Track your team's playoff chances - ESPN (blog)

Yes, the New York Giants improved their chances of winning a second straight NFC East title with their victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. But how much? And what kinds of things have to happen in their games and the division's other games the rest of the way in order for the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys or even the Philadelphia Eagles to catch them?

And what of the wild card? The NFC East hasn't sent more than one team to the playoffs since the 2009-10 season. And with every team but the Giants under .500 at this point, it's hard to really imagine one of those other teams sneaking in as a wild card team. But with five games left in the season, you know it's possible. You're just looking for a way to find out how -- what has to happen in order for Robert Griffin III to lead the Redskins into the postseason as a rookie or for Tony Romo and the Cowboys to make something of this maddening season.

Well, that's why we have the Playoff Machine, an interactive ESPN.com device that allows you to play out the rest of the NFL season game-by-game to see who makes the playoffs depending on week-by-week results. Play around with it. See what it'll take to get the Eagles back into the race, if you're still clinging to that kind of hope. It'll just get more fun as the weeks roll along, and like so much else that's on the Internet, it's better than working, right?