is arm and face mask before bumping up against the left tackle. Titans center Ben Jones got between the men, and Norman slapped at

Barring ties in Week 17 — and there are some wild scenarios should certain games end in draws Sunday — the road to the playoffs is quite straight in the NFC. The path to a first-round bye in the AFC has a bunch of curves in it.Already in are NFC division winners Dallas (East) Tony Pollard Jersey , New Orleans (South), Chicago (North) and the Los Angeles Rams (West). AFC divisions clinched belong to New England in the East and, well, nobody else. But there are clear leaders .Seattle owns an NFC wild card, and the LA Chargers have one in the AFC, though they can still win the AFC West.“You either believe in something or you don’t,” says coach Pete Carroll, whose 9-6 Seahawks made the postseason in what was considered a rebuilding year. “I think just staying the course and knowing we’re on to something. Believing in the history. We know what we’re capable of doing. We’ve shown it over a lot of years. You’re always adapting, but it’s staying what you’re true to. I think that’s what is happening. We look like a team that we have seen before, and that’s powerful.”Most powerful so far has been New Orleans, with the league’s best record at 13-2, and a dynamic offense led by Drew Brees. The Saints have home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.The Rams (12-3) get the other opening-round bye if they beat San Francisco on Sunday. If they lose and the Bears win at Minnesota, Chicago (11-4) earns the week off and Los Angeles drops to the third seed.A Bears win also could keep the Vikings (8-6-1) out of the postseason, providing defending champion Philadelphia (8-7) wins at Washington. Only the Vikings or Eagles can get the second NFC wild card.“We’ve got to empty the bucket, and that’s the way we’ve got to play next week at home Noah Fant Jersey ,” Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph says. “I’m really looking forward to that environment.”In the AFC, seeding is more muddled. Any of four teams could be the top or second seed.The simplest route is if Kansas City (11-4) and New England (10-5), currently the top two in the conference, both win Sunday. But if the Chiefs lose at home to Oakland and the Chargers (11-4) win at Denver, Los Angeles moves into the top spot.Houston (10-5) also could wind up No. 1 in the AFC with losses by the Chiefs, Patriots against the Jets, and Chargers. New England, the only unbeaten team at home this year, would get the first seed with a victory and losses by the Chiefs and Chargers.And get this: Houston doesn’t even own a division title. If the Texans fall at home to Jacksonville, the winner of the Colts at Titans game in Tennessee takes the AFC South, and the Texans become a wild card, joining either the Chiefs or Chargers.Texans coach Bill O’Brien, whose club began the season 0-3, is intrigued by the division being so ensconced in the playoff picture this year.“I think that’s an interesting question because I can remember the question was, two years ago Dalton Risner Jersey , ‘Why is the AFC South so bad?'” he says. “Now, ‘Why is it so good?’“…I’ve never thought it was bad. I think every year it’s been extremely difficult to win games in the division. I just think there’s a lot of great coaches. You’ve got Frank (Reich) in Indy, Mike (Vrabel) in Tennessee, Doug (Marrone) in Jacksonville. You’ve got a lot of great players, quarterbacks, so you’ve got a tough division.”The AFC division often looked at as the toughest has been the North, which, not surprisingly, has come down to Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh. Except the Ravens (9-6) host the Browns, while the Steelers (8-6-1) must beat visiting Cincinnati and hope their archenemies from Cleveland sidetrack Baltimore, either beating or tying the Ravens.Neither the Ravens nor the Steelers can be a wild card — except if Pittsburgh ties the Bengals, then Indianapolis and Tennessee also tie. Then the Steelers are in.Of course, Pittsburgh also can win the North with a draw and a loss by Baltimore.Your head spinning yet? NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Washington cornerback Josh Norman sat in his locker still in his uniform 45 minutes after the Redskins‘ latest and costliest loss.Norman and the rest of the Redskins left all they had left on the field.Josh Johnson threw for 153 yards and a touchdown in his second straight start as Washington’s fourth different quarterback this season only to be intercepted not once, but twice in the final 1:17 Saturday in a 25-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans.The Redskins (7-8) aren’t mathematically eliminated just yet after their fifth loss in six games. But they need losses at least by Minnesota and Seattle on Sunday to even have a chance in their regular season finale against Philadelphia.Making this loss hurt even more is that the Redskins led for much of the game after Johnson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Michael Floyd in the second quarter after the second-longest drive in the NFL this season. Washington used up 10 minutes Drew Lock Jersey , 58 seconds over 17 plays and 93 yards. Adrian Peterson ran for 119 yards, and Dustin Hopkins kicked field goals of 50, 40 and 46 yards for a 16-12 lead in the fourth quarter.Then the Titans, with their backup quarterback no less, went 75 yards in seven plays. Blaine Gabbert came off the bench when Washington defensive end Jonathan Allen knocked Marcus Mariota out of the game with 48 seconds left in the first half. Gabbert became the first backup to lead the Titans to a victory in the seven games Mariota has left with an injury, throwing a 2-yard TD pass to MyCole Pruitt with 4:30 left.Then Johnson, who led Washington to a fourth-quarter comeback to win in Jacksonville last week, had the ball and a chance for another big win.But Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler pressured Johnson with a blitz, and Titans safety Kevin Byard picked off his pass with 1:17 left. The Redskins forced Tennessee to punt one last time, giving them 14 seconds left down 19-16. Then Butler intercepted Johnson’s final pass, then ran 56 yards to the end zone for the clincher.Washington coach Jay Gruden wasn’t ready when the game ended to sum up the Redskins’ playoff hopes.“I’m just going to watch the games (Sunday) I guess and take a day off, our players will, and figure out what happens next,” Gruden said.The Redskins held the ball for 33 minutes and had three sacks. Yet they hurt themselves with eight penalties for 49 yards, and had a couple more players deal with injuries in a season where the list already had been long enough. This time Andy Isabella Jersey , guard Zac Kerin hurt a knee but was able to return. Defensive end Matt Ioannidis hurt a hamstring.The frustrations certainly seemed to boil over for Norman after the game.Taylor Lewan, the Titans’ three-time Pro Bowl left tackle, was caught in video by NBC Sports Washington, coming by the Washington bench. Norman threw his helmet at Lewan, slapped at his arm and face mask before bumping up against the left tackle. Titans center Ben Jones got between the men, and Norman slapped at Lewan’s back.Norman did not comment. Lewan said Norman was throwing a “hissy fit” as the left tackle tried to help Henry up after a run.“He was trying to hurt Derrick during that 4-minute, and that’s (expletive),” Lewan said. “That’s not the way football is supposed to be played.”For the Redskins, it’s a loss that could finish off their playoff hopes. Pro Bowl linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who had a sack, said that doesn’t matter for now.“We have one more game at home to make a splash,” Kerrigan said. “You can’t give up or say it’s over and lay down. I’m going to keep fighting forever, and that’s just how it’s going to be.”