NFL Playoff Picture: Teams That Will Solidify Postseason Cases with Week 14 Wins

There are only four weeks remaining in the NFL season, meaning every team save for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns have four games left to state their playoff case. While there are some spots essentially locked up, there is still tons of movement that can take place prior to the beginning of the postseason.

The wild-card races, in particular, are very tight in both conferences. The AFC has five 7-5 teams battling for two playoff spots while the NFC has several teams bunched together as well. Here are three teams that will solidify their playoff chances in Week 14 with victories.

Denver Broncos

With a record of 1-4, it looked as if 2011 would be yet another non-playoff season for the Denver Broncos. Controversial quarterback Tim Tebow took the starting job from the ineffective Kyle Orton, however, the Broncos have since won six of seven games and currently lead the AFC West with a record of 7-5. Some may consider Denver to be flash in the pan, but the Broncos have a great opportunity to win again on Sunday.

Denver will host a Chicago Bears team that will be without quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte, both of whom are out with long-term injuries. The Broncos' defense has been excellent lately to begin with, so they should have little problem against the Bears. The offense has been incredibly run heavy and has utilized the option. Tebow has been very unorthodox, but he has gotten the job done, and I expect that to continue this weekend.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons began the season very inconsistently, but they have been playing solid ball as of late. While they dropped a tough road decision against the Houston Texans last week, the Falcons are still 7-5 and hold a coveted wild-card spot in the NFC. Their current position could evaporate quickly, however, so every game is absolutely paramount for the Falcons moving forward.

Atlanta has a fairly difficult road game this week against dazzling rookie quarterback Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. While the Falcons won't be able to simply trample the Panthers, they had plenty of success against them in their first meeting. Carolina's run defense is an absolute joke, so Atlanta will provide the Panthers with a heavy dose of running back Michael Turner. Provided the Falcons can keep Newton from doing anything too ridiculous, they should score a big win.

New York Jets

If the playoffs started today, the New York Jets would miss them based on a tiebreaker with the Cincinnati Bengals. Provided the Jets take care of business down the stretch, however, they stand a pretty good chance of playing at least one postseason game. Because of the Jets' experience in big games and overall talent level, I believe they will make it, but it all starts with a home game against the pesky Kansas City Chiefs this week.

The Chiefs are severely lacking in talent due to a number of injuries, but they gave the Pittsburgh Steelers fits two weeks ago and upset the Chicago Bears last week. It would be very easy for the Jets to fall into the trap of underestimating the Chiefs, but that is something they can't afford to do. Kansas City has no firepower on offense, so as long as New York's defense plays like it should and quarterback Mark Sanchez takes care of the football, this should be a Jets' victory.