Surging and stumbling towards NFL playoffs

December 20, 2012
 
Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman (33) breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings (85) in the second half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. The Packers won 21-13 to clinch the NFC North division title.

Some teams surge toward the playoffs. Look at Denver, Seattle, Washington and Green Bay.

Others struggle to stay in the mix: try the Steelers, Bengals, Giants and Bears.

This penultimate weekend of the schedule could propel a few of them and eliminate others.

Chief among the clubs that could go either way: the defending champion New York Giants, who have lost their last three road games by a combined 82-29 to fall to 8-6. Not even coach Tom Coughlin is sure what he has as they head to Baltimore.

"It would be easy for me to say I do, but the reality of it is we haven't been able to play to substantiate what I would say is the personality of this team," said Coughlin, whose club gets a wild card, for sure, by winning out. "So I'm definitely counting on the veterans to go ahead and prove this and do it with consistency.

"Last year we did it over a six-game run and, exactly, we're in that situation again."

Even though their opponent Sunday, the Ravens, already have sewed up a playoff spot, it's a critical game for Baltimore (9-5) to get back on track after three straight defeats — two at home and one a bit down the road in Washington.

"We dug this hole we're in," safety Bernard Pollard said. "We can't blame anybody but ourselves. We don't like losing three straight games. Nobody does. It's at the point right now where we have to get back at it, man. We dug the hole, now we've got to find a way to get out of it."

The action begins Saturday night with Atlanta at Detroit. There are no more Monday night games this season.

Also Sunday, it's Cincinnati at Pittsburgh in an AFC wild-card showdown; Chicago at Arizona; San Francisco at Seattle; Washington at Philadelphia; New Orleans at Dallas; Minnesota at Houston; Indianapolis at Kansas City; Cleveland at Denver; Tennessee at Green Bay; New England at Jacksonville; St. Louis at Tampa Bay; Buffalo at Miami; San Diego at New York Jets; and Oakland at Carolina.

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Cincinnati (8-6) at Pittsburgh (7-7)

A Bengals win, perhaps a long shot because second-year quarterback Andy Dalton hasn't beaten either the Steelers or Ravens yet, gives Cincinnati a second consecutive postseason berth. That hasn't happened since 1982 and never has occurred without involving a strike-shortened season.

The Bengals also can take the division by sweeping the final two games and having Baltimore lose twice.

Pittsburgh can win the division only if there is a three-way tie, but definitely gets a wild card with two victories.

Chicago (8-6) at Arizona (5-9)

Reeling and injury-ravaged, the Bears have dropped three straight and five of six. There's some discord in the locker room, coach Lovie Smith's job security has become shakier, and they no longer can win the NFC North.

Still, a wild-card spot is available if they win out, and even though the Cardinals routed Detroit last week, it was Arizona's first win in 10 games.

San Francisco (10-3-1) at Seattle (9-5)

The spotlight matchup, even though it won't decide the NFC West. San Francisco can take the division for the second successive season by beating Arizona in its finale even if it falls at what will be a rocking CenturyLink Field. The 49ers earned at least a wild card with their, uh, wild 41-34 victory at New England last weekend.

"Given my first four years, around this time, we probably wouldn't be playing for much, maybe a chance to win a game and maybe get in or waiting on three other teams to lose," star linebacker Patrick Willis said. "It feels good to know that you're playing for something. We have a playoff berth, but we want the division. And we also want to have that first-week bye, and we know we have to win this week first."

The Seahawks are 6-0 at home, have won five of their last six overall, and scored 58 and 50 points the last two weeks. They aren't likely to come close to that against the NFL's stingiest defense; the Niners have allowed 218 points, one fewer than Seattle.

Washington (8-6) at Philadelphia (4-10)

Credit Mike Shanahan and his coaching staff for one of the best jobs down the stretch. It helps when you have not one but two effective rookie quarterbacks: Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins.

The Redskins might beat the weak Eagles with Rex Grossman this week. But even if RG3 is back as expected, look for another key Washington rookie, RB Alfred Morris, to add to his 1,322 yards and nine TDs on the ground.

