NFL playoffs ... Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning in action. Source: Dustin Bradford / AFP
After a gruelling 16 weeks, NFL playoff fortunes boil down to 60 arduous minutes this weekend. Foxsports.com.au takes you through each contender and highlights the various 'bigger picture' permutations that exist at this critical point of the season.
With their resounding win over Detroit last week, the Atlanta Falcons have clinched the South and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, which is about the only thing that's clear in the wild NFC.
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After a slow start, Green Bay has gone nine-one since week five, annihilating their competition 277-192 to clinch the North, but the Packers can go one step further and cement a first week bye with a triumph against the surging Vikings.
After losing key offensive weapon Percy Harvin over two months ago, Minnesota was written off by most pundits, but a four-two record since that point, capped by an impressive win at Houston, puts the Vikings in prime playoff position.
Led by super-human Adrian Peterson (averaging 155 total yards since week seven), and fresh off denying the Texans home-field advantage, Minnesota seeks to clinch its first playoff berth since 2009 and can do so with a win over the Packers.
It's mathematically possible for the Vikings to qualify with a loss, but there is a mere six per cent chance that each of New York, Dallas and Chicago lose, so Minnesota will be approaching this highly-anticipated contest with a 'win and we're in' mentality.
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On the flipside, the Giants face similar odds to make the playoffs with the defending Superbowl champs relying on a victory, plus losses by Minnesota, Dallas and Chicago just to sneak back into the post-season. It's a bleak forecast for Tom Coughlin's men who have been plagued by inconsistency all season and appear unlikely to defend their crown.
After emerging from Gillette Stadium with an impressive victory at New England, the 49ers suddenly appear fallible in the wake of a 42-13 defeat in Seattle. However, San Francisco fans should take solace in knowing that the red-hot Seahawks are undefeated at home, dispatching the Cowboys, Packers, Patriots and Vikings along the way to an improbable playoff run.
All the 49ers need to do is beat Arizona at home to clinch the West, which should be easy pickings for this well-drilled unit since the hapless Cardinals have notched just one victory since week four. In the shock scenario that the 49ers lose (and it would need to be an earth-shattering upset), they would still go through with a Minnesota victory.
If the aforementioned upset occurs, the door opens for Seattle who could beat San Francisco to the punch in the West with a triumph over St Louis, but you can bet that head coach Pete Carroll is expecting the 49ers to win and will plan for the playoffs accordingly, as a wildcard team.
After appearing out of the playoff hunt several weeks ago, the Bears are back in the mix and will seize Minnesota's spot with a win and a Viking loss. The situational stars have aligned for Chicago with their divisional rivals facing an even greater foe which just happens to be playing for the No. 1 seed. Usually the worst of enemies, the Packers are Chicago's greatest ally (at least for an hour on Sunday afternoon).
Last (but certainly not least) Washington hosts Dallas in a winner-takes-all showdown between RGIII and Tony Romo. The winner moves on as champions of the East, the loser watches the playoffs from home.
Thankfully for pundits, last week's results made the AFC a little more clear-cut with the playoff contenders already known. There is however some minor jostling and seeding to sort out in week 17.
Houston and Denver have set the pace all year and find themselves deadlocked at 12-3.
The Texans can clinch the top seeding with a mere victory, or a Denver loss.
Meanwhile, the Peyton Manning-led Broncos only need a win over Kansas City to clinch a first-round bye, but can also do so with an unlikely loss by the Patriots or the Texans.
The surprise-packet Colts have defied all football logic this year by reaching the post-season despite being outscored by 42 points and owning a minus 17 turnover differential.
But here we are. Andrew Luck's incredible rookie season has Indianapolis locked into the fifth seeding, regardless of what happens against Houston on Sunday.
Perennial playoff contender New England have already claimed the East, but is also an outside chance to seize the all-important bye. This would occur with a victory and a loss by Denver or Houston, so the Patriots require unlikely help from the AFC frontrunners.
Baltimore heads into week 17 with their playoff status atop the North sealed while their opponent – Cincinnati – cannot be displaced from the sixth seed, setting up somewhat of a dead rubber for both teams to experiment before the playoffs.
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