Win AND Tennessee loss AND Oakland loss.
Can clinch a first-round bye: 1) Win AND Tennessee loss; 2) Win AND Oakland loss.
Cleveland Browns: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win AND Denver win AND N.Y. Jets win; 2) Win AND Kansas City loss or tie AND N.Y. Jets win; 3) Win AND Denver win AND Miami win or tie; 4) Win AND Kansas City loss or tie AND Miami win or tie; 5) Tie AND N.Y. Jets loss or tie AND New England loss or tie AND Denver loss or tie AND San Diego loss or tie AND Kansas City loss; 6) New England loss AND N.Y. Jets loss AND Baltimore loss or tie AND Denver loss AND San Diego loss AND Kansas City loss.
Baltimore Ravens: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win AND New England loss AND N.Y. Jets loss AND Cleveland loss AND Denver loss AND San Diego loss AND Kansas City loss.
AFC SOUTH
Tennessee Titans: Have clinched AFC South title.
Can clinch home-field advantage: 1) Win AND Oakland loss or tie; 2) Tie AND Oakland loss; 3) Pittsburgh loss or tie AND Miami win AND Oakland loss AND Tennessee wins on strength of victory tiebreaker over Miami and Oakland.
Can clinch a first-round bye: 1) Win or tie; 2) Miami loss AND Pittsburgh loss or tie; 3) Oakland loss AND Miami win AND Tennessee wins strength of victory tiebreaker over Oakland and Miami.
Indianapolis Colts: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win or tie; 2) New England loss or tie; 3) N.Y. Jets win; 4) Cleveland loss or tie AND Kansas City loss or tie; 5) Cleveland loss or tie AND Denver win.
AFC WEST
OAKLAND Raiders: Have clinched AFC West title.
Can clinch home-field advantage: 1) Win; 2) Tie AND Tennessee loss or tie; 3) Pittsburgh loss or tie AND Tennessee loss AND Miami loss; 4) Pittsburgh loss or tie AND Tennessee loss AND Oakland wins strength of victory tiebreaker over Tennessee and Miami.
Can clinch first-round bye: 1) Tie; 2) Miami loss or tie AND Pittsburgh loss or tie; 3) Miami loss or tie AND Tennessee loss; 4) Tennessee loss AND Oakland wins strength of victory tiebreaker over Tennessee and Miami.
Denver Broncos: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win AND Cleveland loss or tie AND New England loss or tie AND N.Y. Jets loss or tie; 2) Win AND Cleveland loss or tie AND Miami loss AND N.Y. Jets win; 3) Tie AND New England loss or tie AND N.Y. Jets loss AND Cleveland loss AND Kansas City loss or tie AND San Diego loss or tie.
Kansas City Chiefs: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win AND Denver loss or tie AND New England loss or tie; 2) Win AND Denver loss or tie AND Indianapolis win or tie AND N.Y. Jets loss or tie; 3) Win AND Denver loss or tie AND Indianapolis loss AND N.Y. Jets win AND Cleveland win; 4) Tie AND New England loss AND N.Y. Jets loss or tie AND Cleveland loss or tie AND Denver loss AND San Diego loss or tie.
San Diego Chargers: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win AND Denver loss or tie AND Kansas City loss or tie AND New England loss or tie AND N.Y. Jets loss or tie AND Cleveland loss or tie; 2) Win AND Denver loss or tie AND Kansas City loss or tie AND Miami loss AND N.Y. Jets win AND Cleveland loss or tie; 3) Tie AND Denver loss AND Kansas City loss AND New England loss AND N.Y. Jets loss AND Cleveland loss.
NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles: Have clinched NFC East title and a first-round bye.
Can clinch home-field advantage: 1) Win; 2) Tie AND Green Bay loss or tie; 3) Green Bay loss.
New York Giants: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win; 2) Tie AND New Orleans loss or tie; 3) New Orleans loss.
NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers: Have clinched NFC North title.
Can clinch home-field advantage: 1) Win AND Philadelphia loss or tie; 2) Tie AND Philadelphia loss; Can clinch first-round bye: 1) Win or tie; 2) Tampa Bay loss or tie.
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Have clinched NFC South title.
Can clinch first-round bye: 1) Win AND Green Bay loss.
Atlanta Falcons: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win or tie; 2) N.Y. Giants loss or tie; 3) New Orlean loss or tie.
New Orleans Saints: Can clinch playoff spot: 1) Win AND N.Y. Giants loss or tie; 2) Win AND Atlanta loss; 3) Tie AND N.Y. Giants loss.
NFC WEST
49ers: Have clinched NFC West title.
The following teams have been officially eliminated from playoff contention:
Arizona, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Minnesota, St. Louis, Seattle and Washington
Saturday, Dec. 28 Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 1:30 pm Kansas City at Oakland, 5:00 pm Sunday, Dec. 29 Atlanta at Cleveland, 1:00 pm Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 1:00 pm Carolina at New Orleans, 1:00 pm Cincinnati at Buffalo, 1:00 pm Dallas at Washington, 1:00 pm Miami at New England, 1:00 pm Minnesota at Detroit, 1:00 pm Tennessee at Houston, 1:00 pm Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 4:05 pm Arizona at Denver, 4:15 pm Green Bay at N.Y. Jets, 4:15 pm Seattle at San Diego, 4:15 pm Tampa Bay at Chicago, 8:30 pm Monday, Dec. 30 San Francisco at St. Louis, 9:00 pm
POSTSEASON
Wild-Card Weekend Saturday, Jan. 4 AFC or NFC game, 4:30 pm on ABC AFC or NFC game, 8:00 pm on ABC Sunday, Jan. 5 AFC game, 1:00 pm on CBS NFC game, 4:30 pm on FOX Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 11 AFC game, 4:30 pm on CBS NFC game, 8:00 pm on FOX Sunday, Jan. 12 NFC game, 1:00 pm on FOX AFC game, 4:30 pm on CBS Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 19 NFC Championship Game, 3:00 pm on FOX AFC Championship Game, 6:30 pm on CBS Super Bowl XXXVII Sunday, Jan. 26 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif. 6:00 pm on ABC
Playoff implications Colts are #5 seed, will play at AFC East winner next week (JETS)
I have always hated the Green Pay packers.
As a patriots fan, today...I hate them even more.
How any team can take the field against an inferior opponent and put on a performance like that is beyond me. Their defense looked as if they didn't give a damn whether they won or lost.
Yes...I hate them. But tonight, I do not even have an ounce of respect for them.
Playoff implications
Playoff implications - NONE
How can you love a team that puts on a broke dick dog performance like they did today? How can you have any respect for a team that would lie down the way they did simply because they already had the division sewed up?
They're a Pack alright. A pack of jackals with no pride.
Since when is luck not a part of the game of football?
You are aware that the first thing that happens when the teams take the field is a coin toss...are you not?
And since when is justice a part of the game?
Playoff implications
Tampa Bay had already clinched South division. Bucs cannot clinch home-field advantage
Tampa Bay clinches a first-round bye (#2 seed) with a win.
A Tampa Bay win means Green Bay will play next week hosting Atlanta. A loss makes Tampa play next week as #3 or #4 seed.
You are serious? Better to tuck your tail and run off the field to save your ass than give it your all and fight to the end for victory? Why wouldn't a team want to roll into the playoffs with a win and the taste of crushing their opponent fresh in their mouths?
True, the Pats have been lucky. But they have never tucked their tails and run. They have never stopped trying. The have always fought to the end, come what may.
And that gives them one thing the Packers will never, ever have.
PRIDE!
BS. Every team uses it. Otherwise there would be no such thing as an onside kick.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.