Buying or Selling NFL's Remaining Playoff-Eligible Teams as Title Contenders
Let’s set the ground rules quickly here.
Six teams (New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC) have wrapped up NFL postseason invitations in 2015. Thanks to CBS Sports for giving us the latest when it comes to the postseason picture.
Fourteen teams have already been eliminated from the playoffs. That leaves a dozen clubs vying for six spots.
More importantly, which of the 12 teams (listed here in alphabetical order) still in the hunt actually have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations? It’s one thing to make the playoffs and another to stay there and make some noise.
And that’s why we’re here. We know any team can get hot and actually take home the Lombardi Trophy. But which of the 12 clubs are just in the mix or are ready to make a championship run?
Atlanta Falcons (Sell)
1 of 12
On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons snapped a six-game losing streak courtesy of a 23-17 win at Jacksonville.
We are hardly ready to anoint them Super Bowl contenders even if they are fortunate to reach the playoffs.
Dan Quinn’s team (7-7) opened the year at 5-0 but is now sitting with just as many wins as losses. This is a team that played with a great deal of intensity early in the season, but the fact is that Atlanta made few changes to a roster that won a combined 10 games the previous two seasons.
Despite some improvement this year, we don’t expect to see the Falcons playing football beyond the next two weeks.
Denver Broncos (Buy)
2 of 12
With two weeks to play, the Denver Broncos are the league’s top-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed, ranking first against both the pass and the run. The last team to accomplish that feat was the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles, who finished 10-6 that year but actually missed the playoffs.
We are not ready to dismiss Gary Kubiak’s club, but it should be noted that the Broncos are 3-4 in their last seven games after opening the season at 7-0. We have also seen the team squander double-digit leads the last two weeks in losses to the Raiders and Steelers.
The million-dollar question in the Mile High City is whether Peyton Manning will return at quarterback. But regardless of whether it is him or Brock Osweiler, the Denver offense won’t be effective if the ground game isn’t working.
The Broncos defense is entitled to an off-day. And if the team can get its ground attack back on track, there’s no reason to think Denver won’t be in the Super Bowl discussion next month.
Houston Texans (Buy)
3 of 12
We really don’t believe that the Houston Texans will reach the Super Bowl, but stranger things have happened. Should they win the AFC South, they could make some unexpected noise in the playoffs thanks to their formula and some championship pedigree on the coaching staff.
Bill O’Brien’s team has a capable running game, and while the quarterback situation has been unsettling for a number of reasons, Houston's numerous signal-callers have combined to throw 25 touchdown passes compared to only 11 interceptions.
On defense, the club has not gotten the takeaways it did a year ago, but defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebackers Whitney Mercilus, John Simon and, yes, Jadeveon Clowney have combined for 31 of the team’s 36 sacks. And the Texans have held five of their last seven opponents to 17 or fewer points.
A hot defense can go a long way in the playoffs. The Texans just have to make sure they keep the fire lit. And if quarterback Brian Hoyer can make it back (he's in concussion protocol), this could be an interesting team.
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Indianapolis Colts (Sell)
4 of 12
Mathematically, the Indianapolis Colts are alive.
In reality, Chuck Pagano’s team is a mess.
Some of it is not the much-maligned head coach’s fault. But this team is headed in the wrong direction these days courtesy of a three-game losing streak marked by back-to-back 35-point losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
With a quarterback situation in medical turmoil and a defensive unit that is actually worse than it was a year ago, there’s not a lot of good things to say about a team that had finished 11-5 each of the previous three seasons and went deeper into the playoffs each year.
Of course, the 6-8 Colts still have to get to the playoffs. They are one game behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South with two games to play.
Pagano said this week, per The Sports Xchange via UPI.com:
"Until they mathematically say you’re done, we’re fighting. We’re going to prepare to go play a game. It’s three (losses) in a row. It’s where we are right now. Every season is different, every team is different. So you got to deal with adversity.
We got to keep working. We got to keep grinding like we’re going to and that’s what you do. That’s what professionals do. They come in, they work, keep trying to find answers. Get it fixed and try to get a win. That’s all you can do.
"
The problem is that the Colts have a lot to fix.
Jacksonville Jaguars (Sell)
5 of 12
We may have felt better about the Jacksonville Jaguars if they had found a way to knock off the Atlanta Falcons. But this is a young team that despite the play of its young offense still lacks a great deal of consistency.
Second-year pros in quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns have jump-started the offense. A team that scored a league-low 249 points in 2013 and 247 points in 2014 has already put up 343 points in 14 games this season.
But Jacksonville has dropped games at home to both the Falcons and San Diego Chargers; both teams entered those contests with six-game losing streaks.
There’s a lot of promise here, but this team is still learning how to win consistently.
Kansas City Chiefs (Buy)
6 of 12
Other than the Carolina Panthers, no team is hotter in the league than the Kansas City Chiefs. Both they and the Arizona Cardinals are riding eight-game winning streaks, and in the case of Andy Reid’s club, it managed to overcome a near-crippling 1-5 start.
While most people want to point to the franchise’s disappointing postseason history (the Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since 1993), that was the past. And yes, we remember that the 2013 Chiefs squandered a 28-point third-quarter lead at Indianapolis in a 45-44 loss in the Wild Card Round.
