NFL Playoff Picture 2014: Week 11 Standings, Super Bowl Odds and Wild Card Hunt
The 2014 NFL season is heading into Week 11, but the conversation for many football fans has shifted to the playoff picture and which teams are contenders or pretenders.
With just seven weeks of action remaining in the regular season, the teams in contention are trying to build momentum that can carry them to the Super Bowl. Other franchises are just fighting tooth and nail to enter the wild-card hunt.
The action on the field this season has been incredible, and the desire to make the postseason has teams in the AFC and NFC fighting harder now more than ever before. No franchise wants to be on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
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Here are the Week 11 standings, the full wild-card breakdown and the latest Super Bowl odds.
AFC Playoff Breakdown
| New England Patriots | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Oakland Raiders | 0 | 9 | 0 |
For the fans who expected the top teams in the AFC to run away with the conference, there are still 12 teams that could conceivably make a run to the postseason. While teams like Houston, Miami and Buffalo are long shots to make the playoffs with tough remaining schedules, there is still a mathematical chance each could make a late-season run.
The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are the cream of the AFC crop. Both teams sit at 7-2 this season, and with each possessing the postseason experience to be Super Bowl favorites, the Patriots and Broncos look destined for a first-round bye.
New England is already two games ahead of second place in the division, but Denver is in one of the toughest divisions in football. The Kansas City Chiefs sit at 6-3 and are a legitimate contender for a postseason berth. In the same vein, the San Diego Chargers are an outside contender as well, but they have lost three games in a row.
Elsewhere, it looks like the Indianapolis Colts are once again running away with the South. With the Colts in first with a 6-3 record and the second-place Texans switching to backup quarterback Ryan Mallett, Indianapolis is almost guaranteed a playoff spot this season.
The wildest division in the AFC is the North. The Cleveland Browns (6-3) are the unlikely division leaders after 11 weeks, yet all four teams have a viable shot at taking home the division crown. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have a 6-4 record and the Cincinnati Bengals sit at 5-3-1. Over the last seven weeks of the regular season, anything could happen in the AFC North.
Right now, Kansas City and Cincinnati would be the two teams that make the postseason as wild cards. With the turnover in the AFC North, though, the complexion of the playoffs could look very different as soon as next week.
NFC Playoff Breakdown
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3 | 6 | 0 |
The top teams in the AFC are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pretenders, but the NFC continues to be anyone’s guess. There are 11 teams that are conceivably still alive in the postseason chase, and the final seven weeks of the season will drastically shift the standings.
The chaos starts in the NFC West, where the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks currently sit two games behind the first-place Arizona Cardinals and just one game ahead of the San Francisco 49ers. Both Seattle and San Francisco are getting hot at the right time, and the devastating knee injury to Arizona’s Carson Palmer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, could open the door for a complete shift in the division over the coming weeks:
As great as the West has been, the NFC South has been equally as awful. The New Orleans Saints currently lead the division with a 4-5 record but only hold a half-game lead over Carolina and a one-game lead over Atlanta.
A 4-5 record would have New Orleans in third place or worse in every other division in the NFC. There are several division matchups still left on the schedule, and the battle for supremacy in the South could get very ugly.
In the NFC East and North, there are two teams from each division with the chance to make the playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are clearly the two best teams in the East and will be fighting for the remainder of the year for the guaranteed postseason berth that comes with winning the division. In the same vein, the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are tops in the North and will battle throughout the rest of the regular season for first place.
Many fans will be watching the division battles with close attention, but it could be the wild-card race that is the most intriguing. There are eight teams right now that look worthy of making the NFC playoffs, but only six spots available. The pressure at the end of the season to get into the top six will result in two very talented teams missing the postseason entirely.
The NFC looks far more competitive than the AFC.
Super Bowl Odds Breakdown
| Denver Broncos | 13-4 |
| New England Patriots | 13-2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 15-2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 10-1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 12-1 |
| Detroit Lions | 16-1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 16/1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 16-1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 18-1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 25-1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 25-1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 40-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 40-1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 40-1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 50-1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 50-1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 66-1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 150-1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 150-1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 150-1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 150-1 |
| Houston Texans | 200-1 |
| Chicago Bears | 300-1 |
| New York Giants | 500-1 |
| Washington Redskins | 500-1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 750-1 |
It’s too early to talk about the Super Bowl, but with sites setting the odds and teams already referencing the big dance, the frenzy surrounding the NFL Championship has already arrived.
Like Christmas, it seems to begin earlier each year.
According to Tom Leyden of WXYZ-Detroit, Arizona head coach Bruce Arians told Peter King about his team’s chances of winning the Super Bowl:
The odds for the Cardinals were set at 12-1, but it will be interesting to see how Palmer’s injury impacts how fans bet on Arizona and the rest of the NFC. It was shocking to see Green Bay as a heavier favorite than Seattle, but fans should be swarming to the 8-1 line set for the Seahawks.
As the defending champions and boasting a roster very similar to last year's, Seattle should still be considered a top championship contender. At 8-1 odds, those making a wager on the game should take the bet now before the line changes.
The clear-cut betting favorite is the Peyton Manning-led Broncos. While New England is a close second, the improved Denver defense and the high-scoring offense have been enough to get many fans on the bandwagon. Manning's Broncos faltered in the championship game last season, but improvements on both sides of the ball should give them a better chance to win this season.
One team not getting the attention it deserves is San Francisco. With a favorable remaining schedule and several key players like Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman due back from injuries, the perennial postseason contenders could make a deep run using the team’s elite defense and rushing attack, supplemented by Colin Kaepernick and the team’s air attack.
There are also several pretenders in the mix this season as well, but none is more overrated than the Dallas Cowboys. The team has missed the playoffs four years in a row and still has quarterback Tony Romo under center.
Dallas fans will be excited after a win over Jacksonville in Week 10, but the Cowboys still have to play four divisional matchups and have a battle against the always-tough Colts. Even if Dallas makes the postseason, the team’s success will be predicated on the rushing attack. When it comes time for Romo to put the team on his shoulders, though, the Cowboys will fold.
Some fans may think it’s too early to talk Super Bowl contenders and odds, but finding an ideal bet now and avoiding bad wagers could result in a huge payday at the conclusion of this year’s playoffs.
*Stats via NFL.com and betting information via OddsShark.com.
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