NFL Playoff Picture Coming into Focus

The Lions and Falcons have been in; the Eagles as well as Bears are away. Cincinnati is closing in on the playoff berth, as the Jets and Raiders require some help.

All a part of a wild closing act towards the NFL season.

With one online game remaining before groups hunker down for his or her finales next 7 days (Atlanta from New Orleans upon Monday night), the most known news was produced by Detroit.

The final time the Elephants were a pressure, Barry Sanders is at their backfield. Sanders retired following the 1998 season, and Detroit created the postseason the following year then plummeted towards the bottom of the actual league. In 08, the Lions posted the only real 0-16 record within NFL history.

Right now, they're in the chase for that championship. Their 38-10 rout of North park secured an NFC crazy card.

"Once you're able to the playoffs, it is anybody's ballgame, inch defensive end High cliff Avril said. "The town of Detroit requirements it. They've been waiting around on us to win for some time. It's such the football town as well as we haven't already been winning, so it is huge. "

From 10-5, the Elephants join North champ Green Bay, West winner Bay area, South leader Brand new Orleans, and the Atlanta Falcons within the postseason parade. Either Dallas or the Gambling also will make it happen - they fulfill next Sunday night in the Meadowlands in the winner-take-all matchup for that NFC East name.

The Falcons guaranteed a playoff just right Sunday night whenever Green Bay defeat Chicago 35-21 as well as eliminated the Bears along the way.

So if the actual Cowboys and Titans, both 8-7, are battling for that NFC East overhead, where does which leave the Eagles, probably the most disappointing team within the league?

Dreaming from the playoffs.

The team which "won" free agency following the NFL lockout through signing such awards as cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive end Jerr Babin and recipient Steve Smith must beat Washington next Sunday to complete at. 500. Very little return on the actual dollar for Philly.

"If we'd gotten into the actual playoffs, we might have definitely done a few damage, " Michael Vick said following the Eagles (7-8) defeat Dallas 20-7 upon Saturday. "It's regrettable we didn't. This is the game of soccer. We made a few mistakes early (this year) and got behind within the win-loss column. However we're just pleased we're finishing powerful. "

Finishing strong but likely to the playoffs: Brand new England, which won its seventh inside a row by rallying from the 17-0 hole in order to beat Miami 27-24. It had been the 10th time this year a team has return from at minimum 17 points in order to win, the most in one NFL season.

"All the actual while, we never threw in the towel on one another and not said anything negative one to the other, " defensive lineman Vince Wilfork stated. "Going down 17-0 is really a pretty big debt, but once once again this team demonstrated its character. inch

The AFC Eastern champion Patriots (12-3) might get home-field advantage for that playoffs by defeating Buffalo next weekend break.

Green Bay (14-1) snapped up the home-field edge within the NFC with its conquer Chicago on Weekend night.

That's the easy stuff. As for that chaotic, well, just one consider the AFC wild-card competition after Saturday's results could make your head rewrite.

Suffice to say how the Bengals (9-6) have been in control. But when they lose to Baltimore (11-4), which requires a victory to clinch the actual AFC North more than Pittsburgh (additionally 11-4), it brings 3 other teams into play for that final AFC berth: Tn, Oakland and the brand new York Jets.

The actual Jets (8-7), such as Philadelphia, are among the NFL's major flops this season. For much from the stretch drive, the Jets were responsible for the chase for that second AFC crazy card. They kept ruining, though, and after Saturday's unsightly 29-14 loss towards the Giants, they hardly are relevant.

"We perform this game in order to win the Extremely Bowl, " celebrity cornerback Darrelle Revis stated. "So even to become talking about which excites me, and I believe it excites the team for all of us to go available and try in order to win the Extremely Bowl. That's exactly what it's about. It isn't about nothing otherwise. "

Unless everybody else in the AFC wild-card scramble manages to lose, Revis and company can your investment Super Bowl this particular winter.

Among the actual notable individual overall performance in Week sixteen:

- Reggie Rose bush went over 1, 000 yards rushing for the very first time in his profession, gaining 113 within Miami's loss in order to New England.

- The Rams' Steven Fitzgibbons ran for 103 yards inside a 27-0 loss to Pittsburgh to debate 1, 000 about the season for the actual seventh straight 12 months.

- Seattle's Marshawn Lynch scored the very first TD rushing against Bay area all season, the 4-yarder. It was the actual 11th straight game by which he had the touchdown.

- 49ers kicker Donald Akers set a good NFL record along with 42 field goals for that season, including four within the 19-17 win from Seattle.

- Carolina's Camera Newton broke Peyton Manning's NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE rookie record with regard to yards passing inside a season with 3, 893 since the Panthers routed Tampa These types of 48-16.