Focus on playoff picture

At least they're in. The Giants made the playoffs late Sunday night, so there will be no hand-wringing this week about do-or-die in Oakland on Saturday. But because they haven't proved they can defeat strong teams away from Giants Stadium - the Giants are 2-4 on the road, with both victories against the sub-.500 49ers and Eagles - a win over the lousy Raiders is imperative. It would at least give them the NFC East title and a home game in the wild-card round.

The field of potential playoff opponents for the Giants has been narrowed to four: the Panthers, Bucs, Redskins and Cowboys. If the Giants win Saturday, they will play one of those four at Giants Stadium. If the Giants lose Saturday, they still could win the division with a Redskins loss in Philadelphia, but the more likely scenario is the Giants traveling to Tampa, Charlotte or Landover for a first-round game. The Giants have clinched a better record than the Cowboys. Chalk Talk will attempt to break down the possible playoff matchups here: Continue