By Simon Evans
MIAMI (Reuters) - A team with a losing record could find itself in the National Football League's playoffs if the Seattle Seahawks (6-9) can beat the St. Louis Rams (7-8) in the final round of regular season games on Sunday.
The clash in Seattle is a winner-take-all affair but, with the Seahawks currently ranked 20th in the league and the Rams 18th, there is not much case for either team being in the postseason action.
"It is what it is. You win the division, you've done what you needed to do to position yourself as the system allows," he said.
"I know there are teams that have 10, maybe 11, wins that aren't in as good a situation as we are right now, but that is their lot. We're fortunate to be where we are and we'll see what we can do with it," added Carroll.
INJURY DOUBT
Sam Bradford has impressed at quarterback for the Rams this year with a rookie record of 335 completions and he comes up against opponents who have lost their last three games and have an injury doubt over their quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
Should Hasselbeck not recover from his hip injury then reserve quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who took all the reps in practice on Thursday, will deputize.
Another appetizing match-up on Sunday features the Chicago Bears, who have already secured a berth in the playoffs, against NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers.
There is no love lost between the two teams and there is plenty at stake -- the Packers need to win to be sure of postseason football while the Bears want a win to increase their chances of home field advantage.
The New York Giants will be hoping for the Bears to do them a favor. In order for Tom Coughlin's team to make it through, they have to win at Washington and hope that Green Bay lose.
The Giants have suffered a late season slump with bad losses to Philadelphia and Green Bay but they have won their last five meetings with the Redskins.
The Indianapolis Colts, beaten in the Super Bowl by the New Orleans Saints last season, cannot afford to slip up on the final day -- they must win at home to Tennessee or risk letting the Jacksonville Jaguars pip them to the AFC South.
The Jaguars, though, are hampered at Houston by the absence of their injured quarterback David Garrard while key running back Maurice Jones-Drew is doubtful with a knee problem.
(Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)
