NFL Playoff Picture
Happy Thanksgiving to those to celebrate it!
There have been 11 weeks of football already, the seeding is starting to take shape as we fast approach the postseason. With seven seeds available for each conference, we’re gonna look at the current seeding and see whether the current teams can make the Super Bowl or not.
The seeding ranking attached to each team is correct after Week 11 and below is how the playoff brackets would look if the season ended today.
AFC Playoff Brackets
Ravens (1) vs. winner of Dolphins (4) & Browns (5)
Chiefs (2) vs. Steelers (7)
Jaguars (3) vs. Texans (6)
NFC Playoff Brackets
Eagles (1) vs winner of Saints (4) & Cowboys (5)
Lions (2) vs. Vikings (7)
49ers (3) vs. Seahawks (6)
Super Bowl Bound
Only two teams will feature here and these are the two teams I believe have what it takes to make it all the way to Las Vegas. The obvious choice is included and the not so obvious choice as well. It wouldn’t be the NFL without a few shocks!
Philapelphia Eagles – 1st Seed
The Eagles are the team to beat in the NFC, they currently have the best record in the NFL at 9-1 and they have an explosive offense and a punishing defence. When teams can’t stop Hurts and the Brotherly Shove on the goal line, the Eagles have unlimited options to score. Unless they stumble after postseason bye (which they are basically guartuneed at this moment) it will be difficult for teams to roll into Lincoln Financial Field and pull out a win against a Philly home crowd.
Baltimore Ravens – 1st Seed
The Ravens have shown muliptle times this season they can take on division leaders and not only beat them but bury them. Even missing Mark Andrews the Ravens offense has more than enough weapons that will make them a threat to any team in the AFC and their defense, while at times does let teams hang around, can also smother opposing offenses and close out games. The AFC path to the Super Bowl will have to go through Baltimore.
A Shot At The Championship
Who doesn’t love a shot at the title!? The teams below all have what it takes to take a shot at the AFC/NFC Championship, some have what it takes to win it and some don’t. It as with the postseason comes down to home field advantage and who you’re facing. You might question this section but let’s be honest, when has the NFL been predictible?
Kansas City Chiefs – 2nd Seed
There will be a lot of fans questioning the Chiefs only making the AFC Championship game and not the Super Bowl. Well the Chiefs have a few glaring issues that can prevent them from making it further than here, most importantly, wide receivers who can catch! Mahomes is a generational quarterback but he alone cannot win, as witnessed against the Eagles, the Cheifs wide receivers cannot catch and their defense struggle at times to close down a multi-threat offense like the Eagles.
Detroit Lions – 2nd Seed
For the first time since 1992 the Lions could appear in the NFC Championship game. While they have wobbled throughout the season and shown some signs of weakness, their overall perforamance is something that could shock and upset other NFC teams on route to a possible Super Bowl appearance.
Miami Dolphins – 4th Seed
While Tua and the Dolphins started hot they very quickly cooled off as the season progressed and they have shown flashes of this hot streak again, teams who are considered to be contenders for a late push or for the Super Bowl have beaten them. If the Dolphins make a run in the postseason, they will need to be able to beat top tier teams.
San Franciso 49ers – 3rd Seed
Even with perfect Purdy the 49ers can and have stumbled. Adding Young to pair with Bosa on the defence, was an “all in” move by them. Many a 49ers fan will want to forget the NFC Championship game last season as will Purdy, and with their offense clicking and their defence on fire, the 49ers could win it all, if they can keep momentum!
The Sleepers
Do these teams have what it takes to run the table, to go on the road the win it all, to beat back some of the best in their conference? If the chips fall just right, the teams in here do have what it takes to go all the way, but it’s a very big IF and some of these teams could end up eliminating a fellow sleeper!
Jacksonville Jaguars – 3rd Seed
The Jaguars did face an issue scoring for a few games but finally they look like they are back at it and with a stingy defence and an offense who has multiple threats, the Jaguars actually have the ability to run the table and upset a lot of teams on this list. If everything falls just right for them, they could make an appearance in Las Vegas!
Dallas Cowboys – 5th Seed
The Cowboys are always disregarded and disrespected when it comes to the postseason. This team has enough pieces to be a dangerous sleeper team who pulls out multiple upsets on the way to Las Vegas, that is if Dak can avoid interceptions, then the Cowboys will cause some choas in the postseason.
Houston Texans – 6th Seed
Nobody could have guessed that by drafting CJ Stroud, that the Texans would find themselves in the AFC playoff picture. Well here they are, and Stroud while has had a few blips on his impressive rookie campaign, they are extremely dangerous. If their defence can become as explosvie as their offense then CJ Stroud could be lifting a Lombardy sooner than later!
