NFL Playoff Picture: Jets vs. Giants To Decide Fate of New York Playoff Football

The New York Jets and New York Giants are rarely in the postseason at the same time.

In fact, it has only happened twice since 1991.

This year, the Jets vs. Giants on Christmas Eve day is a playoff game.

A Jets loss will send them into a potential tie among five teams—Denver, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Oakland and San Diego—and the tiebreaker scenarios involved are many.

Long story short, Gang Green would need the Broncos to win the AFC West and the Chargers to beat the Raiders in the season finale to win the final wild-card spot should they lose.

Denver and Oakland hold tiebreakers over the Jets, but the Jets hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals.

Best-case scenario is they win the game or their fate will be out of their hands.

As for the for the Giants, it is much simpler: win or go home.

The playoffs have now started for Big Blue after a disgusting loss to division rival Washington. It was the first time the Redskins swept the Giants since 1999, and it didn't look like the Giants' defense even wanted to play football yesterday.

Tom Coughlin's team needs to beat the Jets and then the Cowboys in the season finale to win the NFC East.

The NFC East is so crazy that the Philadelphia Eagles still have a shot at winning the division title. If the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles all finish at 8-8, the Eagles hold the tiebreaker over New York and Dallas. That would mean Eagles beat the Cowboys next week, the Giants lose to Jets but beat Cowboys in finale and the Eagles win out.

Crazy, but possible.

The simplest of scenarios is the Giants winning out. Nothing else matters if the Giants can beat the Jets and the Cowboys.

That starts by playing the visitor role in their own stadium against the Jets.

As for Gang Green, they control their own destiny as long as they keep winning.

The Jets and Giants have never played in the postseason, but this Week 16 matchup is a essentially a playoff game.

Who could've imagined that?