NFL Playoff Scenarios: Philadelphia Eagles and Teams That Don't Deserve Spots

The NFL—where playoff dreams never seem to die.

Until the final weekend of the regular season, that is.

Amazingly enough, 22 of the league's 32 teams are still eligible for the postseason, albeit with degrees of likelihood that fluctuate between 100 percent and slim-to-none.

A number of those teams, these three in particular, have no business hanging around the playoff picture, given the seasons they've had.

One can only hope the league's playoff police will send them scrambling back into anonymity sooner rather than later.

Philadelphia Eagles

If you'd told me, say, four months ago that the Eagles would be in the hunt in the NFC, I would hardly have been surprised. In fact, I might've even berated you for belittling my intelligence, for thinking that I'd ever doubt the championship aspirations of the Vince Young-anointed "Dream Team."

A lot's changed since then—Michael Vick's gotten hurt like 30 bajillion times, DeSean Jackson pouted 30 bajillion more times, the team started 1-4—but the overall position remains the same.

Sort of. At 6-8, Philly needs to win its final two games, at Dallas and home against Washington, and hope that the Cowboys and Giants both finish the season with no more than eight wins apiece to sneak in.

Of course, in the NFC East, where no lead is ever safe, that's looking more and more like an all-too-distinct possibility.

San Diego Chargers

No team that loses six games in a row deserves to be even within smelling distance of the playoffs.

Yet, that's exactly where the Chargers find themselves after 14 games.

Thanks, AFC West!

Well, also, thanks to Philip Rivers, who realized it was December and started playing like a Pro Bowler again.

Funny how that works.

All of this puts Bolts fans in an interesting bind; they want to see their team make the playoffs, but they're sick of Norv Turner.

A loss to the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve should help to clear up some of the lingering ambivalence that's currently plaguing the Powder Blues.

Kansas City Chiefs

Let me list the reasons the Chiefs shouldn't be in the postseason hunt right now.

1) They fired their coach, Todd Haley, and replaced him with defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who had a 24-40 record as a head coach before Week 15.

2) They were up against the previously-undefeated Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

3) They've endured separate losing streaks of three games and four games.

4) They've been outscored by 127 points this season, better only than that of the Colts, the Rams and the Buccaneers.

5) Their starting quarterback is Kyle Orton, who began the season blocking Tim Tebow in Denver.

6) They're without four of their best players—Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, Matt Cassel and Tony Moeaki—for the rest of the season.

None of that seemed to matter on Sunday, when the Chiefs chopped down the Pack to move to 6-8 and within earshot of the lead in the AFC West.

If KC wins this week and Denver loses in Buffalo, then the Chiefs will control their own destiny in the division in Week 17.

(Rubs face in hand).

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