Steve Silverman

It’s different this year. Normally with one week to go in the NFL season, playoff spots are up for grabs and factors like wins over opponents in common and records against conference opponents carry huge weight.

But not in 2007. Each conference has five playoff spots decided and the teams that currently have the inside track on the final playoff berth only have to win and get in. In the AFC, that team is the Tennessee Titans. It wasn’t pretty but Tennessee came up with a 10-6 victory over the Jets while the late-starting Cleveland Browns dropped a 19-14 decision to the Bengals.

But if the Titans want to go to the playoffs, they have to go to Indianapolis and beat the Colts. Peyton Manning & Co. have nothing to play for since they are locked in at the No. 2 spot, but Tony Dungy’s team has been burned in previous years when they dialed it down at the end of the season. The Colts won’t play their starters any more than 30 minutes, but that could be too much for the Titans.

If it is, then the Browns should be able to smile. While the loss to their cross-state rivals hurts quite a bit, they host San Francisco in the final game of the season. If the Browns have a chance to control their own destiny — both games are 1 p.m. (EST) kickoffs next Sunday — they should handle the Niners without much of a problem.

In the NFC, the Redskins are suddenly playing like a team that doesn’t want its season to end. Just when it looked like the game had passed Joe Gibbs by, the Hall of Fame coach has the Redskins on a roll with 3 straight wins. If they can beat the Cowboys at home next week, they will be in. Don’t look for much from Dallas. After Terrell Owens suffered a high ankle sprain Saturday night against the Panthers, Wade Phillips does not want to take a chance on anyone else getting hurt.

The Vikings were in glorious position after beating the Bears last Monday night, but losing to Washington at home appears to have devastated them. If the Vikings are going to overcome, they must win at Denver and the Cowboys have to beat Washington.

The Saints were losers to the Eagles in Week 16, but they remain barely alive. If they are going to get back into the playoffs, the Vikings and Redskins must lose and New Orleans has to beat Chicago at Soldier Field. If that scenario sounds familiar, that’s because the Saints needed a road win over the Bears in late January in order to go to the Super Bowl. It didn’t happen then and if the Bears can repeat the way they played against the Packers Sunday it might not happen this time around either.

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If the Titans find a way to win at Indianapolis, they will have a very difficult Wild Card matchup. Tennessee would face the San Diego Chargers, who have a chance to lock up the No. 3 seed with a win Monday night over the Broncos. The other AFC Wild Card game would feature the Jacksonville Jaguars facing the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Even though the Jaguars have a better record than Pittsburgh (11-4 vs. 10-5) and defeated the Steelers on their home turf in Week 15, the Steelers would get homefield because they are a division champion while the Jags are merely the best second-place team in the AFC. They are also a team that could be a very difficult out in the postseason tournament.

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The undefeated New England Patriots and defending Super Bowl champion Colts await the winners of those Wild Card games in the divisional playoffs. If form holds and the home teams won both Wild Card games, the Pats would play the Steelers (again) and the Chargers would travel to Indianapolis.

In the NFC, the Seahawks, Bucs and Giants have all clinched playoff spots. If the Redskins beat the Cowboys, a Wild Card meeting with the Seahawks is their likely reward. If Gibbs’ team has regained the toughness that his old teams were noted for, the Redskins could cause problems in Seattle.

The Giants have new momentum after blitzing Buffalo 21-0 in the fourth quarter and coming away with a 38-21 win. They will have a date with the Bucs in Tampa the first weekend in January.

Dallas clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC when the Packers fell to the Bears on Sunday. Dallas would face Tampa Bay in the divisional playoffs if the home teams win the Wild Card games while the Packers would line up against the Seahawks.

So, unusual as it seems, there are not a lot of permutations this time around and no need to read the fine print in the NFL playoff manual to determine who’s in and who’s out. It also means that there will be 9 games on the final weekend that will mean nothing as far as playoff ramifications are concerned.

Let the second season begin as soon as possible.

NFL game stories Quick look at Week 4 games STEELERS 23, RAVENS 20, OT: Baltimore loses first game of season REDSKINS 26, COWBOYS 24: Dallas can't contain Portis in 1st loss BEARS 24, EAGLES 20: Goal-line stand boosts Chicago JETS 56, CARDINALS 35: Favre throws career-high 6 TDs BUCS 30, PACKERS 21: Ryan's 3 FGs lift Tampa CHARGERS 28, RAIDERS 18: San Diego tops rival 10th straight time BILLS 31, RAMS 14: Buffalo 4-0 for first time since 1992 CHIEFS 33, BRONCOS 19: Johnson rushes for 198 yards for K.C. BROWNS 20, BENGALS 12: Anderson throws TD TITANS 30, VIKINGS 17: Tennessee 4-0 for first time ever PANTHERS 24, FALCONS 9: Smith honors Lucas after TD JAGUARS 30, TEXANS 27, OT: Scobey kicks game winner SAINTS 31, 49ERS 17: McAlister scores first TD of year

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