They have lost four of their past five games and cannot afford to lose again. Essentially, the playoffs begin for them when they enter Paul Brown Stadium today to face the Bengals, who have alternated between spoiler and uninterested.

"If we don't win at Cincinnati, nothing else matters," Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell said. "It means our season is over with. Our total focus has to be on Cincinnati."

It is as close as the Bengals will get to the playoffs. The same could be said for the Raiders (who play host to the Patriots today), Jaguars (who play host to the Packers) and Chiefs (who play host to the Chargers).

In each case, a team in playoff contention is traveling to face a team and a fan base long since eliminated from contention.

The pressure is decidedly tilted toward one side of the field.

"The worst thing we can do is feel like this is going to be any different than any other week," Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache said.

"We can't take these people lightly by any stretch of the imagination."

Here is a look at other games with playoff implications, listed in order of start time:

* Bills (6-7) at Jets (8-5),

1 p.m. -- The Jets are tied with the Patriots and Dolphins atop the AFC East, and they hold the tiebreaker based on their record within the division. They can strengthen their position and eliminate the Bills with a win today.

* Steelers (10-3) at Ravens (9-4), 4:15 p.m. -- If the Steelers win, they clinch the AFC North title and a first-round bye. But the Ravens are not ready to turn their attention to the wild card.

"We want to be champions," coach John Harbaugh said. "We're not backing down from the fact that that's our goal."

In the six years since the NFL was realigned, the Steelers have won the AFC North three times and the Ravens twice.

* Broncos (8-5) at Panthers (10-3), 4:15 p.m. -- Each team is in first place in its respective division, though the Panthers have the tougher road to the playoffs and arguably more at stake today.

Carolina leads Tampa Bay by one game and Atlanta by two in the NFC South, and the Panthers must face the Giants and Saints on the road in their final two games. The Broncos clinch the AFC West with one win or one San Diego loss.

* Giants (11-2) at Cowboys (8-5), 8:15 p.m. -- The Giants won the NFC East even as their seven-game winning streak was snapped last week. They will clinch a first-round bye with a win or tie today.

The Cowboys are tied with Atlanta for the second and final wild-card spot in the NFC, but there are four teams within one game of them -- the Eagles, Redskins, Bears and Saints.

spriestle@dispatch.com