Playoff locks
NFC COMMENT
Carolina 6-2 Too many weak opponents (Washington, Atlanta, Arizona,
Detroit) to blow it.
St. Louis 5-3 Tough to beat at home. Plays four losers on road.
Minnesota 6-2 Has more road games (five) than other contenders.
Tampa Bay 4-4 First must win more than one in a row.
AFC COMMENT
Kansas City 8-0 Won’t go 16-0, but could get close.
Indianapolis 7-1 Might have been the team of first half.
Tennessee 6-2 Only three away games left–Falcons, Jets, Texans.
New England 7-2 Taking control of once-tight division.
Baltimore 5-3 Nobody else a factor in weak North.
Playoff contenders
NFC COMMENT
Philadelphia 5-3 Played bad but still sitting pretty good.
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Seattle 6-2 Must go to Minnesota and St. Louis, back to back.
Green Bay 4-4 Packers can’t afford more than one more loss.
Dallas 6-2 Schedule is absolutely brutal and Parcells knows it.
N.Y. Giants 4-4 Usually good down stretch and will have to be.
AFC COMMENT
Miami 5-3 Toughest schedule of all. Already lost three at home.
Denver 5-4 Can’t do it unless QB Jake Plummer comes back strong.
Playoff pretenders
NFC COMMENT
San Francisco 4-5 At Green Bay, at Baltimore, at Philadelphia. Enough said.
New Orleans 4-5 Too inconsistent to go on streak.
Bears 3-5 Will take yeoman effort even to fall short.
Arizona 3-5 Playing spoiler role and won’t quit.
AFC COMMENT
Buffalo 4-4 Coulda, woulda, shoulda again, but won’t.
Houston 3-5 Unlike some others, it is on way up.
Cincinnati 3-5 Getting better, but too far to go.
Cleveland 3-5 Made it last year, so this is really disappointing.
Pittsburgh 2-6 Needs miracle and hasn’t earned one.
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