But we should also note that in less than a handful of playoff appearances, quarterback Alex Smith has played well. These days the Chiefs offense has been efficient, and the defense has been outstanding, ranking eighth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed and seventh in the league against the run.
One year ago, Kansas City was near the bottom of the league in total takeaways (14) and interceptions (six). In 14 outings this season, Reid’s squad has forced 27 turnovers, including 20 picks.
Don’t sit on the Chiefs, who could still be AFC West champions if things break well the next two weeks.
Minnesota Vikings (Sell)
7 of 12
On Sunday at home against the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings scored a season-high 38 points. And the better news is that the offense generated all five touchdowns.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater entered the contest with nine touchdown passes and two rushing scores. In the rout of Chicago, the second-year pro threw four touchdowns and ran for another. It marked the first time in 11 games that the Minnesota offense reached the end zone more than twice.
The Vikings defense has been doing its best without some of its best players, and head coach Mike Zimmer has done a phenomenal job. But this is a young team that may still be one year way in terms of making a significant impression in the postseason.
New York Giants (Buy)
8 of 12
You just have to, don’t you?
No matter how bad they look at times, there’s something about the New York Giants that makes you believe that if Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin are fortunate enough to reach the postseason, they may just find a way to win the whole thing.
The Giants defense has given up both the most total yards and most passing yards in the league. The pass rush has generated only 19 sacks in 14 games, but the team has already surrendered 28 touchdown passes.
Still, every four years (2007 and 2011) Manning and Coughlin have gone on successful playoff runs and capped them off with Super Bowl championships. The other three times the club reached the playoffs with this duo (2005, 2006 and 2008), the team went one-and-out in the postseason.
Yes, it makes no sense to buy the Giants, who four years ago became the first team win a Super Bowl with a 9-7 record and a midseason four-game losing streak. They actually gave up more points that season than they scored.
But you may want to put Big Blue on layaway.
New York Jets (Buy)
9 of 12
Led by head coach Todd Bowles, the New York Jets have more than doubled their win total from a season ago and are riding a four-game winning streak.
Armed with the NFL’s 10th-ranked defense and the league’s fifth-ranked defense (second versus the run), this is a balanced club that can run the ball effectively and throw it with quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald and wideouts Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. The latter have combined for 21 touchdown receptions.
With cornerbacks Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Marcus Williams patrolling the secondary, the Jets have become ball hawks. A team that came away with a league-low 13 takeaways last season has forced 28 turnovers in 14 games.
Yes, it’s quite easy to buy the Jets these days.
Philadelphia Eagles (Sell)
10 of 12
Will we get fooled again? Not here.
Not long ago, the Philadelphia Eagles lost three straight games, the last two to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions by a combined 90-31 score. Then Mr. Hyde turned back into Dr. Jekyll, and Chip Kelly’s team went into Foxborough and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions. A win over the Bills made it look like the 6-7 Eagles were on the right track.
Then Sunday night and the Arizona Cardinals happened to the tune of a 40-17 loss. Philadelphia turned over the ball four times, raising its total to 27 this season. The defense has fallen off in a big way, allowing the fourth-most total yards in the league while ranking 30th versus the run.
It’s been an up-and-down year with this football team, one that can seemingly implode and lay a big-time egg at any time.
With all due respect, no thank you.
Pittsburgh Steelers (Buy)
11 of 12
The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly look like the “it team” at the moment.
Mike Tomlin’s club has scored at least 30 points in six consecutive games. On Sunday, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger picked apart the Denver Broncos and the league’s top-ranked defense for 380 yards through the air. A few weeks earlier, the 12-year signal-caller threw for 458 yards in a loss at Seattle.
After a horrible defensive effort in the first half against Denver, Tomlin’s team pitched a shutout in the final 30 minutes. An improving pass rush has totaled 40 sacks in 14 games this year.
Add in Tomlin’s and Roethlisberger’s Super Bowl experience and this will be a dangerous club if it reaches the playoffs.
Washington Redskins (Sell)
12 of 12
Momentum? The Washington Redskins are working on it.
Jay Gruden’s club is riding a two-game winning streak for the first time this season. And if the ‘Skins can knock off the Eagles in Philadelphia, they will be NFC East champions for the second time in four years.
“It’s a big game for us,” said Redskins defensive end Chris Baker to ESPN.com’s John Keim this week. “I plan on celebrating in Philadelphia. We have to take care of business. We have to be focused and take care of the details.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” added Baker. “Hopefully we go up there and play the way we’ve been playing the last couple games.”
That’s all well and good, but the problem with this team has been twofold. Washington’s defense has been far from reliable. The Redskins have actually given up more points (332) than they’ve scored this season (316).
Meanwhile, we are not quite sure which Kirk Cousins will show up on a weekly basis. In the team’s seven wins this season, he’s thrown 15 touchdown passes with just two turnovers. In just as many losses, he’s coughed up the football 12 times (10 interceptions, two lost fumbles) while throwing for 10 scores.
Simply put, we need to see a little more consistency from this quarterback and this team in general.
Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com.
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