We’re now five days away from the start of the 2011 NFL season, when the Green Bay Packers will host the New Orleans Saints in a meeting between the last two Super Bowl winners. The Saints know firsthand how tough it can be to get back to the playoffs the following year, much less the big game.

When the decision to kickoff or receive to start the overtime arises, I would think very seriously about giving the other team the ball first if defense was my strength and we were facing an offense I felt like we could control.

A hard fought win over the Bears in Week 17 clinched a playoff spot for the Packers, the final available seed in the NFC.

The Steelers had little trouble with the Browns in Week 17, clinching the AFC North and a first-round bye in the playoffs with a 41-9 win in Cleveland.

Well, Week 16 is finally over, so here is one more updated look at the playoff scenarios heading into Week 17:

The Eagles didn’t even have to play Sunday in order to clinch the NFC East.

The Kansas City Chiefs are your 2010 AFC West Champions.

The Jets didn’t take care of business in Chicago on Sunday, but still exit Week 16 with a ticket to the playoffs.

Officially, the AFC playoffs will now go through Foxborough, Mass.

The Ravens are the third team to punch a ticket to the AFC playoffs.

The playoff picture is great fodder, and after some checking with the good folks at NFL Headquarters, the scenarios where the 49ers overtake the Rams and the Seahawks for an improbable division title shouldn’t be ignored.

The Steelers have joined the Falcons as teams to clinch playoff berths in Week 15.

While Monster Director of Fandemonium Onyx Herrera was fulfilling one of his final responsibilities by inspecting uniforms at the Jets-Bengals playoff game, the list of finalists to be the next Director of Fandemonium has been whittled down to six.

The NFL announced the schedule for the wild-card and divisional playoff rounds.

The NFL playoff picture is set, as the New York Jets became the 12th and final playoff team to qualify Sunday night with a 37-0 win over the Bengals to clinch the AFC’s second wild-card spot.