18 teams (truly 16) have a chance to play into the postseason. We’re 6 weeks into the 17 week NFL season, with teams playing 16 games plus a bye week, and already half of the teams are playing for next year. 7 teams in the AFC have a chance to make the post season while 11 teams in the NFC still have hope. Let me break it down.
The AFC will be seeded thusly:
1. Patriots
2. Bengals
3. Broncos
4. Colts or Texans. One loses a playoff game on Wildcard Weekend, the other watches from the couch.
5. Jets
6. Steelers
The Patriots are on a run to punish the entire league for deflategate (or ballghazi if you prefer) and give no indication that they will be anything less than stellar by the end of the year. I think Tom Brady wants to make that joke of a commishioner, Roger Goodell, hand the Superbowl MVP trophy to him and every opponent he faces is suffering his wrath. The Broncos are only the third seed because the Colts/Texans have a decent chance of winning their division with a losing record.
The NFC has more competition. Here’s my projection:
1. Packers
2. Falcons
3. Cardinals
4. Winner of the NFC East
5. Panthers
6. Vikings (penciled in)
I have the Giants penciled in to win the NFC East. I’d be surprised if Chip Kelley (Eagles head coach) didn’t have feelers out for a new job now that NFL defenses have figured his offensive scheme out, so they’re out. The Cowboys could catch a spark and overtake the Giants. The Redskins? I just don’t see it.
The 6th spot is a bit tougher. It will end up being (in order of probability) either the Vikings, Seahawks Rams, or 49ers. The Vikings were good last year without Adrian Peterson. Now that he’s in the mix I expect to see them in the playoffs. If they fall, the Rams have a stout defense and a running game, which bodes well for post season play. The Seahawks are kept in my list of teams who have a chance for the same reason. And the 49ers are only in my list of possible wildcard teams because their current record is the same as the Seahawks. My mind says to drop the Seahawks and 49ers from contention, but I’m not ready to do that just yet.
Am I right here? What am I missing? Has the value of DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket already taken a nosedive or are more teams still in it than I am giving credit for?
