Probably the best time of the NFL season because so many teams have a shot (no matter how miniscule) at making the playoffs. I will give you both conferences and show the teams that have an outside, legit and definite shot at the playoffs.


First let’s start with the locks:
Chicago
New Orleans
Dallas
All of them are in the playoffs and Chicago has locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This is H U G E for the Bears because would you be comfortable with Grossman passing on the road??? Neither would I. Dallas is at home for their last two games with a win against Philly and another against the Lions they are the #3 seed.

So close they can smell it:
Seattle 8-6 vs. San Diego (L), @Tampa Bay (W)
Philadephia 8-6 @ Dallas (L), vs. Atlanta (W)
NY Giants 7-7 vs. New Orleans (L), @ Washington (L)
Atlanta 7-7 vs. Carolina (W), @ Philadelphia (L)
The Giants will lose one to the Saints and another to the Skins because they are an absolute mess. Nothing about this team screams playoffs let alone two straight wins in December. Sorry you are the weakest link.....Goodbye! Atlanta is another team that needs to win two straight and they have shown over the years that A: They always have a tough time against Carolina and B: They never play well in Philly. Sorry Atlanta "You're Fired!"

How the hell did that happen?:
49ers 6-8 @ Arizona (W), @ Denver (L)
St. Louis 6-8 vs. Washington (W), @ Minnesota (W)
Because neither the Giants nor the Falcons make the playoffs this means there is a wide open screen door for a possible 8-8 team to get in. For me the last playoff team will come from the mediocre NFC west. I see the Rams winning their last two while the 49ers lose to Denver in the finale. The 49ers will have tried their best but the kids just don't have it in them to win in Denver so they are out. (good effort though) The Rams are a decent team with a nice schedule so winning out is easy but since they lose the tie breaker with Seattle, they play in the Wild Card game on the road the following weekend.

NFC Recap:
Chicago, New Orleans get a first round bye, Wild Card weekend looks like this, St. Louis @ Dallas & Philadelphia @ Seattle. Please submit your arguments below........


The Locks:
San Diego 12-2 @Seattle (W), vs. Arizona (W)
Indy 11-3 @Houston (W), vs. Miami (W)
Baltimore 11-3 @Pittsburgh (L), vs. Buffalo (W)
All three have clinched their division and are set for the playoffs but still to be determined is the home field advantage. Seattle is a nightmare place to play in the rain (or visit in the rain) but San Diego is a way better team and their defense will keep them in the game so there is no chance they lose. They lock up home field winning out while Indy does the same and takes the #2 spot. Baltimore goes where McNair goes and since he is a bit shaken up and they have to play in Pittsburgh.....just dont see it happening. As Snapple used to say "We're #3, We're #3!!!" hooray for you Ravens, nobody thought you would get this far so congrats.

So close they can smell it:
Patriots 10-4 @Jacksonville (W), @Tennessee (W)
Jacksonville 8-6 vs. Patriots (L), @Kansas City (L)
Cincinnati 8-6 @Denver (W), vs. Pittsburgh (W)
Denver 8-6 vs. Cincinnati (L), vs. 49ers (W)
Jets 8-6 @Miami (W), vs. Oakland (W)
The patriots are in and will win their division. (mattymorning = happy fellow) For those who will reply and say they won't beat Jacksonville to this I say David Gerrard, David Gerrard and David Gerrard. Do you really think this guy is your future QB? No way....I just don't see it. He makes way too many mistakes and he reminds me of why a mobile QB is not always the best thing in the world. In my opinion teams who have a David Gerrard type who is just mobile enough to get outside (like Garcia), those teams skimp a bit on the Offensive Line in the draft figuring he can get out of trouble. This leads to them getting hurt repeatedly (ex. McNair, Leftwich, McNabb, Steve Young) The last one on this list is an exception because they didnt skimp on the OLine and made sure he was protected.....he still had a rough career. With two straight wins that means the Bengals get in and yes they will win in Denver and yes they will win in Pittsburgh. With denver losing to the Bengals and the Jets winning two straight the J E T S JETS JETS JETS are in. WOW. No way can you tell me that you wouldn't dream of facing Miami and then Oakland for the final two games to make the playoffs. If they screw this up then they are a worse organization than I thought. (watch this happen hahaha)

Thanks for your participation:
Kansas City
Tennessee
Buffalo
Pittsburgh
All of them are 7-7 and do not deserve to make the playoffs based on their first half performances. It's nobodies fault but their own and all four of these teams sucked horribly in the first part of the year. Frankly I am shocked they are even in contention right now (especially Buffalo). The one bright spot is Tennessee who seems to be making a rise and are set to make the playoffs next season.

