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Facing the Fork: Playoff hopefuls on the brink

They're done ... but we're not.

Our gang of scribes are "forking" teams we don't believe can reach the playoffs. We've already offed a third of the league, and this weekend will go a long way toward fattening the list of doomed squads:

Hovering near death

Loser of Pittsburgh Steelers (4-6) vs. Cleveland Browns (4-6)

It's impossible to write off Sunday's winner. If the Browns prevail, Cleveland plays the Jacksonville Jaguars with a shot to be 6-6 entering Week 14. If the Steelers move to five wins, they get the Ravens on Thanksgiving night in a game with meaning for the AFC's sixth playoff seed. The loser -- especially if it's Cleveland -- is cooked.

Harrison: Week 12 Game Picks

Can the Chiefs hold off the Chargers? Will the Panthers keep this up? Elliot Harrison makes his Week 12 predictions. **READ**

San Diego's upcoming schedule is a white-hot mess. After playing the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the Chargers face a slate that includes the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos and Chiefsagain in Week 17. San Diego is one of the few sixth-seed hopefuls with a top quarterback at the controls, but the Chargers have lost three consecutive games behind a defense that's generated fewer turnovers than any team in football.

Like the Steelers and Browns, the Ravens are in business with a win. But losing Sunday to the New York Jets would all but choke a team that still has the Detroit Lions, New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals left on the schedule. Baltimore has a chance to finish 4-2 in the AFC North, but the Ravens have dropped four of their last five for a reason: They aren't any good.

We can't bring ourselves to fork a team that's won four in a row heading into Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, but Big Blue's hot streak is a mirage. Knocking off the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers probably was New York's best showing of the year, but we're not taking the Giants seriously. Not yet.

The playoff picture

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How would your team's prospects look if the season ended today? See where each team stands in the playoff picture midway through the season. **More ...**

In hot water

The Packers have lost three in a row for the first time since 2008 and desperately need a win against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Fading fast as a wild-card hopeful, future tilts with the Lions and Chicago Bears loom large in the NFC North. If quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns by Thanksgiving, everything changes.

*Note: The fork is applied only after our entire staff unanimously votes that a team's playoff hopes are over. We've already written off the Texans, Redskins, Titans, Bills, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams, Buccaneers, Falcons and Vikings. Will your team be next?
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*We previewed every Week 12 game in the latest "Around The League Podcast." *

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