Titans Fading The Tennessee Titans appeared to be a virtual lock for the playoffs with a strong first half of the season. Another disappointing loss their last time out, however, has them on the brink of being eliminated from postseason contention. Tennessee tries to keep its slim playoff hopes alive on Sunday when it visits the stumbling Kansas City Chiefs, who are trying to avoid their longest losing streak in 20 years.
Author: Anthony Rome
Trying to Stay in The Hunt Considering how it played out the first time, no one expects any guarantees out of the Pittsburgh Steelers this week with the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town. The way Pittsburgh has played at Heinz Field, though, a little confidence is warranted. The Steelers (9-4) look to complete their home schedule 8-0 and stay atop the AFC North on Sunday when they host the Jaguars, who are looking to solidify their standing in the wild-card race.
What a Year The Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams both finished 8-8 last season, narrowly missing out on the final NFC playoff spot. But this year, their seasons have turned out about as differently as possible, a contrast which will be on display when the Packers visit the Rams in St. Louis on Sunday.
Pushing For The Playoffs At the beginning of October, the only thing the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills seemed to have in common was the likelihood of both picking in the top 10 of the 2008 NFL draft. The Bills couldn’t score and the Browns couldn’t stop anyone. Now, in mid-December, they’re fighting for a berth in the postseason. Buffalo (7-6) travels to Cleveland (8-5) on Sunday, with the winner of this contest improving its chances of earning the final spot in the AFC playoffs.
The Nightmare Continues Things couldn’t possibly get any worse for the Atlanta Falcons. After finding out their former star quarterback was sentenced to nearly two years in prison, the Falcons were soundly beaten on national television and then had their first-year coach abruptly resign to return to a college team. On Sunday, the reeling team visits the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who can clinch the NFC South and are expecting starting quarterback Jeff Garcia to return.
Wild Card Push The Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints are both still alive in the NFC’s playoff race, but injuries to key players might prevent these clubs from qualifying for the postseason. New Orleans will likely be without Reggie Bush again, while Arizona hopes its receivers are healthy enough to make an impact when the teams meet at the Superdome for the first time in 10 years Sunday.
Having Fun, Playing Well The Golden State Warriors are in the midst of one of the best stretches in franchise history. To keep it going, they’ll have to figure out a streaking Trail Blazers team when they visit Portland on Wednesday.
Crushing The Competition The Boston Celtics are one of two NBA teams that hasn’t lost at home. On Wednesday, they welcome the only team in the league that has yet to win a road game. That would seem to create a mismatch when the Sacramento Kings visit the TD Banknorth Garden, as the Celtics look to win their seventh straight overall and 11th in a row at home.
Outback Bowl Preview While it may not be a Bowl Championship Series game, having a 10-win season will be a nice consolation prize for either Wisconsin or Tennessee as the schools meet New Year’s Day in the Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla.
Independence Bowl Three straight losses to end the 2006 regular season earned Alabama an unsatisfying invite to the Independence Bowl. It took four straight defeats in 2007 for the program to repeat its fate. The Crimson Tide (6-6) will try to avoid their first back-to-back losing seasons in 45 years, while Colorado (6-6) looks to avoid doing the same for the first time in 22 years when the schools meet in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., on Dec. 30.