What follows is a comprehensive, exhaustive, exhausting and mind-numbingly acute look at the playoff situation for the Redskins in the NFC. 

The Falcons and 49ers in great position and must be favorites to win the NFC South and West respectively. The Bears are in good position in the North, with a weak remaining schedule, but the Packers get one more shot at the Bears, though they'll have to win it in Chicago. Green Bay has already beaten the Bears once, so if they win their rematch and end with an identical record, the Packers will win the North. 

For the Redskins in the East, they have tough games remaining against the Giants and the Ravens, though both games are at home. The Skins will be favored in road games in Cleveland and Philadelphia and then finish with a home game against the Cowboys, a team they beat in Dallas. The Giants have to go on the road to Washington, Atlanta and Baltimore -- all very tough games. They get the Saints and Eagles at home and will probably win those games handily. Washington's best bet to win the division will be beating the Giants on Monday night and then hoping New York loses to Atlanta and Baltimore. That would leave the Giants with a 9-7 record, 8-4 in the conference. The Redskins could match that by beating the Giants, Browns, Eagles and Cowboys, while losing only to the Ravens. 

The wild card situation is, as you might expect, considerably more complicated. By virtue of beating them in the regular season, Washington owns tiebreakers with Minnesota, Tampa Bay and New Orleans, should they finished with a record identical to that of any of those teams. The Skins can assure themselves of the same with Dallas by taking care of business at home and beating the Cowboys in week 17. The Bears already have eight wins and will probably be favored in all their remaining games [see above] so it is unlikely Washington could catch Chicago if that team fails to win the NFC North. The Packers are two wins ahead of Washington and will probably be favored in all their remaining games [see above] apart from the matchup in Chicago, so it is unlikely the Skins will be able to catch either of the top two NFC North teams. So that's one wild card that is almost surely out of reach. 

That leaves one wild card left for the Redskins if they cannot rally to win the NFC East. Washington's main competition for that one spot will be the Minnesota Vikings [6-5], Tampa Bay Buccaneers [6-5], Seattle Seahawks [6-5], Dallas Cowboys [5-6] and St. Louis Rams [4-6-1]. The Rams beat Washington in week two so they have the tiebreaker advantage. On the other hand, the Rams are half a game behind the Skins and have tough games against the 49ers, @ Tampa, @ Seattle and @ Buffalo, in addition to a home game against the Vikings. It is difficult to see the Rams beating the Niners [they tied last time] or the Seahawks in Seattle, so St. Louis is probably looking at a minimum if 8 losses, but them out of the playoff race. 

There are no head-to-head tiebreakers between the Redskins and Seahawks so it will come down to overall records and records within the conference. The Seahawks are 6-5, but will almost surely fall to 6-6 this Sunday when they play the Bears in Chicago. [Seattle is 5-0 at home, 1-5 on the road.] The Seahawks will almost certainly win home games against Arizona and St. Louis, putting them at eight wins. They also have a home game against the 49ers that will be difficult because the Niners are very good. Finally, the Seahawks have a road game in Buffalo that will be difficult because it's across the country and the Seahawks are terrible away from their home field. The Seahawks are 4-4 in the conference and likely to be 6-5 with wins over St. Louis and Arizona and a road loss to the Bears. If the Seahawks can defeat the Niners at home and go on the road to Buffalo and win there, too, they will claim that final playoff spot with a 10-6 record. They'll finish 8-8 if they lose those two very lose-able [also win-able] games. In many ways, Seattle is Washington's toughest competition for that final playoff spot. 

As noted above, the Redskins have a tiebreaker advantage with the Vikings and Buccaneers, but they must at least equal the records of those teams to use that advantage. However, the Vikings have the toughest schedule in the league going down the stretch, with road games against Green Bay, St. Louis and Houston, and home games against Chicago and Green Bay. The only game the Vikings are likely to be favored to win will be against the Rams and since that is a road game they might not be favored to win that one either. It looks like the Vikings are probably headed for an understandable late season swoon -- particularly with QB Christian Ponder continuing to struggle -- and a 9-loss season. That puts them out of the playoff race. 

