NFL Playoff Picture: 4 Teams on the Verge of Clinching Spots

Through 15 weeks of the 2011 NFL season, seven teams; Green Bay, New Orleans, San Francisco, Houston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and New England have all clinched a playoff berth.

Hence, leaving five of the possible 12 spots open and a number of teams fighting for those slots. That said, here are some teams on the verge of punching a ticket to the dance.

Denver Broncos

A Broncos win with an Oakland and San Diego loss clinches the AFC West for Denver in Week 16.

It's certainly a surprising situation, especially after Denver began 1-4, but the Broncos have fought back playing as a complete team the past two months and are now 8-6.

This week is a trap game however, because the Buffalo Bills ride a seven-game losing streak and are looking to play the spoiler role. If the Broncos fail to win in Buffalo, then they must win at home against Kansas City in Week 17.

Ghosts from the past in 2008 and 2009 are once again possible with the surging Chargers on the Broncos' heels. A loss in Week 16 could knock the wind out of "The Mile High City" and make Week 17 a disappointment.

Therefore, this Week 16 game is vehemently important to the future of Denver. Even if the Chargers and Raiders both win, Denver must win. From a mental perspective, we've already seen what the Chiefs are capable of in upsetting Green Bay.

If the Broncos are 8-7 and needing a win to clinch a playoff spot while the Chiefs are playing spoiler, the odds are against Denver.

Detroit Lions

It's simple.

If Detroit wins, they are in the playoffs.

Sitting at 9-5 and two games up on Seattle—who are at the No. 7 spot with a 7-7 record—the Lions control their own destiny.

Only problem though, is that not only are the red-hot San Diego Chargers invading "The Motor City" this week, but the Lions must play at Green Bay in Week 17. And with the 49ers defeating Pittsburgh on Monday, the Packers are still playing for home-field advantage.

Fortunately for the Lions however, Seattle must play host to San Francisco this week, so even if the Bolts pull off the road win, the odds are against the Seahawks also winning.

But if Week 15 is any indication as to how badly the Lions want to make the playoffs, well, they won't lose to San Diego.

Down 27-14 with less than eight minutes to play against Oakland, Detroit mounted a comeback and then sealed the win by blocking the game-winning field goal.

Detroit is destined for the postseason.

The question though is how they live up to the January hype.

New York Jets

This week the Jets play their inner-city rival Giants in an inter-conference game with gigantic implications.

The Giants are playing for their playoff lives as they control their own destiny in the NFC East, and the Jets control their own destiny as the fight for the second AFC wild-card bid is still at stake.

"Gang Green" is on the cusp of the postseason and a loss here may not ruin everything, but it certainly doesn't help.

This week Cincinnati (who sits in the No. 7 spot) hosts Arizona in a must-win game and Tennessee (in the No. 8 spot) hosts the 4-10 Jaguars.

What's killing the Jets right now is the Raiders having beaten them earlier in the season. Oakland is also 7-7 and owns that tiebreaker that's restricting the Jets from needing just one win to get in.

As for the playoff scenarios, a win only keeps the Bengals and Titans at bay for one more week. Both Cincy, Tennessee and the Jets will be 6-5 in the AFC heading into Week 17 and since the Jets have the better record in common games over Cincy, all they have to do is win.

The young Bengals are breathing down the Jets' neck, so be sure to check out Week 16 because there are a lot of games that have a playoff-type atmosphere.

Atlanta Falcons

Much like the Detroit Lions, all the Atlanta Falcons have to do is win one more game and they are in.

The problem however, is that their Week 16 matchup comes in the form of the Saints in New Orleans. Luckily though, the game is on Monday night so Atlanta will know exactly where they stand before kickoff.

With Seattle, Chicago and Arizona all playing on Sunday—if all three lose, the Falcons will have clinched a playoff spot before having played one down against New Orleans.

However, if the any of the three manage to win their Week 16 contest, Atlanta needs to win over the Saints. Otherwise, their playoff lives are on the line at home in Week 17 versus Tampa Bay and although the Buccaneers ship has been sinking, they bested the Falcons earlier this season.

What can really help the Falcons though; especially if the Seahawks, Bears and/or Cardinals win, would be a Lions loss. Atlanta holds that tiebreaker so that creates a wider gap and more room for error in case they do slip up against New Orleans.

But how "The Dirty Birds" have played in the second half of 2011—7-2 since Week 6—they'll be a tough outing for anyone right now.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27