NFL Playoffs 2014-15: Updated AFC, NFC Bracket and Super Bowl Odds
The NFL playoffs are set.
The Pittsburgh Steelers completed the 2014 regular season with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night, clinching the AFC South and completing the postseason picture. We
now know what the road to Glendale, Arizona, and Super Bowl XLIX looks like.
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Let's take a gander at what lies ahead.
Super Bowl Odds
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-2 |
| New England Patriots | 3-1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-1 |
| Denver Broncos | 13-2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 14-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 26-1 |
| Detroit Lions | 30-1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 35-1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 41-1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 42-1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 70-1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 100-1 |
Note: Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
NFC Outlook
With the Seahawks' Week 17 win over the St. Louis Rams, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC once again goes through Seattle. Considering what happened last season, that's not exactly encouraging for the rest of the conference.
The 'Hawks used their ear-splitting home-field advantage for a memorable championship run last year, and what's even more frightening for the rest of the league, Pete Carroll's squad is playing just as well—if not better—than that dominant team.
Since middle linebacker Bobby Wagner returned from a lengthy absence in Week 12, the Seahawks are 6-0, outscoring opponents 134-39 over that span.
That's a 16-game pace of 104 points allowed, which would break the 2000 Baltimore Ravens' record by 61 points. SportsPressNW.com's Art Thiel gave an idea of just how well the defense is playing:
As Football Outsiders' Scott Kacsmar noted, it also doesn't hurt that the Seahawks' divisional-round game will most likely be against the Arizona Cardinals, whom they just demolished on the road, or the Carolina Panthers, who have seven wins:
Of course, Sunday's game against the Rams served as a reminder that the Hawks are not invincible, even at CenturyLink.
The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys both stand as fairly large roadblocks to Seattle becoming the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls in a decade.
Green Bay has a first-round bye and some guy named Aaron Rodgers, who is pretty good at this football thing. In a likely MVP campaign, Rodgers owns an absurd 38-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
He struggled in a loss to Seattle back in Week 1, but that seems like a lifetime ago (for both teams), and there is no better QB in the league right now.
As for the Cowboys, they stand as the only team to win in Seattle this season. And they didn't just beat the Seahawks, they outgained them by nearly 200 yards and controlled almost the entire game.
DeMarco Murray and a bruising offensive line are capable of keeping the 'Hawks defense off-balance, while Tony Romo is sizzling-hot right now, per SportsCenter:
Detroit is in interesting sleeper because of its defense, but ultimately, it would be very surprising if it weren't Seattle, Green Bay or Dallas in the Super Bowl.
AFC Outlook
As has been the case for about the last 100 years, the AFC figures to come down to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
Neither has had his best season. Brady struggled to start the year, while Manning had a couple of poor performances down the stretch. But each future Hall of Famer's team simply does everything well.
They have playmakers in the passing game. They are just fine running the ball and controlling the clock in a low-scoring game. They are tremendous defensively.
That side, the AFC still feels a bit open, at least compared to the top-heavy NFC.
The No. 3 seed Indianapolis Colts have a solid defense, while Andrew Luck can be unstoppable if he gets into a groove. Fox Sports' Mike Jurecki put his amazing season into historical perspective:
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have beaten the Colts this season, have an electrifying offense. Ben Roethlisberger is always a threat to move the ball, while Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are two of the most talented skill players in the league.
Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals have struggled immensely in the playoffs over the last couple of years, but Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard give this team a new dynamic on offense, while the defense has shut down the pass.
Manning vs. Brady is the likeliest conference championship matchup, but there are plenty of teams capable of ruining that narrative.
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