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Thursday, December 31st, 1998 NFL NewsPlayoff Picture and Analysis The Broncos are far from being considered beatable, though. They finished 14-2, played outstanding at home (both loses came on the road - let's remind that Denver has home field advantage throughout the playoffs), and they had a 2,000+ yard runner in Terrell Davis, who averaged 5+ yards per carry. They're still the best team in the AFC, but they might face the surprise of the conference in a possible AFC championship game: the New York Jets. 1-15. That was the Jets record only two seasons ago. Today, coach Bill Parcells has his team in a first round bye, 12 win season, including huge wins on the road against divisional rivals Miami, Buffalo and New England. If there's a team that has a somewhat reasonable shot at beating the Broncos at Mile High Stadium, that team is the New York Jets. One team that has been underrated all season long is the other bye team in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons. They posted a remarkable campaign, 14-2, including a red hot finish, winning their last 9 games. Just like the Broncos, the Falcons were unbeaten at home, losing only to San Francisco and the Jets, both on the road. They showed a powerful, balanced offense, led by RB Jamal Anderson, but it will be key for them to have a healthy Chris Chandler during the playoffs. They should move easily to the NFC Championship Game, as they'll most likely play Dallas in the Divisional Playoff game at Atlanta (unless Arizona pulls an upset; then Atlanta will face the winner of the 49ers-Packers game). The Wild Card race will be very interesting this season. Some great teams couldn't win their division like they used to in the past, and will have to play a wild card game. This is the case of both the 49ers and the Packers - and they play each other, at 3Com Park, on Sunday. The Packers have beaten and eliminated the 49ers from the playoffs in the past 3 seasons. The 49ers lost at Green Bay earlier this season. Both teams had ups and downs, but the Packers had a really tough season, mostly because of the Dorsey Levens' loss. But the good news for them is that he'll be starting next Sunday. The 49ers problem was mostly on defense, as some teams picked apart their secondary to score some long TD's. A classic AFC East matchup will take place on Saturday, as the Buffalo Bills travel to Pro Player Stadium in Florida, to play against the Miami Dolphins. Both teams also had ups and downs. They splitted the season series, but the Bills have really played well lately. The Dolphins have the NFL's best defense and they beat Denver on a Monday Night at Pro Player - where they lost only to the Jets this season. The Bills will probably have to manage a great game from Doug Flutie to overcome this important home field advantage. Needless to say, they also have to care about Dan Marino, as the Dolphins, despite Jimmy Johnson's insistent efforts to run the ball, still rely on the passing game to win the important ones.
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