New Orleans (6-8) at Dallas (8-6)

Dallas is in the same situation as Washington. Win out and the Cowboys take the NFC East.

They've shown plenty of fortitude in winning five of six, rallying to beat the Bengals and Steelers in the last two outings.

New Orleans will test the Dallas defense and is adept at forcing turnovers, something the Cowboys often commit (minus-9 margin).

Minnesota (8-6) at Houston (12-2)

Seems like most everyone believes Adrian Peterson is a lock to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing mark of 2,105. But he still needs almost 300 yards in the last two games, and to average that much would be a pace for 2,400 yards in a season.

The Texans are formidable against the run and badly want to assure being at home throughout the AFC playoffs. By damaging Minnesota's push for an NFC wild card, Houston would ensure it is at home in January.

"This year he's definitely the best, linebacker Bradie James said of Peterson, who has 1,812 yards. "I played against Ricky Williams in his heyday when he would just run over everybody. I played against the Bus (Jerome Bettis); the Bus was great in short yardage. I played against Mike Alstott. I played against all these guys, and what Adrian Peterson is doing right now, I hadn't seen it before.

"We don't want to be on the end of his record setting. We've got to do our job and really not get caught up in all that."

Indianapolis (9-5) at Kansas City (2-12)

Indy's sensational turnaround from 2-14 to wild-card team will be complete with a victory at the Chiefs. The Colts have managed it despite the fewest takeaways in the NFL (10) and a minus-17.

But the Chiefs, who were shut out by lowly Oakland a week ago, are even worse at minus-22.

Cleveland (5-9) at Denver (11-3)

Consider how far the Broncos have come from a 2-3 record and tons of questions about whether Peyton Manning could once again be, well, Peyton Manning. He is every bit as good in his first season in Denver, has gotten in-tune with his receivers, particularly Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, and has a fierce defense to boot.

"I like young players that really want to get better, and those guys have done that," Manning said. "Our timing has improved throughout the season. It's not what it would be had we played together for five years."

In Cleveland, they wonder if the young cast will play another year with coach Pat Shurmur.

Tennessee (5-9) at Green Bay (10-4)

The Packers could move into the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a victory and a loss by San Francisco. That should be enough motivation to keep them humming; they've won eight of nine, including three in a row within the division to put away the NFC North.

Tennessee was the beneficiary of Mark Sanchez's generosity on Monday night. Aaron Rodgers is no Sanchez.

New England (10-4) at Jacksonville (2-12)

An angry bunch of Patriots head south to face one of the league's worst teams. Barring a misstep by Denver, New England is looking at playing in the wild-card round, by which time it had better have solved defensive woes exposed by San Francisco last Sunday night.

The Jaguars don't figure to provide any challenge as they contend for the top overall draft pick.

Atlanta (12-2) at Detroit (4-10), Saturday night

The Falcons drew the kind of positive reviews after their rout of the Giants that many had withheld. A win at faltering Detroit, which has gone from competitive to dreadful during a six-game slide, clinches NFC home-field advantage.

"This is what you work so hard in the offseason for," star tight end Tony Gonzalez said. "This is what you work so hard during the regular season, and what we've done up to this point is we've put ourselves in a great position. As far as I'm concerned and what I've been telling my teammates and what coach has been telling us, let's go out and finish the job."

St. Louis (6-7-1) at Tampa Bay (6-8)

Both teams should look forward to bigger and better things in 2013. These are generally young teams being constructed in dissimilar ways.

Jeff Fisher is a defensive guy and he's put together a solid unit led by ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn, LB James Laurinaitis and cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan and rookie Janoris Jenkins. They rank ninth and have 41 sacks, third in the league behind contenders Denver, Houston and Cincinnati.

The Bucs are doing most of their good things with the ball. Vincent Jackson is first in yards per catch (19.8) and fourth in yards receiving, while rookie Doug Martin has 1,250 yards rushing and 10 TDs.

Buffalo (5-9) at Miami (6-8)

Buffalo's high expectations after a busy offseason adding talent fell apart early. The Bills could see some front-office housecleaning after they finish off their 13th straight season out of the playoffs.

