With only one more regular season game to played, the playoff off picture in the AFC has yet to be completed. After last week’s games, all the division races have finally been decided.
Indianapolis clinched the South a few weeks back and already had home field advantage throughout the playoffs locked up, so last week’s 29-15 loss to the Jets had no bearing on their position.
San Diego clinched the West in week 15 and with their impressive 42-17 win over Tennessee on Christmas night they secured a first round bye. After a convincing 35-7 win over Jacksonville, New England has clinched the East and will be the either the #3 or #4 seed.
Cincinnati got a much needed win by beating the Chiefs 17-10 to finally lock up the North. After that it is still anybody’s guess as to which teams will gain the two remaining wildcard berths. Baltimore and Denver had a perfect opportunity improve their chances, but the Ravens fell to Pittsburgh 23-20 after self destructing on a number of key drives in the 4th quarter, and the Bronco’s lost to Philadelphia 30-27 as their valiant comeback attempt from a 17 point deficit fell just short.
Baltimore and the N.Y. Jets are now the only teams that can assure themselves a spot with a win next week. Every other team in the hunt, which includes Denver, Pittsburgh and Houston at 8-7 and Miami and Jacksonville at 7-8 need to win next week and then survive a multitude of tie breaking scenarios to gain a berth.
Moving on to the final week of the 2009 regular season the key AFC match-ups we will be reviewing are; Pittsburgh @ Miami, Baltimore @ Oakland, and Cincinnati @ New York.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Miami Dolphins (-1) Current Over/Under 44
After digging themselves a hole by losing five straight games, Pittsburgh has won their last two to keep their playoff chances alive. In those wins they have not looked spectacular, but they have found a way to win which at this point in the season is all you really need. The two biggest things they have on their side heading into this game are momentum and confidence. They went on a roll last year at this time to win the Super Bowl and there is no reason they believe they cannot do it again. Miami on the other hand is coming off a two straight losses as their playoff chances went from strong to bleak. Against Houston last week they were completely outplayed, falling behind 27-3 in the first half. Give the Dolphins an A for effort, but they have reached the end of the line for this season. Pittsburgh’s roll toward the postseason continues as I like the Steelers and the UNDER.
Baltimore Ravens (-10) @ Oakland Raiders Current Over/Under 38
Baltimore has become one of the most frustrating teams to watch the second half of this season as they just cannot seem to stand prosperity. In Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh they battled back from a 10 point deficit to tie the game at 20, but committed one costly penalty after another to allow the Steelers to steal the win. While they should be able to come away with a victory over Oakland, remember that four of the five Raider’s wins have come against teams with winning records. Also remember that they knocked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of the playoffs last season, beating them 31-24 in the final game of the season. If the Ravens can eliminate the mental mistakes that cost them last week’s game, they will get the win. I’m going with the Ravens and the OVER.
Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets (-10) Current over/Under 36.5
New York caught a huge break last week when Indianapolis head coach Jim Caldwell decided to pull most of his starters with a little over five minutes to play in the third quarter and the Colts nursing a five point lead. Something tells me if that did not happen, this game would have little meaning as far as the postseason. The Jets did however pull out the win and now can make the playoffs with a win over Cincinnati. The Bengals have been on an emotional roller coaster ever since the death of their teammate Chris Henry. While mourning their loss, they are celebrating their first NFC North title since 2005. You have to wonder how much they have left in the tank to put up much of an effort as a win does nothing to improve their playoff spot. New York catches another break as the Bengal starters will most likely take the night off. The Jets and the UNDER.
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