AFC Recap:
San Diego, Indianapolis first round byes, Wild Card weekend: Jets @ Baltimore, Cincinnati @ New England.

Now if you will excuse me I am going to pass out now......or grab a Jameson on the rocks.



As always this list of HD Sports Programming is shown by day and categorized by sport but…Please check your local listings for channels and availability.
Games and Times are listed in RED.....Games and Times in BLUE are do not miss.



Wednesday 12/20/06
NBA
7:00pm EST: Indiana Pacers vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Regional) CSN in 1080i
Goodbye dear Iverson! Listen here...the guy is a great talent and probably one of the most talented "individual" basketball players I have ever seen. BUT he is just not suited for the NBA and only because great NBA players make their teammates better. Bird, Dr. J, Magic and Jordan all were amazing talents but their true value was above and beyond their own abilities. On Tuesday night Allen was sent to Denver where I am sure he will want the ball in his hands night after night but the problem is they already have one of those.....unfortunately he is on the bench for 15 games. My prediction = Mid February there will be chaos in the Mile High city and that is sad because Denver had potential.


7:30pm EST: Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics (Regional) FSN NE in 1080i
Two teams with good talent but are missing something that will make them come together and be a legitimate basketball team. I am a destraught Warriors fan and people in the bay area are seriously wondering if Don Nelson will make a big difference over Mike Montgomery.

8:00pm EST: Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs (Regional) FSN SW in 720p
8:00pm EST: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. N.J. Nets ESPNHD in 720p
8:00pm EST: L.A. Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Regional) FSN N in 720p
8:00pm EST: Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Regional) FSN N in 720p
8:00pm EST: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. N.J. Nets (Regional) YES in 1080i
10:00pm EST: Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets (Regional) Altitude in 1080i
10:30pm EST: Dallas Mavericks vs. Seattle Supersonics ESPNHD in 720p

NHL
7:30pm EST: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Detroit Red Wings (Regional) FSN D in 720p





Thursday 12/21/06
El Futbol Non-Americano
3:58pm EST: FutbolBarcelona vs. Atletico Madrid WorldsportHD in 1080i

NHL
7:00pm EST: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Atlanta Thrashers HDNet in 1080i
7:00pm EST: Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins (Regional) NESN in 1080i
7:30pm EST: N.Y. Rangers vs. Florida Panthers (Regional) FSN FL in 720p
9:00pm EST: Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche (Regional) Altitude in 1080i
9:00pm EST: Edmonton Oilers vs. Phoenix Coyotes (Regional) FSN AZ in 720p

NBA
8:00pm EST: Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers TNT-HD in 1080i
10:30pm EST: Washington Wizards vs. Sacramento Kings TNT-HD in 1080i

College Football
8:00pm EST: Las Vegas Bowl - BYU Cougars vs. Oregon Ducks ESPNHD in 720p

NFL
8:00pm EST: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers NFL Network in 1080i
NFL network is billing this as the last time you will be able to see Bert FahhvRa sling passes downfield. Newsflash.....the guy is coming back next year so no need to rush out and get NFL network.

College Basketball
9:00pm EST: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Duke Blue Devils ESPN2HD in 720p
Pre-Tourney glimpse and should be a decent matchup. Too bad it will be played at Cameron or Gonzaga may have had a chance.