The Buccaneers have a 6-5 record and a plausible path to 9 wins, but they also have a not-so-hidden weakness. The Bucs are an improving team, but they have dropped 5 of 8 games in the conference, the worst such record of any of the top NFC playoff contenders. They will almost certainly fall to 6-6 this Sunday when they play the Broncos in Denver. That leaves them with two very winnable home games against Philadelphia and St. Louis, as well as road games in New Orleans and Atlanta. The Falcons would seem a good bet the deal the Bucs a loss, but since that game is in week 17 and the Falcons may have home field wrapped up by then. If Atlanta is more concerned with resting and protecting its starters than beating Tampa in week 17, which seems very possible, that would help the Bucs get to 9 wins -- adding in home victories over the Rams and Eagles. The Bucs can get to 10 wins by beating the Saints in the Superdome -- difficult, but certainly not impossible this year. A 10th win by the Bucs would probably doom Washington's playoff chances. If the Bucs are held to 9 wins and the Skins can somehow get to 9 wins, too, that tiebreaker advantage the Skins hold would prove decisive and ending Tampa's season after 17 weeks. 

That brings up Washington's oldest and most loathed rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Washington beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day and will host them in week 17. The Cowboys will almost certainly win a home game against the Eagles this week, improving their record to 6-6 [5-5 in the NFC] by Sunday night. It gets tougher after that, though. Dallas mus travel to Cincinnati to play the 6-5 Bengals, a team that has won three straight games in blowout fashion -- including an 18-point win over the NY Giants. Then Dallas must defend its home turf against the Steelers. The Cowboys should win that game easily if Ben Roethlisberger does not play, but if he does play and is relatively healthy, the Cowboys could easily lose. They follow that up with a home game against the Saints that they will probably win and finish on the road in Washington. If the Cowboys can manage to split against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, while defeating inferior opponents like the Eagles and Saints, they will go into the final week of the season 8-7 [and 6-5 in the NFC] with a chance to steal the final playoff spot from Washington.

The Saints are 5-7, with a 3-5 record in the conference and have road games coming up in New York and Dallas. Chances are overwhelming the Saints will lose 8 or 9 games and not be a playoff team. Should they somehow manage to run the table -- and that would be good for the Redskins because it would involve wins over the Giants, Cowboys and Buccaneers -- they still lose the tiebreaker to the Redskins because of Washington's week one win in the Superdome. So the Saints are out. 

I do not consider the 4-7 Lions realistic playoff contenders, with 5 losses in the  conference already and upcoming games in Green Bay and home against the Bears and Falcons. The Lions will probably win in Arizona because the Cardinals are awful and may not win another game all season. The Lions also have a good chance to win at home this weekend against the Colts. That gets the Lions to six wins, but they will likely be favored to lose the rest of their games. Detroit looks like a 6-10 team to me, 7-9 if they get lucky. So they're out. 

In other words, the Redskins could make it easier on us by running the table -- starting with the Giants on Monday night -- and just taking the division with a respectable 10-6 record. That's probably not going to happen, though, which means they need to win at least four of their five remaining games -- with that one loss being out of conference to the Ravens -- and hope other teams help them out a bit, particularly anyone playing the Seahawks or Buccaneers. 

Robert Griffin III is one of the most dynamic players to enter the NFL in the last decade, or perhaps, longer.  He is on pace to set several rookie records.  RGIII is just 62 yards away from setting the NFL rushing record for an NFL quarterback, now held by Cam Newton, from 2010.  Where does RGIII stand in passing and rushing?  Here you go . . .

PASSING

Completion Percentage:  RGIII has a pass completion percentage of 67.4%.  That ranks 4th overall in the NFL and 3rd among NFC Qbs. 

Yards:  RGIII has passed for 2,497 yards.  Considering the success the Redskins offense has had on the ground, with a combined rushing  yards of 1799 yards, 1st in the NFL, we would expect RGIII's passing yards to be less.  He ranks 17th in the NFL and 9th in the NFC. 

TD Passes:  RGIII has heated up with 8 TD passes over the last two games.  Overall, RGIII has tossed 16 TD passes, that is 11th in the NFL and 5th in the NFC.  This could very well likely climb considering the fact that the Redskins passing game is beginning to click and the return of WR Pierre Garcon bolsters RGIII targets.

Interceptions:  Perhaps one of the finest and most understated qualities of RGIII is not his arm or legs, but his mind.  RGIII has proven to be so smart and mature with the football, years ahead of other rookies.  He is careful in the passing game which leads to minimal interception opportunities for opposing defenses.   He has only tossed 4 picks this season, that ranks 2nd in the NFL and 1st in the NFC.  That is an impressive stat for a ROOKIE!

QB Rating:  Another terrific stat for a rookie quarterback, RGIII is 4th in the NFL and 2nd in the NFC with a pass rating percentage of 104.6.  Passer Rating is a stat that mixes in attempts, completions, yards, TDs, and interceptions into a formula. 

TD Percentage:  This stat averages out the number of TD passses per completions.  RGIII has a TD% of 5.2%, which is 10th in the NFL and 5th in the NFC. 