Miami has taken some decent steps in its rebuild, but this could be a game of turnovers. Buffalo is minus-10 and Miami is minus-12 in turnover margin.

San Diego (5-9) at New York Jets (6-8)

To the chagrin of Fireman Ed and other Jets fans, the Sanchez error, uh, era might not be over. At least for 2012, barring injuries, the regressing QB will be on the sideline as Greg McElroy tries to secure a job for the future.

The Chargers are playing out the string, too. They found some enthusiasm when they beat Pittsburgh two weeks ago, but then the Panthers routed them in San Diego.

Oakland (4-10) at Carolina (5-9)

The Panthers, particularly Cam Newton, are playing well enough to perhaps save coach Ron Rivera's job. It seems logical that Raiders coach Dennis Allen, in his first season of what will be a lengthy rebuilding project, also is safe.

Packers-Titans family affair for Matthews' brood

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  — Bruce Matthews watches Green Bay film first as an uncle. Then he hits replay and studies the defense in his role as Tennessee's offensive line coach.

Each time, he's watching the same Packers linebacker.

"He's a great player," Bruce said of his nephew, Clay Matthews. "It isn't like he's just some guy out there. He definitely is the guy who makes things happen on their defense, and he's a guy we really have to make a pointed effort to account for him, which we're doing."

The Packers linebacker is just the best-known member of the third generation carrying on the Matthews' proud NFL tradition, and this is the latest family football showdown. Bruce, a Hall of Fame lineman, spent 19 years with the Houston-Tennessee franchise and played brother Clay, a 19-year linebacker with Cleveland and Atlanta, 23 times.

Clay Matthews Sr. got it all started with his four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s.

For Clay III, he said Thursday the family's NFL tradition just added to his motivation. He went from a walk-on at Southern California to a first-round draft pick by Green Bay in 2009, just like his father and uncle.

"Obviously, growing up in a football family where — you're right, not only my father played but my uncle and grandfather, played, that's what I wanted to do," the Packers linebacker said. "Fortunately I was healthy enough and blessed to fall into the situation I'm in right now, but they were absolutely instrumental role models in getting where I'm at today."

Titans coach Mike Munchak had a close view of the Matthews' brothers' rivalry in the old AFC Central as a teammate of Bruce's for years. Munchak said it's exciting for Bruce watching film knowing his job is to stop his nephew from having a good day.

So no pressure there.

"Hopefully, he'll reach out to him during the week and tell him we have all types of plans for him to kind of discourage him a little bit, maybe slow him down," Munchak said of his friend and assistant coach. "It's a great challenge."

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews (52) celebrates after sacking Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in the second half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. The Packers won 21-13 to clinch the NFC North title.

Watching Clay play linebacker is a bit more distracting since he has 11 sacks this season than when Bruce studied his brother during the 1980s and 1990s. But Bruce says his nephew reminds him very much of his brother, a four-time Pro Bowler.

"He can cover. He can play against the run, and obviously he can rush the passer," Bruce said. "It's just a matter of what they're asking him to do as to some point in the game he does all three, and obviously, he isn't a one-dimensional guy. He plays with passion, so it's fun to watch guys like that, especially when you count him as a family member."

This game was set to be even more of a family affair until Bruce's son, Kevin, sprained his right ankle Monday night against the Jets. Kevin had started two straight games at center, but now may wind up on injured reserve if the Titans need an extra healthy player.

Kevin said he had been waiting for this game for both the chance to play at Lambeau Field and against his cousin. They text often, and Kevin said Clay had asked him to give up some plays to help him against the Titans.

"I told him he doesn't need any help from us," Kevin said. "He's doing a good job this year."

Consider this a preview of coming attractions too. Clay's brother, Casey, is a linebacker with the Eagles while Bruce's son, Jake, is a junior offensive lineman at Texas A&M and considered a top draft possibility in April.

For now, the focus is on Sunday and family bragging rights with the Titans (5-9) already are eliminated from playoff contention with the Packers (10-4) honing their game for the postseason. With the Titans in the AFC and the Packers in the NFC, these teams hadn't played in the regular season since 2008.

