The Final Score

Coolstandings.com, a Web site I frequent too much, says this about our football teams:

The Giants have an 88.2 percent chance to win the NFC East, and if lightning strikes, pigs fly and the Giants don't win the division, they have an 8.8 percent chance of getting a wild card. Therefore, their chances of making the postseason is 97 percent.

The Jets have a 35.3 percent chance of winning the AFC East and a 36.7 percent chance of getting a wild card. That puts them at 72 percent to make the playoffs. The Pats have a 50.8-percent chance at the division, followed by Jets (35.3), Dolphins (11.8) and Bills (2.1).

BTW, this site takes into account strength of schedule, how a team has been playing, its home/away splits, etc. And they don't get fooled too often. For example, they say the surprisingly 4-2 Knicks still have only a 12-percent chance of making the playoffs.

But, of course, nothing ever is a given.

On Sept. 12, 2007 when the Mets had a seven-game lead with 17 to play, this site calculated that the Mets had a 99.7 percent chance of making the playoffs.

I repeat: a 99.7 percent chance.

Wow.