Interception Percentage:  This stat averages out number of interceptions per pass attempts.  RGIII stands at 1.3%, which is 2nd in the NFL and 1st overall in the NFC. 

Yards/Att:  This stats shows the average yards thrown for per attempt.  RGIII has a 8.2 yard average, which is 1st in the NFL and NFC. 

Yards/Comp:  This stats averages out yards per completion.  RGIII averages 12.2 yards per completion,w hich is 4th in the NFL and 3rd in the NFC. 

RUSHING

Rushing Yards:  RGIII has rushed for 642 yards, impressive for a quarterback.  He is 62 yards away from breaking Cam Newton's 2010 record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback.  He is 21st overall in the NFL in rushing.

Rushing TDs.:  RGII has become a serious weapon for the Redskins inside the red zone, both with his arm and legs.  He has 6 rushing TDs on the season, that is 5th overall in the NFL.   Last two games, RGIII has used his arm for TDs, throwing for 8. 

Long Run:  RGII is 5th overall in the NFL in longest rushing TD.  Who could ever forget his 76 yards TD scamper to seal the Redskins win over the Minnesota Vikings. 

Yards Per Attempt:  RGIII averages 6.5 yards per carry, which is 2nd overall in the NFL.

Read my earlier Week 12 Redskins Report Card on the offense.

After reviewing the film of the Redskins-Cowboys week 12 game several times, I hand out the following class grades to the Redskins defense. 

HEAD OF THE CLASS

NT Barry Cofield.  The big nose tackle has had an up and down season, though more up than down. The last two weeks, though, Cofield has played like a superstar, absolutely destroying his opponents on the Philadelphia and Dallas offensive lines. After harassing Eagles QB Nick Foles to distraction and shutting down the Philadelphia run game, Cofield was in Tony Romo's face so often that the Cowboys QB probably had nightmares about him hours after the game ended. Cofield hit Romo four times and hurried him into bad passes twice more and double teams seemed to make no difference. Washington could use a similar performance from its nose tackle on Monday night when he plays his old team. 

A-STUDENTS

CB DeAngelo Hall. The supremely confident corneback has been maddeningly inconsistent this year -- and that's par for the course with Hall. The cornerback who was torched by the Vikings and Steelers -- and humiliated himself against the Steelers -- has been gone without a trace, as he, like Cofield, has dominated division opponents the last two weeks. The Cowboys threw at Hall eight times, completing only five for a grand total of 36 yards. That's 4.5 yards per pass attempt thrown his way, an excellent day's work by Hall. In addition, Hall also intercepted a Romo pass over the middle intended for Cole Beasley. Hall had inside coverage on Beasley, but Romo threw it anyway. Hall snatched it out of the air and returned it 27 yards to set up the offense on a short field. A few plays later, the Redskins scored their fourth and final touchdown of the second quarter. Hall also ended the game by neatly grabbing an on-sides kick and returning it to the one yard line. He could have scored and probably should have. This was clearly Hall's best game of the season and I nearly made him Head of the Class instead of Cofield. 

ILB Perry Riley. Washington's best linebacker of 2012 had his best game of 2012, so far, in Dallas last Thursday. He led the team with nine tackles, adding half a sack, a tackle for loss and three QB hurries. 

DL Jarvis Jenkins. He's been a very average player this year, proving he's either still recovering from his knee injury of 16 months ago or he wasn't as good as we originally believed. After a poor game against the Eagles, Jenkins bounced back against Dallas by providing a good pass rush all day. He didn't do much to stop the Cowboys rushing attack, but the rest of the team shut that down so Jenkins wasn't needed there. He had three QB hurries and a QB hit and got good penetration on passing downs repeatedly. 

PASS

CB Cedric Griffin, DL Stephen Bowen, OLB Ryan Kerrigan, SS Reed Doughty, FS Madieu Williams

MUST DO BETTER

ILB London Fletcher. The defensive captain hasn't had a really good game all season and Thanksgiving Day was no exception. He missed two more tackles, bringing his year total to 16. Fletcher is trying to play injured and at 37 this is becoming a real problem. The Redskins pulled Fletcher out of the game in the fourth quarter and that was probably a good decision -- except it should have been done earlier. I understand starting Fletcher to keep his games played streak alive, but he can't be allowed to be on the field so much when he isn't playing well. 

OLB Rob Jackson. He plays about half the time and hasn't done badly this season. He defended the run well against Dallas, but provided almost no pass rush. That's a problem since pass rush is a big part of what he's supposed to be doing. 

