Not ruling out some surprises

Throughout the regular season, the AFC West and NFC West were derided as the worst divisions in the NFL, and that was backed by the numbers.

There’s an outside chance, however, that the Left Coast could wind up being the right place.

In an unlikely but conceivable outcome, the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals could wind up playing host to their conference championship games.

If Baltimore wins at Tennessee today, and San Diego wins at Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Chargers would play host to the Ravens next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl.

For the Cardinals to be hosts, they need to win at Carolina today and hope that Philadelphia beats the New York Giants on Sunday.

Both of those scenarios are longshots. But, as the once-left-for-dead Chargers can attest, it seems even the most outlandish of possibilities can happen this season.

This weekend’s games:

Arizona at Carolina: During their regular-season game at Carolina, the Cardinals used multiple-receiver sets to exploit weaknesses in the Panthers’ secondary. The availability of Anquan Boldin is huge. Was he too hurt to practice, or did the Cardinals just give him a break to get fresh? Yes, the Cardinals were 0-5 in Eastern time zone games this season, but they lost by only four at Carolina. Still, the Panthers should be able to control the clock and win with their running game. Pick: Carolina.

Baltimore at Tennessee: Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch will return to Tennessee’s defensive front, but are they the players they were earlier this season? They’ll need to be, considering Baltimore’s formidable ground game and Joe Flacco’s emergence as a run-pass threat. The vaunted Ravens defense should put the clamps on Tennessee’s ground game, which will pile the pressure on the shoulders of the capable Kerry Collins. Ed Reed is lurking. Pick: Baltimore.

Philadelphia at the New York Giants: The Giants have the No. 1 seeding, but the Eagles are unimpressed. After all, didn’t Philadelphia just win here? If the Eagles can keep the heat off Donovan McNabb and establish the run with Brian Westbrook the way they did at Giants Stadium a month ago, they have a good chance of winning. Then again, it’s a game between bitter division rivals, so anything can happen. A safe bet: The game will be a close one. Pick: Philadelphia.

San Diego at Pittsburgh: All week, Pittsburgh players have been praising Darren Sproles, San Diego’s 5-foot-6 wonder, who had a phenomenal performance last Saturday in place of LaDainian Tomlinson. Sproles is small enough, they say, to disappear behind hulking offensive linemen. The real question: How is he in pass protection? Because the blitz is coming and that matchup could present problems for the Chargers. If the Steelers can avoid the big turnover, they will win. Pick: Pittsburgh.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com