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N.F.L. Playoff Races Entering the Final Week

A.F.C. East

WHAT HAPPENED It was a very, very good day for the New England Patriots, who showed resilience in a second-half comeback victory over the Miami Dolphins and saw their archrival, the Jets, pushed to the brink of elimination with a loss to the Giants. The Patriots’ defense and offensive line will be concerns going into the playoffs, but they secured a first-round bye, which will be critical for the health of left tackle Matt Light and safety Patrick Chung.

NOW WHAT? A Patriots victory next week secures the A.F.C.’s top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. To get the wild card, the Jets need to win, and need losses by Cincinnati and Tennessee combined with a loss by Oakland or Denver.

A.F.C. North

WHAT HAPPENED Big wins for the entire division. The Steelers won without Ben Roethlisberger. The Ravens and the Bengals won with everybody. The division title comes down to the final weekend, and the Bengals, with the victory over the Cardinals, combined with the Jets’ loss, are now in a wild-card spot.

NOW WHAT? Baltimore plays at Cincinnati next week. Pittsburgh plays at Cleveland. If the Steelers and the Ravens wind up with the same record, Baltimore wins the division and Pittsburgh is a wild card, because the Ravens swept the Steelers this season. Baltimore should have the tougher game, because the Bengals will grab a wild-card spot with a victory. Whoever wins the division has a first-round bye.

A.F.C. South

WHAT HAPPENED The Titans’ victory over the Jaguars keeps them in the wild-card race, but the more significant game happened Thursday. The Texans have already clinched the division, but they played their worst game of the season against the Colts.

NOW WHAT? The real intrigue will be at the game between the Jaguars and the Colts. If the Colts win, they could lose their shot at the first overall draft pick and Andrew Luck. There are multiple possibilities for the Titans to get a wild-card spot. The Texans are locked into the third seed even if they lose to the Titans, but after a bad loss to the Colts, they could use a victory to get some momentum going into the playoffs.

A.F.C. West

WHAT HAPPENED The wheels came off the Tim Tebow train. He was awful in Denver’s loss to Buffalo, blowing a chance to win the division. Oakland’s overtime victory over Kansas City eliminated the Chiefs and pulled the Raiders into a tie atop the division. The Chargers’ loss to the eliminated them from contention and probably doomed Norv Turner.

NOW WHAT? If the beat the Chiefs next Sunday, they win the division, no matter what else happens. But if they lose and the Raiders beat the Chargers, the Raiders win the division. If Denver and Oakland both lose, Denver wins the division.

N.F.C. East

WHAT HAPPENED The Giants’ victory over the Jets eliminated the Eagles from the playoff race, but set up a winner-take-all game against the next Sunday. The Eagles may have given the Giants a bit of help anyway. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo hurt his right hand when it smashed against Jason Babin’s helmet. He was ready to return, though, until the Cowboys realized the Giants had won and they did not need him.

NOW WHAT? The game of the year is next Sunday: Cowboys at Giants for the division. An ancillary consideration is whether Tom Coughlin’s job also hangs in the balance.

N.F.C. North

WHAT HAPPENED The Lions completed their renaissance by clinching a wild-card spot, their first playoff trip since 1999.

NOW WHAT If the Packers beat the Bears on Sunday night, they wrap up the top seed in the N.F.C. and have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

N.F.C. South

WHAT HAPPENED Buccaneers Coach Raheem Morris took another step toward the unemployment line and Cam Newton served notice he was going to terrorize the league for the next decade in Tampa Bay’s 48-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons play the on Monday night.

NOW WHAT? A Saints victory Monday secures the N.F.C. South, but the Falcons are still in good position for the wild card.

N.F.C. West

WHAT HAPPENED Not a whole lot. San Francisco’s defeat of Seattle puts the 49ers in position to get a first-round bye, but their struggle to score touchdowns will give them a lot to think about heading into the playoffs.

NOW WHAT? If the Saints lose to the Falcons on Monday, San Francisco clinches a first-round bye.

