Having backpedaled from his latest guarantee like a gobbler in the crosshairs of a hunter determined to bag his own Thanksgiving Day dinner, New York Giants coach Jim Fassel can sit down to a sumptuous Thursday evening spread and, instead of saying a traditional blessing, he might offer up a prayer in praise of NFL parity.

Fact is, he can do so knowing full well that many of his head coaching peers will be doing the same thing, dodging a textbook case of holiday depression only because the current standings in the league's six divisions are, well, so utterly depressed. About the time the tryptophan kicks in, coaches and players from several teams can nod off peacefully, since their underachieving performances have been offset in part by the knowledge the league's leavened standings mean all but the most pitiful franchises remain in the playoff chase.

	Making the playoffs may be a bigger pain for Elvis Grbac's Ravens this year.

A double shot of Pepto-Bismol on Friday morning, followed by a victory this weekend, and even some teams that have played like turkeys could significantly improve their lot. If their victory totals aren't yet bloated, postseason aspirations aren't yet blown, with the normalcy of this season defined only by its abnormality.

"We know we haven't played well but, if you look at our record, it's exactly what it was after 10 games last season," said Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden. "If we stop making mistakes, get on a roll, we'll be right where we want to be come playoff time. But we've got to start playing better right now."

Starting the stretch drive this weekend is, of course, the key for the Ravens and others. Every week delayed is a week wasted but, in a year when upsets dot the schedule nearly every Sunday and the only powerhouse teams appear to be the St. Louis Rams and the Oakland Raiders, a deleterious bent isn't as punishing as in past campaigns.

With the standings packed tighter than your grandmother's secret recipe stuffing, there remain myriad possibilities, and enough time for sputtering teams to right themselves. Characteristic of recent seasons, parity has once again become parody, but this year its implications seem to extend a bit further.

At 6-4, the defending Super Bowl champions are actually in decent shape, at least when stacked up against some of the other teams flirting on the fringe of playoff contention. If the season ended today, Baltimore would qualify for postseason play, as the second AFC wild-card entry. The Ravens were only a wild-card team in 2000, albeit the highest seeded of the non-division winners in the conference, and still stormed through the playoffs.

But consider this: Of the 12 playoff teams from a year ago, only five would qualify for the postseason this year, if the schedule ended now.

The seven 2000 playoff teams currently shy of postseason qualification -- the Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and the Giants -- own a combined record of just 31-34. Four of the seven are under .500 and, of the bunch, only the Saints have fewer than five defeats.

	Holiday hopefuls
	The following are the 2000 playoff teams who'll be scrambling to make the postseason during the holidays:
	Team	W-L
	Ravens	6-4
	Saints	5-4
	Broncos	5-5
	Giants	5-5
	Buccaneers	4-5
	Colts	4-5
	Titans	4-5
	Vikings	4-5

But the silver lining for the teams is that they are among a group of 13 franchises which, entering this weekend's slate, are either a half-game or one game removed from the final playoff spot in their conference. Of the six divisional leaders, three own leads of between 1½ and two games, but the others are tightly contested. Even the Rams, arguably the best team in the league, have just a one-game edge over the resurgent San Francisco 49ers.

If the remainder of this season could be maddening, with some franchises battling back into playoff contention and others going belly-up, it also figures to be mitigating for a few outfits that will take advantage of the curious circumstances.

"As long as you've got four (wins) right now, you're still in it," said Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon. "You might not necessarily be in the best shape, but no one is ready to shovel dirt on you yet, because there's a chance. One good stretch, a little win streak, and suddenly it's a different story."

That's for sure.

Teams like the Washington Redskins, who have won four straight after dropping their first five games of the year, are suddenly revived and back in the postseason hunt. Their victory over the Giants on Monday night, some Minnesota players insist, was the magic elixir that could catapult the Vikings back into the picture. The two franchises many of the pundits felt would meet in the Super Bowl, the Bucs and the Titans, are just a game off the playoff pace despite arguably rating as the NFL's biggest disappointments over the first half of the season.

Their daubers may be down but, thanks to the wackiness of this most unusual season, the Bucs and Titans aren't out yet. Just because a team is on the ropes doesn't mean that the noose is being prepared, since there are so many teams on the fringe of contention, and tenuous can quickly become terrific within a couple weeks.

Given the compacted nature of the standings, and the inconsistent performances of some alleged power teams, any franchise with four or five victories still remains a factor. How much longer some of those teams can hang on remains to be seen but, for now, holiday funk hasn't settled in on too many NFL precincts.

"To say that we are in great shape right now would be ridiculous but, with everything we have been through, we've still have a (playoff) chance," said Titans cornerback Samari Rolle. "Are we happy about the situation? No way. Can we still do something about it? Sure, we can, but we have to play a lot better than we have to this point. All you can do is take care of your business, and then see what happens, because there are no guarantees in this league."

Just ask Fassel, who on Tuesday tiptoed slightly away from his late Monday night pledge the Giants would run the table again. When he sits down at the Thanksgiving dinner table, Fassel can do so knowing the standings don't dictate New York win its final six outings. Five of six would probably be enough, given what transpires with other teams, and with 10 wins historically a playoff threshold.

So have an extra drumstick, Jim, and break open a vintage wine to toast the postseason pilgrimage that might still lie ahead. Some guy in another sport once opined that it's not over till it's over. That's always true of Thanksgiving dinner, which technically doesn't end until the whipped cream runs out on that midnight snack of pumpkin pie.

And this year, even more so than in previous seasons, it's true of the playoff race as well.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.