8-8 isn't great, but it would mean playoffs for resurgent Chargers

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QB Philip Rivers responded to a Pro Bowl snub by leading the Chargers to another victory Sunday.

A cynic might say the NFC West doesn't merit sending a team to the playoffs. However, the 8-7 Arizona Cardinals punched their postseason ticket by winning the weak division long before Sunday's 47-7 loss to the New England Patriots.

The AFC West also will have a shaky champion -- the winner of next Sunday night's regular-season finale between the 8-7 Denver Broncos and 7-8 San Diego Chargers.

How about that? The Chargers, left for dead long ago, are one home win away from doing what so many of us assumed they would before the season began. And they could do it with an 8-8 record.

San Diego has endured an extremely disappointing season. Questions have surfaced about coach Norv Turner's future, and there's league-wide buzz about growing disharmony in the locker room.

NFL playoff picture

Coach Mike Shanahan and the Broncos have watched their playoff prospects dwindle with a two-game losing streak. Check out the latest postseason scenarios after Sunday's games.

And yet, with a victory over the Broncos, the Chargers would have a championship to celebrate. Where that might lead is anyone's guess.

Give San Diego this much: It has won three games in a row. Quarterback Philip Rivers, left out of the Pro Bowl despite leading the NFL in passer rating and touchdown passes, continued to make his case for inclusion Sunday in a 41-24 victory at Tampa Bay by throwing for 287 yards and four TDs without an interception. LaDainian Tomlinson, criticized for losing a step, did some solid running with 90 yards on 21 carries.

And the Chargers' defense, which had seemingly fallen off the face of the earth after linebacker Shawne Merriman's season-ending knee injury, forced three Bucs turnovers, including two Jeff Garcia interceptions.

Of course, the Chargers wouldn't be in this position had the Broncos taken care of business against the Bills, who already were eliminated from playoff contention. Denver blew a 13-point lead on the way to a 30-23 loss and continues to show vulnerability in its pass defense, which Rivers could easily shred for another big game next weekend.

Dolphins can cap historic turnaround with a title

Can there be another NFL team with greater momentum than the 10-5 Miami Dolphins?

To go from winning just one game in 2007 to being one victory away from clinching a division title is the definition of a team on the ultimate roll. And it's reasonable to assume that the Dolphins will beat the collapsing New York Jets in the regular-season finale at the Meadowlands and tie the 1999 Indianapolis Colts for the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history.

The fact the Dolphins didn't have an easy time in a 38-31 victory over the lowly Chiefs on Sunday says more about Kansas City's ability to find a reason to compete than it did about Miami. The game was similar to many that the Dolphins have won this season: Although they made their share of mistakes, they benefited from the fact that the Chiefs made more.

Chad Pennington is performing as well as those quarterbacks already assured of reaching the postseason, and his passing is enhanced by a solid, balanced running game. The Dolphins also play sound defense, even if they didn't always show it Sunday. Given the sub-zero wind chill at Arrowhead Stadium, it's amazing that Miami and Kansas City combined for 69 points, 348 rushing yards, 895 total yards and only three punts.

The odd part about the Dolphins possibly winning the AFC East is that it could leave the Patriots out of the playoffs with an 11-5 record, provided New England wins next Sunday at Buffalo.

Despite missing injured quarterback Tom Brady and other key players, the Patriots certainly looked like the 16-0 team of 2007 during their 40-point victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. But with the Colts locking up one wild-card spot and the 10-5 Baltimore Ravens able to grab the other next weekend by closing their schedule with a home victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England's only hope to play beyond December could be to win the division. Otherwise, the Patriots would miss the playoffs for the first time in the last six years.

After losing 13-3 at Seattle, the 9-6 Jets' only hope to reach the postseason is to beat the Dolphins and have either the Patriots or Ravens lose.

Alex Brandon / Associated Press

Falcons QB Matt Ryan showed playoff-worthy toughness with a leap during Sunday's victory over the Vikings.

Tough-guy QB wills Falcons to playoffs

We know all about Matt Ryan showing the sort of poise that a rookie quarterback isn't supposed to show. Add to that some remarkable toughness.

Ryan's baby-faced looks and gangly physique notwithstanding, he showed that he's willing to sacrifice his body for a touchdown during the third quarter of the Atlanta Falcons' 24-17, playoff-clinching victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. In diving over a pile of bodies near the goal line, Ryan took a hard hit that resulted in a fumble that guard Justin Blalock recovered in the end zone for an Atlanta touchdown.

Otherwise, Ryan, as usual, kept his mistakes to a minimum, and the Falcons improved to 10-5 with the win.

But there's much more at stake for Atlanta, which secured its first playoff berth since 2004. The Falcons could move from their current No. 5 position in the NFC seedings to No. 2 by beating St. Louis in the season finale and Carolina losing at New Orleans. In other words, Atlanta has an opportunity to put itself one home playoff win away from the NFC Championship Game.

Fighting for that last spot in the NFC

Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, making his second consecutive start, gave another strong performance against the Falcons, but his supporting cast, including running back Adrian Peterson, made too many errors for the team to overcome. Still, Minnesota (9-6) remains in position to win its first NFC North title if the Chicago Bears (8-6) lose either of their final two games (against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night or the Houston Texans in Week 17) or the Vikings beat the New York Giants in the regular-season finale.

Amazingly, the Cowboys (9-6), despite their loss to the Ravens on Saturday night, are very much in the playoff picture and can clinch a wild-card berth by beating the Philadelphia Eagles (8-6-1) next weekend. If the Cowboys lose and the Buccaneers (9-6) snap their three-game losing streak against the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay would be a wild-card entry. Even with a victory over Dallas, Philadelphia would need Tampa Bay to fall to Oakland and Chicago to lose once to have a shot at making the playoffs.

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