Finally, a clear shot of the field
SAM FARMER / ON THE NFL
Everything settles out today, with the playoffs up next. Morbidly curious? See: Lions and Broncos.
Reporting from San Diego — For the last 16 weeks, trying to cut through the snowy static to see the NFL playoff picture was like watching a black-and-white TV with a bent coat hanger for an antenna.
Today, though, it will all come through in high definition. There will be no uncertainties by day's end, no need for a calculator, what-if scenarios or rosary beads.
Clarity. At last.
As it stands, there isn't too much postseason fuzziness -- unless you're counting the North, South, East and West.
Oh, and there's a chance for cover-your-eyes history, with the 0-15 Detroit Lions playing at Green Bay and on the verge of joining the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only NFL teams in the modern era to lose every game.
The Denver Broncos, meanwhile, are desperately trying to avoid their own sad slice of history. They play a winner-takes-all game at San Diego and, should they lose, would become the first NFL team to blow a three-game division lead with three to play and miss the playoffs.
"We're going to have to go up there in their backyard and prove that we're better than them," Denver receiver Brandon Marshall said.
Go up to San Diego? Well, it's easy to see how the Broncos are disoriented. After starting the season 4-1, they are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
The Chargers, who have won 13 consecutive December games, would with a victory become just the ninth 8-8 team to reach the postseason. It's no wonder why NBC used its flex-scheduling option to move Broncos-Chargers into the Sunday night slot.
Likewise, there's no resolution yet in the AFC East. With Miami and New England at 10-5, and the New York Jets at 9-6, the Dolphins have the inside track for the division crown. If Miami beats the Jets at the Meadowlands, it will complete its stunning worst-to-first turnaround. The Dolphins, remember, were 1-15 last season before Bill Parcells overhauled the franchise, top to bottom.
The drama within the drama in this finale is the showdown between Brett Favre and ex-Jets quarterback Chad Pennington.
"This is the only way fate would have it, right?" Pennington said of the chance to play his former team with the division title hanging in the balance -- not to mention the opportunity to join the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only franchise to improve by 10 victories from one season to the next.
As for the Patriots, they need to win at Buffalo and hope for either a loss by Miami or Baltimore, which plays host to Jacksonville.