ILB Lorenzo Alexander. Played 50% of the time and got a good pass rush resulting in 2 QB hits and 3 QB hurries. He still struggles in pass coverage, though, and the Cowboys were able to exploit that. 

SS DeJon Gomes. Made some nice stops, but also missed two tackles. It was a step back from Gomes' strongest game of the season, the week before against the Eagles. 

FAIL

CB Josh Wilson. Not his worst game of the season, but not good. He gave up two TD passes, a pass interference penalty and missed two tackles. Wilson would thrive in a #2 cornerback role, but he continues to struggle in the #1 role forced upon him in Washington. 

The Washington Nationals acquired a long coveted center fielder and lead off hitter today, sending pitching prospect Alex Meyer to the Minnesota Twins for Denard Span.  Another masterful move by Nats GM Mike Rizzo, a move that gives Washington tremendous flexibility during rest of the off-season, as Rizzo continues improving the roster of the National League's best record team.  The Nats have coveted Span himself for nearly two season now, nearly brokering a deal at the 2011 trade deadline.  So what did Span have to say about the trade  . . .   

“I’m very excited to be coming to Washington.  A year and half ago when I first heard the rumors, I don’t think I was ready for it then. Fast forward, I think I’m ready for it.  Just from watching TV the last couple years, the new stadium and watching the fan base rallied behind the team last year. I’m definitely excited to call D.C. my home.”  New Nats OF Denard Span

The Washington Nationals have long coveted a true center fielder and leadoff hitter for nearly five seasons.  That need has been completed. 

The Nationals have acquired CF Denard Span from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league prospect Alex Meyer.  the 28 year old, left handed outfielder played all five of his major league season with Minnesota.  Last season, Span batted .283 with 38 doubles, 4 triples, and 4 home runs.  He posted an OBS of .738.  He added 17 stolen bases.  In 2009 and 2010, Span hit 10 triples each season, leading the American League.  His best season was in 2009 when he batted .311 with 16 doubles and 10 triples.  Span is under his current contract until 2014. 

Span is a career .284 batter with 105 doubles, 36 triples, 23 home runs, 230 RBI, 90 stolen bases, and 360 runs scored.   in 589 big league contests spanning five seasons (2008-12) with the Twins.  96 percent of Span's at-bats in the big leagues have come while batting at the top of the Twins' batting order.  Another component that makes Span a tough lead off hitter is the fact he ranked sixth in the American League by striking out only once every 9.2 plate appearances.

The addition of Span is a likely sign that Washington will allow slugging first baseman Adam LaRoche to depart via free agency.  Mike Morse will make room for Span in the outfield by taking over at first base.  Of course, the Nats could always resign LaRoche and move Morse via trade, although more unlikely.  Instead of signing LaRoche, that could free up cash to pursue a top flight starting pitcher to join the rotation and replace Edwin Jackson. 

The Nationals gave up a top arm prospect in their system. Between Low A and  High A, Meyer posted a 10-6 record with a 2.86 ERA. 

Redskins QB Robert Griffin III, who has taken the football world by storm this year with his amazing statistics and exciting style of play, is now the owner of the top-selling NFL jersey, according to the league itself. 

Apparently, it was a strong weekend of sales, probably buoyed by RG3's killer performance on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas, that propelled Griffin to numero uno.

Giants QB Eli Manning is fourth in the NFL, while Tom Brady of the New England Patriots rounds out the top five. Tim Tebow, who was number one in jersey sales last year, has fallen to eighth. That move to the Big Apple really hasn't worked out well for anyone -- apart from Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, I suppose. Still, considering how little he plays, it is remarkable Tebow is in the top 10 at all. 

The biggest drop in jersey sales the last two months isn't Tebow, though, it is Dallas-based golden boy Tony Romo, QB of the Dallas Cowboys and the latest veteran signal-caller to be shown up in his own buidling by RG3.

Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck, who was taken first overall, just ahead of Griffin at second, in the 2012 NFL Draft, is 6th in NFL jersey sales. 

Robert Griffin III just won NFL Rookie of the Month honors for the second time this year. 

Speaking of RG3 -- and we always are -- the Internet loves him. Find out what I mean by that. And here is what RG3 thinks of playing important football games in December -- a rarity for the Redskins. 

Who played well for the offense in week 12 and who did not? Get the answers in our Redskins Report Card, Offense: Week 12. 

The Redskins made another roster move with their linebackers.

Get your fantasy football fix in our Fantasy Pulse for Week 12.

Should Robert Griffin III be considered for NFL MVP? That's what Mark Maske asks today. I think, by one definition, RG3 could be a front-runner for that award. How many players mean as much to their team as RG3 means to the Redskins? I think the Redskins would probably be 1-10 if Rex Grossman were the starting QB instead of RG3. However, the Skins are only 5-6 and no player from a team with a losing record is going to win the MVP award.