Minnesota Vikings – 7th Seed
Joshua Dobbs has just enought to cause oppsing defences headaches, and that was without Jefferson on the field. Dobbs can extend plays with his legs, scramble for the score all while the Vikings defence shuts down teams by bringing intense pressure. While a run to the Super Bowl would be a miracle and would have a lot of people questioning their placement here, stranger things have happened in the NFL!
The Pretenders
They don’t belong in the playoffs in their current set up, whether its due to injury, terribly play calling, mistakes and questionable decisions or the straight up inability to play football at a competivite NFL level. These teams will not make it far in the playoffs, most might not even survive the first game!
Cleveland Browns – 5th Seed
They have the defence and currently that’s all they have. The Browns will find themselves in a playoff game if they can hang on with DTR under centre for the remainder of the season but if they make it to the postseason, they will be eliminated in the wild card, they will be a warm up game for another team, currently that team is the Dolphins. While their defence is elite and has the ability to cause the Dolphins issues, their offense isn’t there anymore. The Browns had a lot of promise this season but injuries robbed them of the chance to show what they could do.
New Orleans Saints – 4th Seed
The NFC South is still the worst division in football, Derek Carr couldn’t bring the Saints success that they hoped for and while they are seeded at the moment, they will struggle to hang onto this with the other NFC South teams right on their heels. While their defence can cause some issues they won’t be able to do enough to win a playoff game. They are slated to face the Cowboys currently, a game they would find impossible to win.
Pittsburgh Steelers – 7th Seed
The Steelers have the defence, they have the offense and they finally don’t have Matt Canada! They are still in the pretenders section as they need to show something special on offense going forward without Canada before they are considered anything more than a tune up game. A tune up game as it stands for the Chiefs, and it wouldn’t be the first time the Chiefs knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs. If the offense continues to struggle then the Steelers will continue their new tradition of not winning in the postseason.
Seattle Seahawks – 6th Seed
Geno Smith doesn’t have what it takes to win a Super Bowl, if any 12th man tries to argue otherwise, they are just lying to themselves. While the Seahawks do have some impressive talent on both sides of the ball, they don’t have what it takes to hang with the other NFC playoff teams. They are currently matched up with the 49ers and while they haven’t faced them yet this season, it’s a tall task! They like all the others in this section will be a warm up game at most if they can hang onto their seeding.
The Hunters
These teams are on the outside looking it, ready to strike the moment one of the other seeds begins to stumble and fall. Expect to see a couple of these teams make a run, and take a seeding spot from The Pretenders above!
Buffalo Bills – 8th Seed
The Bills should be seeded already however they have got in their own way multiple times this season. Is it the Madden Curse or is it bad play calling or poor decision making by Josh Allen? Well since they changed their offensive coordinator, it’s time to see who was to blame on their stuggles. If the Bills continue to play like they did against the Jets, expect them to shake up the seeding in the AFC.
Green Bay Packers – 8th Seed
The NFC is that weak that the Packers at 4-6 are still in contention for a wild card spot at the very least. Jordan Love and the Packers are a young team, you can tell by how they play. The experience isn’t totally their but they are building chemistry. It’ll be a big ask for them to take even the 7th seed, they will need teams above them to stumble, and stumble a lot in the remainder of the season.
Indianapolis Colts – 9th Seed
If the Colts can win out or even win the majority of their remaining games, they could sneak into the playoffs and the AFC South could see three teams in the postseason. However this means all pressure is on Minshew to be able to rally the team and win close games.
Los Angeles Rams – 9th Seed
Another 4-6 NFC team (there is a theme here) that is still alive in the playoff hunt. The Rams have the tools on both sides of the ball, including the dangerous duo of Puka and Kupp. If Stafford can remain healthy and their offense can keep momentum throughout the remaining games of the season, the Rams could steal a stop from another NFC team.
Denver Broncos – 10th Seed
The Broncos are heating up. Only two games back from the Chiefs in the AFC West, with the stuggles the Cheifs offense are having it’s not impossible to consider Russell Wilson leading the Broncos to a late season push not only for the postseason but maybe even the AFC West Title!
Atlana Falcons – 10th Seed
The 4-6 Falcons are in the hunt, but it is doubtful they will be able to steal a spot from another NFC team even in the weaker conference. Their constant changes at quarterback is preventing them from establishing any momentum and their quarterbacks have a habit of self destructing when the game is on the line.