Friday 12/22/06
NHL
7:00pm EST: N.J. Devils vs. Washington Capitals (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Minnesota Wild vs. Detroit Red Wings (Regional) FSN D in 720p

NBA
7:30pm EST: L.A. Lakers vs. N.J. Nets (Regional) YES in 1080i
8:00pm EST: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (Regional) FSN NE in 1080i
8:00pm EST: Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs ESPNHD in 720p

College Football
8:00pm EST: New Orleans Bowl - Rice Owls vs. Troy Trojans ESPN2HD in 720p

NBA
8:00pm EST: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Regional) FSN N in 720p
8:00pm EST: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Regional) FSN N in 720p
8:30pm EST: L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks (Regional) FSN SW in 720p
10:00pm EST: Sacramento Kings vs. Denver Nuggets (Regional) Altitude in 1080i
10:00pm EST: Washington Wizards vs. Phoenix Suns (Regional) FSN AZ in 720p
10:30pm EST: Washington Wizards vs. Phoenix Suns ESPNHD in 720p




Saturday 12/23/06
College Football
1:00pm EST: Papajohns.com Bowl - South Florida Bulls vs. East Carolina Pirates ESPN2HD in 720p
4:30pm EST: New Mexico Bowl - New Mexico Lobos vs. San Jose St. Spartans ESPNHD in 720p
While reading this I just found out that San Jose St. made a bowl game....wow. Is this like Little League where everyone gets a trophy?

8:00pm EST: Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Utah Utes ESPNHD in 720p
Does anyone remember Bell Helicopter? From what I remember this was one of the companies who profited immensely from the Vietnam war. So why sponsor a bowl game......and why the Armed Forces Bowl Game?????

College Basketball
4:30pm EST: Bucknell Bison vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders ESPN2HD in 720p

NHL
7:00pm EST: Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins (Regional) NESN in 1080i
7:00pm EST: Ottawa Senators vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers (Regional) FSN FL in 720p
7:30pm EST: N.Y. Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning HDNet in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Regional) FSN S in 720p
9:00pm EST: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche (Regional) Altitude in 1080i

NBA
7:30pm EST: N.Y. Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Atlanta Hawks vs. Detroit Pistons (Local) WMYD in 1080i
8:00pm EST: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Chicago Bulls (Local) WGN in 1080i

NFL
8:00pm EST: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders NFL Network in 1080i
If they billed Thursdays game as the last time to watch Favre....is this the last time to watch Aaron Brooks in an NFL uniform? Either way this is completely unwatchable.





Sunday 12/24/06
NFL
1:00pm EST: New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: Washington Redskins vs. St. Louis Rams FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Cleveland Browns FOX in 720p
1:00pm EST: New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars CBS in 1080i
4:00pm EST: San Diego Chargers vs. Seattle Seahawks CBS in 1080i
4:00pm EST: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos CBS in 1080i
4:05pm EST: Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers FOX in 720p




Monday 12/25/06
NBA
2:30pm EST: L.A. Lakers vs. Miami Heat ABC (720p)
Explain to me why is this a christmas tradition again? Kobe and Shaq just doesn't have the same luster as say.....Le Bron and Carmelo. We need to think long term here and Carmelo v. Bron is the way to go next season.

NFL
5:00pm EST: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys NBC in 1080i
Great game and perhaps this matchup was saved by Jeff Garcia and his temporary magical arm. The Cowboys will expose him and we will realize once again that Garcia is not a SuperBowl caliber QB. Good enough to get them into the playoffs - Yes.....deep in the playoffs no.

8:30pm EST: N.Y. Jets vs. Miami Dolphins ESPNHD in 720p
zzzzzzzzzzzz....Jets TD...zzzzzzzzzzz....Jets TD....zzzzzzzzzz....Joey Harrington INT....zzzzzzzz

I can't wait til the NFL playoffs -- best games of the season and all in HD widescreen glory.

Indeed, the playoffs are almost here! Here's to high quality games with high quality picture!

To bad I don't exactly have a team to root for.

I wouldnt worry about having a team to root for this year.......Take the Saints. Right now they are 8-1 to win the SuperBowl and its probably the best bet you have among the top 6 teams. A great team and really fun to watch if they can just stay consistant throughout the playoffs.

Brees has the experience.

Does anyone else have a problem with a loosing record making the playoffs?? Somethings wrong.