Ryan, Jones Become Fast Friends for Falcons

Over the past two months, the new teammates have met at Ryan’s suburban Atlanta home to study formations and discuss how Jones, the NFL’s No. 6 overall draft pick, will fit into the offense.

They eat lunch. They study football. They learn each other’s background.

One guy mostly talks. The other guy mostly listens.

“I think for him, it was extra important to do this,” Ryan said. “We have veteran guys who know the offense, who know what they are doing and how to prepare. For me, it was really good just to stay in his ear every day.”

The Falcons held their last session of 7-on-7 drills on Thursday that Ryan first organized six weeks ago.

When everyone had cleared the roasting field at Buford High School, Jones stayed extra time to run lengthy sideline routes with Ryan.

They were trying to establish their timing for an over-the-shoulder catch, a hard-thrown arc that Jones was catching with relative ease. Third-string quarterback John Parker Wilson, Jones’ former teammate at Alabama, worked as a translator of sorts, helping the rookie understand Falcons’ jargon and Ryan relate to Jones’ college playbook.

“I kind of recognize everything because it’s the same pro set we ran at Alabama,” Jones said. “It’s just the terminology that’s really getting to me, you? But it’s a good thing I’ve got Matt and the other guys. They help me out because there’s so much information coming in, but it’s my job to learn it.”

As Ryan sees it, he must help Jones blend into the offense quickly.

Atlanta, despite earning the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed last season, managed just 44 plays of 20 yards or longer, tying Carolina for the fewest in the league.

Ryan has acknowledged that his pride was hurt in the postseason, getting blown out at home by eventual champion Green Bay as the offense broke down.

Everything failed even though wideout Roddy White had led the NFL in catches, Michael Turner ranked sixth in rushing, tight end Tony Gonzalez was playing at a high level and the quarterback went 13-3.

Now that Ryan has Jones in the mix, however, he wants to focus on 2011. He believes the workouts at Buford High have been helpful and spirited.

“I think we did a great job,” Ryan said. “We kept it loose and we kept it fun every day. I think it’s going to serve us well. We won’t be as rusty when we get into training camp. We kind of used our verbiage, ran the routes and did the things we needed to do.”

White worked with Jones on Thursday for the second time, even playfully lining up occasionally at cornerback directly opposite his new teammate.

“We did a lot of good things last year, and now we’ve got Julio,” White said. “That does nothing but improve the offense, and we expect to do better. That’s our goal, to lead the NFL in everything. Every offensive category.”

Ryan has enjoyed some circumstances of the lockout, building a relationship with Jones that otherwise would’ve been largely orchestrated by coaches.

Not this year.

“I think what we’ve tried to do is keep it as similar to what would be doing as possible,” Ryan said. “This would kind of be our last week with weightlifting, conditioning and OTAs and stuff if we were at Flowery Branch.”

When Ryan first met Jones in early May, he was struck with his new teammate’s 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, but it took little time to see Jones’ stoic temperament when compared to White’s giggly persona.

“I think what fuels them is different,” Ryan said. “Roddy is out there talking and have a great time. That’s great because people feed off that energy, but Julio seems to be a little bit different, and that’s good. It’s tough when you’ve got everybody being vocal, so I think he’s a good fit in our wide receiver room, and he will do a great job. I think he’ll be vocal when he needs to be.”

QB Matt Ryan Leads Falcons’ Workout During Lockout

BUFORD, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan says he doesn’t mind working as a player and a coach during the NFL lockout.

Such is life when players are not allowed to report to work and can’t talk to their bosses.

But the lockout hasn’t kept Ryan from trying to bring his teammates together. He gathered about 30 players for 7-on-7 drills — offense vs. defense — in a scripted session Tuesday on a high school field, 15 minutes south of the Falcons’ training complex.

Ryan says “this is just something to keep us sharp.”

It was the Falcons’ first time together on a field since losing to Green Bay in the playoffs.

Atlanta draft pick Julio Jones has attended some of the passing sessions Ryan has held with Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White, but neither came Tuesday.