Slick Bill-
12/14/2017
The NFL playoffs always seem to come down to one or two week 17 matchups to decide who will continue their season, and who will go home to watch those teams. This year in the AFC there are the “virtual” locks for this year, Pittsburgh (11-2), New England (10-3) and Jacksonville (9-4). The only real questions are to see who will win the surprisingly weak AFC west, and if Buffalo can hang on to their Wild Card spot to snap the longest NFL playoff drought. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since the last millennium since they lost to the eventual AFC Champs, the Tennessee Titans in the wild card round in 1999. The NFC picture is a whole other monster. The Eagles (NFC East Champs 11-2), and Minnesota (10-3) seems to be the frontrunners for top seeds, barring epic collapses. As it stands currently, the Rams (9-4) leading the NFC west, and the Saints (9-4) NFC south leaders, are the three and four seeds respectively. This is where it gets tricky and people need to be prepared to pull out their calculators to potentially figure out the 4th or even 5th or lower tiebreakers. Right now the last two NFC champs (who both failed to win in their big games) the Panthers (9-4) and the Falcons (8-5) hold the final two playoff berths. The teams that are in the hunt currently are: Seattle (8-5), Detroit, Green Bay, and Dallas who are all (7-6). Normally you’d have some teams still in the hunt that are “pretenders” and just did enough to be .500 or close too, but this year there really isn’t. The exception this year, may have been the Green Bay Packers who started the year 4-1 but after the injury to Aaron Rodgers has floated along enough to get to 7-6. With Aaron Rodgers set to return this week, this team will be scary. Seattle is a team that isn’t dominate but is always scary with Russell Wilson behind center. Dallas, when healthy can be another dangerous team. They have battled through injuries this season on the offensive line and their linebacker is weak with Sean Lee bouncing in and out of the lineup. Not to mention Elliott’s six game suspension sent Dallas’s offense to a spiraling halt. Though, with Dallas’s offense starting to find their feet again and with Elliott set to return in week 16, don’t count Dallas out. Detroit is, in my eyes, the pretender of the four. They have a good quarterback, but outside of Golden Tate III and Marvin Jones Jr. Stafford has no weapons and no line. Hell, one of their best players is Matt Prater.
Who’s in, who’s out? Even with the horrible news of Carson Wentz’s season ending injury, the Eagles were able to sneak out the win in Los Angeles and put themselves two games above the third and fourth seeds, with the head to head over the Rams, who have the head to head over the Saints. Eagles stay in the top two. Same for the Vikings, after failing to win in Carolina to clinch the North they just have to win one more all season to win the division. They’re above the third and fourth seed teams as well, but only by one game, with the head to head with both. All they have to do is go 2-1 in the final 3. I think they do, only loss is the revenge and playoff hungry Aaron Rodgers. Atlanta and Seattle win out. It was tough to pick Atlanta on the road in Louisiana, but I think they get it done. Then they’ll get it done at home against Carolina to win the South. Seattle has a big NFC west matchup with the Rams at home, Seattle already has the 1-0 advantage in the series, with a big week 5 win in LA, they run the table to take the west, and the four seed (as they lost to ATL week 11). Rams lose the big west matchup week 15, but take care of the rest, they get the fifth seed at 11-5. As big of a surprise the Saints have been this year, they just can’t close it out when it matters.
They lose to the Falcons week 16, puts them to 0-2 against the bird. They beat the Jets and Bucs to finish 11-5, and round out our NFC picture as the sixth seed.
Just Missed: Even with an impressive victory against Minnesota, Carolina can’t spoil Rodgers return, and fall short to Atlanta in week 17. 10-6 isn’t good enough this year. Packers feel the pain too, after a feel good story with the return of Rodgers and a vengeful win against Minnesota the Packers just the table to finish 10-6. It’s just too little too late, 10 wins won’t cut it. Even with the return of Elliott, Cowboys can’t catch up after dropping a home game to Seattle they finish 9-7. Detroit drops to 8-8 and misses the playoffs after making a surprise run last season
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