Backing Into the NFC Playoffs

While Peyton Manning chased history Sunday, the NFC continued its weekly routine of chasing its own tail, with Green Bay losing at home to clinch a playoff berth and Seattle losing by 23 points to solidify its first-place lead and Arizona climbing to 5-9 to remain in contention for the NFC West championship.

Manning managed one touchdown pass in Indianapolis’ 20-10 victory over Baltimore, leaving him one short of Dan Marino’s single-season record of 48. But with two games left, time remains on his side.

Surprisingly, 15 of 16 NFC teams can make the same claim, as every team in the conference except San Francisco remains in contention for the playoffs with two games left in the regular season. That’s because only two NFC teams, Philadelphia and Atlanta, are assured of entering the playoffs with winning records.

As the NFC went 0-4 against the AFC during another business-as-usual weekend, two plays stood out significantly above the rest, give or take a few pregame coin tosses that went off without embarrassing the conference in any meaningful way.

In fact, they are both leading candidates for NFC play of the year:

1. Terrell Owens’ ankle injury after catching a pass early in the third quarter against Dallas. Significant? Name another play this season that instantly turned 14 teams from also-rans to Super Bowl hopefuls.

Without Owens, the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles looked suspiciously similar to the 2001 and 2002 and 2003 Eagles, who lost three consecutive NFC title games, the last two in Philadelphia. They looked vulnerable, they looked beatable, they looked to be in big trouble before Donovan McNabb started scrambling, positioning Philadelphia for a late touchdown that pulled out a 12-7 victory over Dallas.

Isn’t that where T.O. came in? To rescue a one-dimensional offense that ground to a standstill in conference championship games because McNabb and his own devices couldn’t overcome an Eagle pass-catching corps that never seemed adept or interested in catching passes?

As soon as Owens hobbled off the field with 14:34 left in the third quarter, the Eagles lost their air of invincibility. Eagle receivers stared into the spotlight and shuddered. McNabb tried to carry the offense by himself, forcing passes and having two of them intercepted.

Finally, McNabb simply decided to put his head down and run, scrambling for gains of 12 and 19 yards that set up Dorsey Levens’ two-yard, go-ahead touchdown run with 1:57 remaining.

We have seen this act before, and it doesn’t bode well for the Eagles’ immediate postseason future. McNabb tried to bolster shaken teammates and fans by reminding reporters, “We’ve been to the NFC championship [game] without T.O.” Yes, they have -- and in the last two NFC championship games, both played at Philadelphia, the Eagles were outscored, 41-13.

Groping for good news, the Eagles tried to console themselves with the initial medical report -- an X-ray indicated no fracture, “only” a high-ankle sprain -- and the calendar. Sunday’s victory clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for Philadelphia. With a first-round bye, the Eagles won’t play their first playoff game until Jan. 15 or 16. If they need to, the Eagles could rest Owens and his ankle for nearly a month.

T.O. for MVP? His candidacy never looked stronger than during those two quarters the Eagles were forced to scrounge and scuffle without him.

2. Don Muhlbach’s ground ball to Nick Harris.

Who? What?

The Detroit Lions are still trying to figure out what happened after they had scored the potential game-tying touchdown against Minnesota with eight seconds left in regulation. All they needed for overtime was the extra point. Piece of cake. Mail it in.

What they got was a short-armed one-hopper from Muhlbach, the Lions’ rookie long snapper, who sent the ball skidding on the turf, too slippery for holder Harris to handle. Harris was swarmed under by Viking defenders, Detroit Coach Steve Mariucci’s eyes looked like lightbulbs about to explode in their sockets and just like that, Minnesota won the game, 28-27.

That, in one play or less, is the NFC. After coughing up a last-minute lead and seemingly wasting a 404-yard passing performance by Daunte Culpepper, the Vikings snap out of a 2-5 slump and move into a first-place tie in the NFC North because the Lions can’t complete an extra-point center snap.

At 8-6, the Vikings reclaimed a share of the NFC North lead because Green Bay couldn’t beat Jacksonville at Lambeau Field -- despite Brett Favre’s previous 38-1 record in home games played at 34 degrees or colder. It was 12 degrees at kickoff, with a windchill of minus-10, in Green Bay, yet Favre threw three interceptions and the Packers lost, 28-25 ... and wrapped up a berth in the playoffs, because Carolina, Chicago, Dallas and the New York Giants lost.

Seattle was overrun on the road by the New York Jets, 37-14. That left the Seahawks at 7-7 -- and alone atop of the NFC West standings, one game ahead of the St. Louis Rams, 31-7 losers to the Arizona Cardinals, who are 5-9 but would be tied with Seattle if they hadn’t lost two overtime games to San Francisco, which is 2-0 against Arizona and 0-12 against the rest of the league.

As it is, Arizona can still win the NFC West title if the Seahawks and the Rams lose their last two games and the Cardinals finish 2-0. Should that happen -- Arizona plays at Seattle this Sunday -- the Cardinals and the Seahawks would finish 7-9, ahead of the 6-10 Rams. Arizona would win the division championship by virtue of having swept its season series with Seattle.

Can the Cardinals do it? The schedule suggests that, yes, Dennis Green notwithstanding, they certainly can.

Arizona: at Seattle; Tampa Bay. (The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks in Week 7, 25-17.)

Seattle: Arizona; Atlanta. (The Seahawks have lost their last two home games.)

St. Louis: Philadelphia; New York Jets. (The Rams will be underdogs in both games.)

We know the Seahawks and the Rams know how to lose in the clutch, but can the Cardinals possibly sweep their last two games? Why not? Look who they have on their schedule. Just a couple of NFC teams.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The Pack Is Back

Green Bay became the ninth NFL team to make the playoffs after a 1-4 start. Each of the previous eight clubs won its division.

*--* YEAR TEAM W-L PLAYOFFS 2002 NEW YORK JETS 9-7 Lost in divisional playoffs 2002 TENNESSEE TITANS 11-5 Lost AFC championship game 1993 HOUSTON OILERS 12-4 Lost divisional playoffs 1992 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 11-5 Lost in divisional playoffs 1983 DETROIT LIONS 9-7 Lost in divisional playoffs 1976 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 10-4 Lost AFC championship game 1975 BALTIMORE COLTS 10-4 Lost in divisional playoffs 1970 CINCINNATI BENGALS 8-6 Lost in divisional playoffs

*--*