It is slide rule time in the National Football League. Time to decide playoff scenarios in a league that has spent 16 weeks of regular season play to eliminate eight teams from playoff consideration. During those same 16 weeks, nine teams have locked up a playoff date and four division titles have been settled.

The four division winners are the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC, while the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers have clinched their divisions in the NFC. All four of the division winners still have something to play for. None of them have locked up the top seed in their conference and in fact, in the NFC, the two division winners, San Francisco and Minnesota, are still chasing the Philadelphia Eagles for that coveted top spot to open the playoffs.

The Eagles, with their loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, remain two games up on Dallas who have a mathematical chance of catching them with a pair of wins and two Philadelphia losses. But, while that is highly unlikely, what the Eagles need to do to capture the top seed in the NFC in the next two weeks is hold off the Vikings, who are one game back of Philadelphia’s league best 13-2 won/loss record. The 49ers and Cowboys are both two games behind the Eagles with 11-4 marks.

There will be 14 teams in the playoffs this year, that includes the four division winners in each conference and three Wild Card teams. In the AFC, five of the postseason slots are decided with the Bills and Chiefs division winners and the Cincinnati Bengals or Baltimore Ravens in position to win the AFC North with the other team a Wild Card entrant that joins the Los Angeles Chargers in that role.

That leaves two Wild Card spots open for six AFC teams still in the hunt. The teams still alive in the AFC are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders. In the AFC South Division, the Titans or Jaguars will win the race while the loser is not assured of a Wild Card entrance.

In the NFC, four of the seven postseason spots have been secured, with Minnesota and San Francisco division winners and the Eagles and Cowboys in line to either win the NFC East or earn a Wild Card spot. The NFC South Division will not send a Wild Card team to the postseason, in fact their division winner may have a losing record.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently hold a one game edge over both the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints in the NFC South with seven wins and eight losses. Just as is the case in the AFC, only four NFC teams have been eliminated from playoff competition, they are the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears.

If only the NFC South Division winner cracks the playoff field, that leaves two Wild Card spots open with five teams vying for a postseason berth. The five possible Wild Card teams in the NFC are the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.

Got all that?

I know, it can be confusing.

But, let me give you a rule that shakes down the last couple weeks and should provide some point spread winners.

If a team needing to win to earn a playoff spot is playing a team that has already locked in their playoff position, they win. If that same team needing a win plays a team already eliminated from playoff competition, they lose.

Why?

Because a team already eliminated and knowing it is not going to earn a postseason berth has only one thing left to play for, screw up their opponents playoff plans. They get to do this without any pressure against a squad carrying all the weight of needing a win.

Do we have a game like that this week?

Yes.

Who?

The Cleveland Browns came into this season knowing that their future is with recently acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson, who they wouldn’t have on the field until the 13th week of the season. By the time Watson became available, the Browns were nearly eliminated from playoff consideration and they have had trouble even hitting stride now that Watson is behind center. The Browns have won two and lost two of his four starts.

Nothing to play for with the Browns?

Nope, not this week. Now they get the perfect opportunity to end the postseason dreams of a Washington Commanders team that started poorly, caught fire, and has now flamed out the past two weeks. This week, the Browns douse the final hopes for Ron Rivera’s troops.

Qoxhi Picks: Cleveland Browns (+2½) over Washington Commanders