Dallas has separated itself, joined by surprising Green Bay. A few teams — St. Louis, San Francisco — already have eliminated themselves from the NFC postseason chase. And then there’s the rest of the conference, jumbled in the middle.
Which is where Washington sits as well. With six games left the Redskins can claim legitimate playoff hopes. Just like a handful of other teams.
Here’s how the race for the two wild card spots breaks down:
» Looking good:
New York (7-3; remaining opponents record, 32-28): The Giants have separated themselves from the other wild card contenders and hold the tiebreaking edge over Detroit. The Giants play one team with a winning record — New England. But it’s the season finale, which will either be historical or meaningless for the Patriots. Giants need Eli Manning to play better down the stretch than the past two seasons.
Arizona (5-5; 23-37): The Cardinals lose the tiebreaker against Washington, but they own it over the Lions. Arizona has the easiest remaining schedule, facing just two teams with winning records (Cleveland, at home, and Seattle). The Cards play four of their final six at home, where they’re 3-1. Arizona last went 5-5 in 1998, also the last time they made the playoffs. Quarterback Kurt Warner hasn’t appeared in more than 10 games since 2001.
» Tough road:
Washington (5-5; 35-25): The Redskins hold the tiebreaking edge over Detroit and Arizona. Problem is, they have the second hardest schedule of the top contenders. They also play three teams with winning records, though two are at home. They could be helped if Dallas does not need to win the season finale. But Washington, whose offense is showing signs of life, must somehow stay healthy. That’s the Redskins’ biggest challenge.
Detroit (6-4; 40-20): The Lions have lost two straight and have no relief from their schedule. They face Green Bay twice and Dallas once. Only two NFC teams have allowed more points thus far.
Philadelphia (5-5; 40-20): Philadelphia’s next four games are against teams with a combined 30-9 record, including New England and Dallas. The only team with a losing record the Eagles face is New Orleans — on the road. They must hope nothing happens to Brian Westbrook, on pace for a career-high 288 carries.
» Dark horse
New Orleans (4-6, 27-33): The Saints, two games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the NFC South, could easily sneak back into the race considering their only game against a team with a winning record is at home vs. Tampa Bay. And they can make up ground with home games against Arizona and Philadelphia. But will their 27th-ranked defense hold them back?
