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The race for the playoffs continues as the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers both blew their chance for a win. The Tennessee Titans made an incredible comeback to stun the Miami Dolphins, and the New York Giants did the same to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC. It was a disappointing game for both teams since they are still in the playoff picture in their respective conferences, but Miami missed the chance to move into the No. 1 seed, while Green Bay moved precariously close to falling out.
AFC
1. Baltimore Ravens (10-3, first-round bye)
2. Miami Dolphins (9-4) vs. 7. Indianapolis Colts (7-6, tiebreaker over Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5, tiebreaker over Jacksonville Jaguars) vs. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6, tiebreaker over Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5) vs. 5. Cleveland Browns (8-5)
NFC
1. San Francisco 49ers (10-3, first-round bye, tiebreaker over Dallas Cowboys)
2. Dallas Cowboys (10-3, tiebreaker over Philadelphia Eagles) vs. 7. Green Bay Packers (6-7, tiebreaker over Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints)
3. Detroit Lions (9-4) vs. 6. Minnesota Vikings (7-6)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7, tiebreaker over Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints) vs. 5. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)
The competition for the AFC wild-card spots is chaotic at best. The final two wild-card teams are currently the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, but they have the same record as four other challengers. The Steelers, Colts, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills all have 7-6 records and could be switching spots in the standings based on every single outcome the rest of the way. Add the Cleveland Browns to the mix and there are no clear-cut favorites.
Part of what makes this such a mess is the quarterback situation. Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis have all been playing without their original starting quarterbacks. Some of the backups have impressed at times, adding to the unpredictability of the race.