"It's one of those things you think about, but you never think it's going to come to fruition ...," Clay said. "It'll be something to look back on and talk about. But it'll be more interesting when Sunday rolls around to see what he's going to do."

Clay will line up opposite Titans left tackle Michael Roos, the lone starter left on a patched-up offensive line. How much help his position coach gives Roos against Clay remains to be seen. Uncle Bruce is giving nothing away before kickoff.

"I don't know that we all anticipated the kind of success and kind of rock star quality he has right now, but it's really fun to watch and I'm very proud of him. But like I've always said, I love to see him do well, just not this week."

Notes: The Titans practiced indoors Thursday due to a soggy field. Winds gusting to 40 mph kept the bubble over the field swaying, and Munchak said his key was just not looking up. ... Rookie WR Kendall Wright (ribs) did not practice, though WR Damian Williams (hamstring) practiced fully. LB Colin McCarthy (concussion) also practiced fully.

Playoff race makes odd allies of Packers, Seahawks

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Pay up, Seahawks.

The Green Bay Packers have put the Inaccurate Reception behind them, and they've done their best not to begrudge Seattle the win that really wasn't. But karma has a way of coming back around, and the Seahawks have a chance to put things right this weekend.

Fans make their way to Lambeau Field before an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions Sunday, Dec. 9.

"Without looking in the past, we have to root for a team we fell short to," Clay Matthews said Thursday. "So that's how it goes. We'll control our own destiny by winning these out and hopefully we can get some help along the way."

See, San Francisco (10-3-1) is a game ahead of Green Bay (10-4) for the NFC's No. 2 seed and Seattle plays the 49ers on Sunday night. Beat the Niners and the Seahawks can essentially get the Packers back to where they would have been had replacement referees not blown that call back in September.

Which means that, providing they beat Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, the Packers will find themselves rooting for the Seahawks.

"Yeah, but we'd love to have that bye, be sitting there at the 1 or 2 seed," Aaron Rodgers said. "So at this point, we're trying to have a short memory, kind of rooting for the teams that you need to win."

The Inaccurate Reception, alternately known as the Fail Mary, was arguably the worst call of the NFL season. Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings appeared to intercept a last-ditch pass to Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate in the end zone only to have replacement referees rule it a touchdown, giving Seattle a 14-12 win. While the NFL said the next day that the reception call was right, it conceded that Tate should have been called for interference on the play, which would have given Green Bay the win.

The outrage was immediate, and came from every corner of the country. Fans were already fed up after several other questionable calls, and they were incensed one had actually affected the outcome of a game. By the end of the week, the league and its union referees had a new deal.

But many feared the game would cost Green Bay, and wondered what the league would do if it did. Turns out, all that angst was for nothing. The Packers have won eight of nine — only Denver has been better during the span — and last week clinched their second straight NFC North title.

"That's one thing you worried about at the time, if we're sitting here the last week of the season and have to win to get in, or maybe win and get some help. That would have been probably talked about more," Rodgers said. "It's going to probably affect (Seattle) more. They're in a position right now to, I believe, clinch a berth with a win this week. It's not on our minds anymore."

Yes, but if the Packers had that extra win, they, not San Francisco, would be sitting in the No. 2 spot right now.

"There's a lot of what-ifs," Rodgers said. "Nothing we can do about it."

No, but Seattle can.

The Seahawks are 6-0 at CenturyLink Field this year, joining Atlanta as the NFL's only teams with perfect home records. After winning three straight and five of their last six, Seattle can secure at least a wild-card berth with a victory Sunday.

"I don't know if they owe us anything — not them, in particular," Matthews said.

But if the Seahawks would like to wipe the karmic slate clean, who are the Packers to argue?

"We want home field," James Jones said, "so hopefully they get it done."

