NFL Roundup
By United Press International
Three division titles and three playoff berths will be determined on the final Sunday of the National Football League's regular season.
Four teams are left to compete for the last playoff spotin the NFC. And the one that makes it will become the first team in eight years to reach the postseason with only a breakeven record. Three clubs are fighting for two postseason berths in the AFC and it could be that a team from that conference will be left at home with a 10-6 mark.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5) can clinch their first NFC Central title in 18 years with a win or tie Sunday against the Chicago Bears (6-9) or a loss or lie by the Minnesota Vikings (9-6), who host the Detroit Lions (8-7).
The Bucs, Vikings and Lions have all clinched playoff spots. The Vikings can still win the division title if they win while Tampa Bay loses.
Despite losing back-to-back games to fall to 7-8, the Dallas Cowboys are in control of their playoff destiny. The New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers are the other 7-8 teams still alive in the NFC playoff race.
The Cowboys host the Giants on Sunday; the Packers meet the Arizona Cardinals (6-9) and the Panthers play the New Orleans Saints (3-11).
If the Cowboys win, they will advance to the playoffs for the eight time in the last nine years. Dallas would win a tiebreaker over Green Bay and Carolina based on a better conference record. A win Sunday would give a Cowboys a 7-5 record within the NFC while the Packers and Panthers already have six conference defeats.
However, if the Giants win, that will pave the way for the Packers, who are matched up against a defensively-depleted Arizona team, which could be missing as many as six starters due to injuries.
Entering Sunday, Green Bay has an 18-point lead over the Panthers and a 56-point bulge over the Giants in net conference points for the tiebreaker. The Giants will make the playoffs if they win Sunday and the Packers lose. Carolina's best chance comes if the Giants and Cowboys end in a tie.
The 1990 New Orleans Saints were the only NFC team to make the playoffs with an 8-8 record. The 1985 Cleveland Browns and the 1991 New York Jets reached the postseason as 8-8 teams in the AFC.
It is actually possible for a team with a losing record to get in this year, which would happen if both Green Bay and Carolina lose while the Giants and Cowboys play a tie game.
The Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs are fighting for the AFC West title and the Miami Dolphins are battling for the final wild card spot in the conference. All three contenders are 9-6.
The Seahawks visit the New York Jets (7-8); the Chiefs host the Oakland Raiders (7-8) and the Dolphins face the NFC East champion Washington Redskins (9-6).
The Dolphins will know their playoff fate before they take the field on Sunday at 4:15 pm EST. If the Seahawks and Chiefs win in earlier games, Miami will be eliminated from the playoff race. However, if either the Seahawks or Chiefs lose, the Dolphins are automatically in the playoffs even if they fall to Washington.
As a result, Miami's game will be rendered meaningless unless either Seattle or Kansas City plays to a tie.
It is possible Miami can make the playoffs with a 9-7 record if either Seattle or Kansas City loses, but yet fail to reach the postseason with a 10-6 mark if both teams win.
The Seahawks will clinch the AFC West title and their first playoff berth since 1988 with a win Sunday or a loss by the Chiefs. In Mike Holmgren's first year as coach, the Seahawks are on the verge of ending the NFL's longest active playoff drought.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (13-2) are tied for the best record in the AFC, but need a win or tie against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-11) on Sunday or a loss or tie by the Tennessee Titans 12-3) to clinch the Central Division. The Titans, who visit the Pittsburgh Steelers, own the tiebreaker advantage over the Jaguars on the basis of a series sweep. Tennessee is in the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
The Jaguars will give Jay Fiedler his first NFL start on Sunday, when they attempt to clinch their second straight division title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Jacksonville will be forced to go with Fiedler since Pro Bowl starter Mark Brunell is sidelined with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Brunell suffered the injury with just over three minutes left in the second quarter of last Sunday's 41-14 loss to the Titans.
The AFC East champion Indianapolis Colts (13-2) can also earn homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. But they trail the Jaguars by 14 points in best net points in conference games for the tiebreaker.
The Colts visit the Buffalo Bills (10-5), who have clinched a wild card spot and will start backup Rob Johnson at quarterback. Indianapolis has tied a club record with 11 straight wins and matched a franchise record for most wins in a season, set in 1968 when the then-Baltimore Colts finished 13-1.
The St. Louis Rams (13-2) have clinched homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with the best record in franchise history. They close the regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles (4-11).
The Redskins, who are in the postseason for the first time since 1992, can earn a first-round bye with a win Sunday and Tampa Bay loss and Minnesota loss.
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