PLAYOFF PICTURE 19 teams stay alive in hunt

More than half of the NFL's 32 teams still are eligible for the postseason.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In one of the wildest playoff scrambles in memory, more than half of the NFL's 32 teams are still in contention heading into the season's final week.
How wacky is it?
Not even the defending Super Bowl champions are assured of getting in and one sub.-500 team still has a chance.
Nineteen teams are still alive, 12 in the AFC alone.
Computer printouts and spreadsheets were pulled out in the NFL office as league officials dissected tiebreaking formulas such as strength of schedule and strength of victories.
Things could have cleared slightly if New England won Sunday but, true to the way the season has gone, the New York Jets beat the Super Bowl champs 30-17. That kept both the Jets (8-7) and the Baltimore Ravens (7-8) alive.
"Last week we didn't think we were going to be breathing, but now we're breathing," Jets quarterback Chad Pennington said.
There are six AFC teams at 8-7 and all can still get in the playoffs.
Miami, New England and the Jets can all win the AFC East.
Oakland and Tennessee became the first two AFC teams to clinch playoff berths entering the final week of the regular season.
Jacksonville and Buffalo lost and were eliminated.
Different scenarios
If Oakland (10-5) and Tennessee (10-5) win next week, the Raiders will be the top seed in the conference and Tennessee will be seeded second because the Raiders beat the Titans 52-25 on Sept. 29.
But Tennessee has won nine of 10, beating Jacksonville 28-10 on Sunday. Plus, the Titans are playing with something to prove after no one on the team was selected to the Pro Bowl.
"I think we've been playing with a chip on our shoulder the whole year," Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "For this team to be one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and for no one to go to represent Tennessee in Honolulu is absurd. People are just going to have to feel the wrath."
Who the Titans will try to take it out on remains a mystery.
Pittsburgh (8-5-1) can clinch the AFC North by winning at Tampa Bay tonight. If the Steelers lose, they can still clinch the division by beating Baltimore at home or if the Cleveland Browns lose at home to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Miami's 20-17 loss to Minnesota on Saturday dropped the Dolphins to 9-6 and back in the pack in a muddled conference. The same thing happened to the Colts when they lost to the Giants.
But Indianapolis can make the playoffs with a win over Jacksonville.
"As crazy as this whole season has been around the league, when we were standing here 16 weeks ago probably the No. 1 thing we talked about was being in position to win the division and we have that," Miami coach Dave Wannstedt said.
NFC more simple
The NFC situation was more simplified, although the final two wild-card berths will go down to the final week.
Philadelphia (12-3), Green Bay (12-3), Tampa Bay (11-3) and San Francisco (10-5) have won the four divisions with the Eagles, Buccaneers and Packers -- in that order -- in line for a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
The 49ers are locked into position -- they will be the fourth seed, playing at home the first week against one of the wild-card teams.
"There's still three teams that we have to prepare for," 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. "Right now, everybody is a possibility."
Atlanta (9-5-1) and the Giants (9-6) currently lead for the two wild-card spots with New Orleans (9-6) third.
The Giants' 44-27 victory at Indianapolis combined with New Orleans' 20-13 loss to Cincinnati (2-13) gave New York the lead over the Saints because they are 3-2 against common opponents to 2-3 for New Orleans.
"It's going to come down to the final straws and we don't need to get sweaty palms," Giants coach Jim Fassel said. "We need to just get ready to go out and play another football game."
And then hope to play at least one more after that.