NOTES: With the winter's first big storm dumping more than a half-foot of snow on Green Bay by midday, coach Mike McCarthy cut practice short early Thursday. "I feel it's important to get our players home today before it gets dark," McCarthy said. "The bulk of the storm is coming between noon and 6 p.m. is my understanding. We do have a couple guys who haven't driven in snow before, so this is a little bit of an exciting introduction to say the least." ... Despite the weather, McCarthy said all of the players made it to practice on time. ... McCarthy is optimistic OL T.J. Lang (concussion) will be cleared for Sunday's game. Lang wasn't able to go through the concussion evaluation Thursday because he's got the flu. ... C Jeff Saturday (neck/shoulder) and G Greg Van Roten (back) also missed practice Thursday, but McCarthy expects they'll play Sunday.

Packers looking for shovelers to clear Lambeau

GREEN BAY, Wis. - With the Green Bay area expected to receive 10 inches or more of snow, the Packers are looking for several hundred people to shovel snow at Lambeau Field.

The team put out the call Thursday for up to 600 shovelers. Workers need to be at least 15 years old and they'll be paid $10 per hour. The team provides the shovels, and the work will start Friday at 8 a.m. and continue as needed.

The shoveling ritual can be a frequent occurrence at Lambeau, an outdoor stadium that can get heavy snowfall in a short time. Heating coils under the field help keep the playing surface snow-free, but snow can pile up pretty quickly in the stands.

Green Bay hosts the Tennessee Titans at noon Sunday.

Packers Preview: Titans at Packers

TENNESSEE (5-9) At GREEN BAY (10-4)

Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS

OPENING LINE — Packers by 10½

RECORD VS. SPREAD — Tennessee 6-8, Green Bay 8-6

SERIES RECORD — Titans lead 6-4

AP PRO32 RANKING — Titans No. 25; Packers No. 6

LAST MEETING — Titans beat Packers 19-16 OT, Nov. 2, 2008

LAST WEEK — Titans beat Jets 14-10; Packers beat Bears 21-13

TITANS OFFENSE — OVERALL (23), RUSH (19), PASS (21)

TITANS DEFENSE — OVERALL (23), RUSH (25), PASS (19)

PACKERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (17), RUSH (20), PASS (13)

PACKERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (14T), RUSH (14), PASS (16)

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Titans have won three straight against Packers and four of six. ... Titans 29-14 against NFC since 2002, 1-2 this season. ... Jake Locker threw for career-high 378 yards with two TDs and no interceptions with 113 passer rating in last game vs. NFC team. Locker ran for first TD of season in last game. ... Chris Johnson ran for 122 yards in last week's win over Jets, including franchise-record 94-yard TD run. He has five 100-yard games this season, and six career TD runs of 80 yards or longer are most in NFL history. ... Kendall Wright leads NFL rookies with 62 catches. ... Linebacker Akeem Ayers leads Titans with 90 tackles. ... Rookie linebacker Zach Brown had career-high two sacks and recovered fumble against New York. ... Jason McCourty and Michael Griffin each had two interceptions against New York. ... Packers have won 19 of last 20 home games at Lambeau, 25 of last 27. ... Packers have clinched second straight NFC North title. ... Aaron Rodgers 174 of 272 for 2,234 yards with 25 TDs and three interceptions with 115.7 passer rating in past eight games against AFC. ... Packers 26-0 when Rodgers starts and has 115 or better passer rating. Rodgers has won 24 of past 26 starts at home, and has 64 TDs, 17 interceptions and 110 rating in those games. ... Ryan Grant ran for 86 yards in last game with Titans. ... Randall Cobb, Tennessee native, had career-high 115 yards receiving last week. With 892 yards receiving and 964 yards on kick returns, he can become first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 yards on kick returns and 1,000 yards or more receiving. ... With 2,241 all-purpose yards, Cobb is 9 shy of matching Ahman Green's franchise record, set in 2003. ... James Jones has career-best 12 TD catches, best in NFL. He had three TD catches last week. ... Clay Matthews had two sacks last week, his first game since Nov. 4. He has 10 in 14 games against AFC teams. ... Casey Hayward, who played at Vanderbilt, leads rookies with six interceptions. ... Packers allowed 107 yards passing last week.

Associated Press