New York Giants: Breaking Down Big Blue's Road to the Playoffs

It was supposed to be simple.

The New York Giants have had control of their own playoff destiny, at least up until now.

That was until the New York Giants laid a gigantic egg in Atlanta this past Sunday, in which they lost total control of the NFC East division lead.

Now, the Giants sit in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys, all of which are 8-6.

And because the Giants are 2-3 in the NFC East, they don't have any tiebreakers if they were to finish tied at the season's end, so they may not even win the division that they have had control of for most of the year.

However, they are still looking to get into the playoffs, and in today's NFL, that's all you need.

They have two more games remaining in the 2012 regular season, and they need to win both to keep their chances alive.

And for the Giants, it all starts on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Let's break down the Giants current playoff path and their chances of getting back to the playoffs.

Scenario No. 1- Giants Clinch in Week 16

This scenario is the least likely, because a lot of things have to go right for the Giants.

First, they would have to beat the Ravens on Sunday. That is a must.

They would also need the Minnesota Vikings to lose to the Houston Texans, which could happen since it's in Houston.

The Chicago Bears need to lose to the Arizona Cardinals, who have been downright awful since starting out 4-0. This one may be a challenge.

The Dallas Cowboys need to lose to the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans has either looked really good, like they did last week against Tampa Bay, or really awful, like they did against the Giants.

And then the Washington Redskins need to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles, or the game has to end in a tie.

If all of these scenarios were to happen in Week 16, then the Giants at 9-6 would earn a berth into the playoffs. They would also take back the NFC East division lead if Washington and Dallas lose and drop to 8-7.

Again, it's very unlikely for several reasons.

The Eagles have been downright horrible, while the Redskins have a ton of momentum on their side.

The Saints are too inconsistent to trust, and the Cardinals are just an awful football team.

Although, this scenario would be very nice for all the Giants and the fans, again, it's very unlikely to happen.

Scenario No. 2- Giants Still Clinch in Week 16

This one will sound very similar to the one you just read.

It still involves the Giants beating the Ravens on Sunday.

The Cardinals would still have to beat the Bears.

The Eagles would still have to beat the Redskins.

The Texans would still have to beat the Vikings.

The Cowboys could tie the Saints instead of losing.

If that were to happen, the Giants clinch a playoff spot, and again, reclaim the lead in the NFC East.

That would put the Giants at 9-6, the Redskins at 8-7 and the Cowboys at 8-6-1.

It's still a situation where the Giants would need a lot of help from other teams to go along with taking care of their own business by knocking off the Ravens.

And again, very unlikely to happen.

Scenario No. 3- Giants Win Out, Clinch in Week 17

This scenario focuses squarely on the Giants and nobody else in the NFC East.

The Giants would have to beat the Ravens.

And then, in Week 17, they will have to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

By that time, the Eagles could be 4-11 coming into MetLife Stadium with the Giants at 9-6.

However, the last time the Giants have won against the Eagles at home was back in September of 2007.

Since then, the Giants are 0-5, which includes the 2008 NFC Divisional Playoff Game that the Eagles won, 23-11.

And in a game where the Eagles have nothing to play for, I'm sure Andy Reid would love nothing more than to play spoilers to the Giants.

But the Eagles have had so much trouble beating anybody and are not the same football team the Giants saw back in Week 4.

The Giants really should come home and take apart the Eagles in their building.

This scenario the Giants can control, because all the have to do is win both games, get to 10-6, and likely earn at least a wild-card spot.

Scenario No. 4- Week 16 Faltering by All 3 Teams

So let's say in Week 16, the Giants lose to the Ravens.

The Eagles beat the Redskins.

The Saints beat the Cowboys.

That would keep everyone at 8-7 heading into a very important Week 17.

The Giants would have to beat the Eagles to even stay alive at that point.

But in the game against the Redskins and Cowboys, this is where it gets tricky.

If the Redskins beat the Cowboys, that would give them the division at 9-7 and also because they would have the best divisional record at 4-2.

If the Cowboys beat the Redskins, it takes Washington out, who would be at 8-8.

But it then would give the Cowboys the NFC East because they would have the best divisional record at 4-2.

The Giants would be 9-7, but then it would also depend on all of the other teams like the Bears, Vikings and Seahawks to figure out where they stood in the playoff picture.

The Giants don't want this happening, so again, they can't lose in Week 16.

Scenario No. 5- the Giants Are Eliminated in Week 16

This is the one scenario no Giants fan wants to have happen.

The Giants lose to the Ravens.

The Redskins beat the Eagles.

The Cowboys beat the Saints.

The Seahawks beat the 49ers.

That would eliminate the Giants from playoff contention completely, because the Redskins and Cowboys would both be 9-6 with better divisional records and the Seahawks would be 10-5.

That would mean whoever lost the game between the Cowboys and Redskins would get the one Wild Card, and Seattle would get the other one.

Not a very flattering scenario, and the sad thing for Giants fans is; this can actually happen.

The Other NFC Teams Scenarios

The Falcons, 49ers and Packers have wrapped up playoff spots.

The Falcons also have the NFC South and the Packers the NFC North.

All the Seahawks need to do is win and they have a playoff spot at 10-5. In fact, Seattle could get the number two seed if the 49ers and Packers both lose in Week 17, but that's for another story.

The Bears, who were once 7-1, are 8-6 and on a free fall late in the season. If they lose one game and the Vikings win one game, Chicago is eliminated.

The Bears have Arizona in Week 16 and the Detroit Lions in Week 17.

They could jump out and finish 10-6, which could get them in depending on where everyone else falls. Or, their struggles could continue and they finish 8-8 or 9-7.

The Vikings will have a very difficult time in the last two weeks given who their opponents are.

In Week 16, they have the Texans, who are trying to wrap up home field through the AFC playoffs.

In Week 17, they have the Packers, who are trying to get the No. 2 seed and a first round bye over the San Francisco 49ers.

Don't be surprised if Minnesota finishes 8-8.

The Likeliest Scenario for the Giants? Win out

From all the scenarios I listed, the one the Giants need to focus on the most was No. 3: which is win out.

Forget what the Seahawks, Bears, Vikings, Cowboys and Redskins are all doing. The Giants need to focus on themselves and their schedule.

Which means they need to go into Week 16 and take care of the faltering Ravens on the road.

Then they have to come back home in Week 17 and put the Eagles out of their misery.

At 10-6, the Giants clinch a playoff spot, whether it's the NFC East champions and earning the No. 4 seed, or one of the two wild-card spots at No. 5 or No. 6.

The Giants have been in this scenario before—just look at last year.

They lost in Week 15 to the Redskins, but won against the Jets and Cowboys.

I don't always like hinging hope on what happened from the past, but the Giants could repeat last year's events because they know how to handle the pressure.

And that's what Tom Coughlin needs to prepare his team for.

Don't worry about anyone else except for themselves and their two games against the Ravens and Eagles.

Do that, and we'll see the defending Super Bowl champions playing again in January.