E-Mail This Article to a Friend The NFL race turns for home BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Sad to say, but in less than two months’ time, we’re going to be stuck with no pro sports around here except for the Celtics — and, given the Green’s current 8-11 record, having only the C’s available will be a mind-boggling letdown from the euphoria to which we’ve become accustomed.

The good news is that there are three more weeks of regular-season NFL action, and then a month’s worth of playoffs, to prepare us for that sports drought. The AFC is taking shape and the NFC is in shambles, but somehow it will all sort itself out by the time wild-card weekend unfolds on January 8. Let’s take a gander at how the playoff picture is shaping up.

AFC

Given the inherent parity of the league, it’s remarkable to see that three of the four divisions in the AFC have been clinched already, with the Chargers in the catbird seat in the West with a two-game lead. The Patriots (East), Colts (South), and Steelers (North) are all assured of berths, and both New England and Pittsburgh need only one win in their three remaining contests to wrap up a first-round bye. It seems inevitable that they will end up knocking helmets in the AFC title game on January 22, but the Bolts and the Colts — offensive juggernauts both — might have something to say about that. San Diego will clinch at least a tie for the West crown when it manhandles the Browns this Sunday, and only an 0-3 finish coupled with an improbable Broncos’ three-game sweep over the Chiefs, Titans, and Colts will prevent the Chargers from completing their spectacular turnaround. At 4-12, the Lightnin’ Bolts were football’s worst team last year, and hadn’t had a sniff of the post-season since 1995; this season they’ll flip to 12-4, although the December 26 game at Indy will provide a good test of where they stand as they head into the playoffs.

That’s four teams in: who are the wild-card clinchers? At 9-4, the Jets have the inside track, but their final three contests are anything but gimmes: the Seahawks, the Pats, and the Rams at St. Louie. Two out of three ain’t bad, as Meat Loaf crooned, and should also be good enough for a ticket to the post-season. The Ravens and the Broncs will fight it out for the remaining berth, but Baltimore has a tougher finishing kick (at Indy, at Pitt, Miami), while Denver should win two of three down the stretch (at KC, at Tenn, Indy). The Colts will face both squads in the coming weeks, and will likely meet one of them again in the opening round of the playoffs. For now, I’ll give the nod to the Broncos.

NFC

As mentioned, a quagmire. Bear with me: Philly and Atlanta wear the division crowns, and while the 12-1 Eagles are the class of the conference, that’s not saying much. Atlanta (10-3) has clinched the South despite inexplicable losses to Detroit (24-10), KC (56-10), and Tampa Bay (24-0) — that’s a playoff team? Hold your nose and say "aye." And believe it or not, with one more win, Mike Vick and Co. will even have a first-round bye. More stench: one of the four remaining playoff spots will be snared by a team currently below .500, and two other prime contenders are 7-6. The Packers are 8-5 atop the North, but after Jax at Lambeau this week, they finish at Minny and Chicago; the 7-6 Vikings, meanwhile, seem to be in their traditional late-season choke mode after Sunday’s home loss to the Seahawks, but winning at Detroit and Washington in the final weeks could, ridiculously enough, lock up a spot. Seattle (7-6) has royally underachieved but still leads the West, and if it can beat Arizona and then Atlanta — which will likely have nothing to play for in the season finale — it’ll win the division despite a pair of losses to the runner-up Rams (6-7), who have tough closing contests with the Jets and the Eagles (although again, the Eagles may be resting guys). The only remaining possibility is for the 6-7 Panthers to sneak in, but they’d need help from others and would have to win their remaining games (at Atlanta and Tampa, and home with the Saints). And though it would be out of character, the Vikes could still win the North by sweeping their final three games — including the Pack at home on Christmas Eve; either way, I think the Packers will get in somehow, as will the Seahawks, though neither is particularly deserving. Nonetheless, in the opening round they’ll face even less-worthy foes that will be lucky to have nine wins; let’s give one ticket to the post-season to the Vikings (assuming they don’t crash and burn, out of habit) and the other to the red-hot Panthers, who have won five straight (after a six-game losing streak) — although that assumes that Carolina wins at Atlanta this week, which won’t be easy.

Simply put, if the Eagles — given this level of competition — do not manage to advance to their first Super Bowl since 1980, then look for Vegas oddsmakers to invoke an unprecedented 20-point spread in the big game on February 6, and a champ from the AFC for the sixth time in the past eight years.

Sporting Eye runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com