Top dogs have hands full in playoffs.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Don Pierson

CHICAGO _ Pity the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles. Not since 1993, when Dallas and Buffalo made it, have the top two seeds in the NFL playoffs met in a Super Bowl.

The Raiders and Eagles have the advantage of staying at home and getting a bye from this weekend's wild-card round, but both have hard roads to get to San Diego for the Big Show on Jan. 26.

If early AFC seeding holds, the Raiders would have to play host to the hottest quarterback, Chad Pennington of the New York Jets, and the hottest playoff team, the Tennessee Titans, back-to-back to advance.

The Eagles, meanwhile, are still awaiting word on the availability of quarterback Donovan McNabb, who is testing his broken ankle this week and hopes he's ready to practice by Thursday.

Coach Andy Reid claims if McNabb isn't ready, he will return to second-stringer Koy Detmer when he's healthy rather than stick with third-stringer A.J. Feeley.

The Eagles won four in a row with Feeley before losing their finale Sunday to the hot Giants in East Rutherford, N.J. If form holds in the NFC, the Eagles would avoid the Giants and open with the San Francisco 49ers instead, then get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Eagles beat both this season, the Bucs with McNabb and the 49ers when Detmer started and got hurt.