INJURY UPDATE: LT Trent Williams [deep thigh bruise] says he will play on Monday night against the Giants. He did not practice, nor did ILB London Fletcher. WR Pierre Garcon practiced and said afterwards he believes he will play the rest of the season, despite the chronic soreness in his foot.

Apparently, the Redskins were one of three teams to put a claim in on DE Jason Babin, who was cut by the Eagles earlier this week. I don't  understand that, unless the Skins did it just to make sure some team like the Giants or Cowboys didn't get Babin. I don't think Babin's style fits the Washington 3-4 defense at all. 

John Keim notes that the "Redskins have scored 10 touchdowns of 30 yards or more. They only had six touchdowns for 20 yards or more in 2011. The Redskins have eight scoring plays for 59 yards or more compared with none last year." Keim identifies playmaking wideouts, a clever scheme and a strong running game as the reasons why Washington has a big play offense for the first time since... uh... don't ask.

Jeffrey Tomik gives us a quick and dirty look at the next opponent, the NY Giants. Monday night's game with the Giants could determine Washington's season, writes Stephen Whyno.

Giants WR Victor Cruz, who caught the game-winning TD pass against the Redskins back in week 7, says the Redskins are not ready to be real contenders.

Unlike his wide receiver, Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin isn't counting the Redskins out. Going from 3-6 to the playoffs isn't easy, but Coughlin knows it can be done because he coached the last team that did it, the 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Redskins have had 18 placek kickers since cutting Chip Lohmiller back in 1995. Rick Snider asks if Kai Forbath is truly, finally, The One.

Rich Tandler notes the Skins are lagging when it comes to Pro Bowl votes. The only Skins I'd like to see in the Pro Bowl are Robert Griffin III, Alfred Morris, Trent Williams and Will Montgomery. Griffin is currently 4th in Pro Bowl voting. I think Montgomery is having a great season and is easily one of the two best centers in the NFC. Dallas game apart, when he played injured, no left tackle in the NFC -- maybe the entire NFL -- is playing better than Trent Williams. He definitely deserves to go to the Pro Bowl. Alfred Morris is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards. GO HERE if you want to help them out in the voting. I did.

In lighter news, RG3 wants to play President Obama in basketball, but so far the CinC has declined.

“You can definitely sense it. Late in the game against the Cowboys, [linebacker] London [Fletcher] came up and talked to me during the game, which he usually never talks to me during the game. I think he’s in his own world as well. You can feel the excitement they have about what we have brewing here. You want to do it for them. When I was in college, I wanted to do it for the seniors when I was a freshman and now that I’m a rookie, you want to do it for those vets.”

-- Redskins QB Robert Griffin on playing important football games in December.

The Washington Redskins have signed LB Bryan Kehl off waivers from Kansas City.  To make room for Kehl, the Redskins released LB Mario Addison, who was signed a few weeks ago off waivers from Indianapolis. 

If the name sounds familiar, it should.  Kehl was in Washington's 25012 training camp and was among one of the final roster reductions.  His touhg play in practices and pre-season games helped keep Kehl around deep into the pre-season.  He compiled a team high 17 tackles with 3 pass deflections, 2 sacks, and 1 pick in pre-season for the Redskins.  He played three regular season game for the Chiefs this season before being wiaved on November 27. 

Kehl will boost depth at Linebacker after rookie 4th round draft pick Keenan Robinson was placed on the season ending injured reserve.  Smart move by the Redskins considering his familiarity with the Redskins defensive scheme. 

We track all roster transactions HERE.

[Photo by Patrick Semansky/AP]

Andrew Luck is on the cover of the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, but the award for best rookie of the month of November goes to Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III. That's right, RG3 has won NFL Rookie of the Month for the second time this season, becoming the first rookie to do so since Rams QB Sam Bradford in 2010. Griffin previously won the award in September. 

The month of November did not begin well for RG3 and the Redskins, when the team dropped a home game to a reeling Carolina Panthers team that was 1-6 at the time. A much-needed bye week followed that. However, coming out of the bye RG3 and his teammates have been on fire, destroying the hapless Philadelphia Eagles in DC in a 31-6 rout and then going to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day to upset the Cowboys 38-31, putting the Redskins back into the playoff race at 5-6. In those two games RG3 threw 8 TD and only 9 incompletions. For his performance against the Eagles, which featured a perfect 158.3 passer rating, RG3 won Rookie of the Week honors -- something he has done four times this season.