Ravens loss opens the door for Patriots

Two weeks left, and for as much talk as there has been about the tiebreakers, the scenarios are pretty simple:

First: The Patriots have to win out. Yes, they could lose Sunday and get in -- but the Ravens would have to lose both of their remaining games or the Jets and Dolphins would both have to lose this week and then tie when they play each other in Week 17. It's not happening. The Patriots have to win out.

Second: The Patriots need the Jets and Dolphins to combine for two losses in the final two weeks of the season. One of those is assured; again, the two teams play each other in Week 17. The Jets are at Seattle and the Dolphins are at Kansas City in Week 16. If, for example, the Jets lose to Seattle and then beat the Dolphins, well, the door is open for the Patriots to capture the AFC East.
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Second: The Patriots need to lose the Ravens to lose on the road against Dallas on Sunday. (The Ravens also could lose at home against Jacksonville, but we're talking about plausible scenarios here. That's also why we're not discussing the possibility of a Dolphins-Jets tie in Week 17.)

Neither scenario is all that far-fetched. The Patriots already know what sort of fight the Seahawks can put up in their own building -- and the Jets are a reeling team, having lost two straight before J.P. Losman gift-wrapped last Saturday's season-saving win. And the Cowboys are 9-5 on the season -- including 8-3 with Tony Romo under center, and Romo threw a pair of touchdown passes in a win over the Giants last week. Good luck, Ravens.

SI.com, for what it's worth, says the Patriots will miss the playoffs -- thanks to a loss to Arizona on Sunday and despite to a Ravens loss at Dallas. If the Patriots don't beat Kurt Warner and Co., they've sealed their own fate. But even though this is a much-improved Cardinals team, it's hard to imagine a team that let Tarvaris Jackson throw four touchdown passes winning at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.