Thursday, December 29, 2011

Battle for NFL playoff spots goes down to the wire

Battle for NFL playoff spots goes down to the wire

(Reuters) - The final week of a National Football League (NFL) unchanging deteriorate takes place on New Year's Day with 7 teams battling for a final 3 accessible spots in a playoffs and another 4 anticipating to acquire a week off on a highway to a Super Bowl.

Nine of a 12 playoff berths have already been snapped adult though a quarrel for a remaining 3 spots will go right down to a handle with a New York Giants (8-7) and Dallas Cowboys (8-7) contrary in Sunday's featured night persion during a new Meadowlands Stadium.

The stakes could frequency be aloft for a unchanging deteriorate persion with a leader advancing to a playoffs as a NFC East multiplication leader and fourth seed, while a crook will skip a postseason altogether.

"The guys are ready. We know what's during stake," Giants quarterback Eli Manning told reporters.

The other 5 NFC spots have already been claimed with a Green Bay Packers (14-1), a fortifying Super Bowl champions, positive of home margin advantage during a playoffs.

The San Francisco 49ers (12-3) can close adult a initial week bye if they kick St Louis though New Orleans Saints (12-3) could waylay it if they kick a Carolina Panthers and a 49ers trip up.

In a AFC, 5 teams sojourn in row for a dual accessible playoff spots.

The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders are opposed for a AFC West multiplication title. The Broncos (8-7) will book their place as a fourth seeds if they kick a Kansas City Chiefs though would skip out altogether if they mislaid and a Raiders (8-7) degraded San Diego.

The Raiders are also one of 4 teams battling for a final AFC Wild Card, along with a Cincinnati Bengals (9-6), Tennessee Titans (8-7) and New York Jets (8-7).

The New England Patriots (12-3) have already sealed adult a initial week bye, withdrawal a Baltimore Ravens (11-4) and a Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4), final season's AFC Super Bowl runners-up, competing for a other giveaway pass into a second week.

But a categorical concentration for a final week will be on a heavyweight strife between a Giants and Cowboys. The Giants have won 5 of a past 7 meetings between a teams, including a 37-34 win in Texas progressing this month.

That was a dire detriment for a Cowboys with New York scoring 15 points in a final 3 and a half mins and Dallas carrying a potentially persion restraining margin idea try in a final seconds blocked by Giants defensive finish Jason Pierre-Paul.

Giants manager Tom Coughlin warned opposite awaiting another high-scoring persion on Sunday though concluded it had a makings of another classic.

"You have superb talent on both sides of a round so we can design that things will happen," he said. "It will come down to who is a many earthy and who creates a fewest errors."

The Cowboys suffered a shock over their quarterback Tony Romo, who picked adult a palm damage in final week's better to a Philadelphia Eagles, though he was behind in use this week and approaching to play.

There is small adore mislaid between a dual sets of players, with Giants defensive finish Justin Tuck articulate again this week of how he 'hates' a Cowboys.

"That's what this adversary is about, guys are going to get chirpy, speak and contend thing out of their neck," Dallas defensive finish Marcus Spears said.

"I wish that my group friends know that we only need to stay still and go about a business and get a win. In a end, articulate doesn't win games."

(Editing by Julian Linden)


News referensi http://news.yahoo.com/battle-nfl-playoff-spots-goes-171630339--spt.html

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