Ron Borges

The NFL playoff field is finally set, but beyond the names of the participants nothing seems assured. That is what parity is all about. Everyone should be uneasy.

Are the Bears the team that went 13-3 with a nearly impenetrable defense or the team that was slapped around by Green Bay in their season finale? Are the Philadelphia Eagles this year’s hot commodity? They’ve won five straight under backup quarterback Jeff Garcia right when all seemed lost — or are they a mirage that will disappear under the pressure of playoff football?

What about the fading New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys? Both were once considered NFC title contenders only to end up at the bottom of the playoff ladder. The Giants lost six of their last eight, while Dallas lost its last three home games and ended its season with an embarrassing defeat to the toothless Detroit Lions.

In the AFC, will first-year starter Philip Rivers hold up at quarterback for the San Diego Chargers? San Diego owns the league’s best record (14-2) yet Rivers no longer seems to brim with confidence.

And these aren’t the only questions.

Can the Ravens score often enough? Can the Colts stop anyone? Can the upstart Jets upset the Patriots — when the Jets’ only win over a team with a winning record is against New England? And what do we make of the Chiefs, whose own coach wrote them off when the weekend began only to have to reverse his field when they landed in the postseason?

Special feature Playoff breakdowns Analysis, predictions, more for AFC, NFC championships

All this uncertainty is a product of the absence of any truly dominant team. The Chargers are probably the closest, but with Rivers’ inexperience and with Marty Schottenheimer’s poor playoff mojo, San Diego has two steep obstacles to overcome.

In the AFC, the Chiefs and Jets seem the true longshots except that Kansas City’s power running game that begins and ends with Larry Johnson seems like a stylistic nightmare for Indianapolis’ porous run defense. Johnson rushed a record 416 times this season, piling up 1,789 yards and a lot of tacklers. His presence should allow Kansas City to control the clock and minimize the opportunities Peyton Manning gets to drill their sometimes shaky defense. Manning would need to be as spectacular as he was during the Colts’ win over the Chiefs in the 2003 playoffs, but good luck with with a defense that has been lacerated in the past month by every running back it’s faced.

NFL SPECIAL FEATURE 5 coaches who need Super Bowl victory

Then the Chiefs would face the Chargers knowing they are one of only two teams to have beaten them this season.

Bill Belichick is 5-0 in playoff games at home. That coupled with the Jets’ woes against winning teams would seem to be a boon for New England — but anything’s possible. Still, as long as Tom Brady and the New England defense are in one piece, assume New England and Kansas City advance to play Baltimore and San Diego, respectively. And expect more surprises.

NFL SPECIAL FEATURE Top 10 teams who never won Super Bowl

Any combination of those four teams may face off in the AFC title game, whether it’s Ravens-Chiefs, Patriots-Chargers or Ravens-Chargers. The smart bet is that the Chargers reach the Super Bowl because they are the most balanced team — unless, of course, the young quarterback or the old coach become unhinged.

Flaws abound in the NFC, which makes it a wide-open race.

MORE FROM NFL

NFL Section Front

Chargers' woes won't be easily fixed Buzz missing from Raiders-Chargers rivalry Novacek's picks: Chargers will find a way Thursday NFL to broadcast first game in 3-D on Thursday   Curran's picks for Week 14 Expert: Steelers may be best of wide-open AFC   Madden's previews for Week 14 Matchups if NFL playoffs started today Judge blocks drug suspension of Vikings DTs   NFL players union sues to block suspensions NFL Section Front   Add NFL headlines to your news reader: