NFL Playoff Predictions: 16 Playoff Hopefuls Who Won't Make It To Dallas
NFL playoff predictions are always a tough thing to figure, but it also happens to be incredibly hard to not make them.
As things stand right now, there are at least 16 teams who have a shot at making the playoffs. As far as each of the divisions are concerned, no team has anything wrapped up quite yet. And some, like the AFC South and NFC West, are wide open.
But of the teams still competing for a playoff spot, which of them even has a chance of playing in Dallas in early February? Well, that's the name of the game right here.
So behold! Ahead of you are Super Bowl prognostications for 16 teams, ranked from least likely to miss out on Dallas to the the teams that will just miss.
16. Oakland Raiders
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The Raiders may be 5-6 and riding a bad two game losing streak, but they are also the only team in the AFC West with a perfect 3-0 record in conference play. As such, they're still in it.
But in reality, they have too many issues to overcome either San Diego or Kansas City, who are both playing great football at the moment.
The problems that have plagued the Raiders for the last eight seasons have cropped up again in a big way in their last two games. Chief among these are bad quarterback play and an inability to sustain drives. It also doesn't help that they haven't been able to rush the ball.
In short, of all the teams still in the hunt, their chances of reaching Dallas are the slimmest.
15. St. Louis Rams
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St. Louis is currently tied with Seattle for the best record in the NFC West, but the Rams have the edge in the playoff chase by virtue of their tie-breaking win against the Seahawks in early October.
Listen, there's a lot to be excited about in St. Louis going forward. The Rams and their faithful should be very happy that they drafted a quarterback number one overall who actually looks like he is going to be a star player in the very near future. With 17 touchdowns under his belt, he has an outside shot at Peyton Manning rookie record of 26.
But are the Rams good enough to make it to Dallas? Absolutely not. They're 3-5 against conference opponents, and ultimately will not be able to tango with teams like Atlanta, Green Bay, and New Orleans if it came to it.
14. Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins are 6-5 and third in the AFC East right now.
Whatever hope Miami has of making the playoffs must come out of their performance in Oakland this past Sunday, in which they finally seemed to wake up and realize what kind of team they are.
The Wildcat formations came back, and the Fins ran the ball 49 times for 186 yards. They also controlled the clock for better than 41 minutes, which is insane.
Basically they're the kind of team that won't dominate, but will simply outlast. The only problem is that it's hard to see this working against teams like the Jets and Patriots, who they have to face down the stretch.
Given that either the Pats or Jets needs to totally collapse in order for the Fins to secure a wild card spot, they're probably not even going to make it to the playoffs, much less the Super Bowl.
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13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Bucs are the surprise of the year so far, as they have rebounded from a 3-13 2009 campaign to a 7-4 record and a third place standing in the NFC South.
Exactly how they do it seems to change every week. One week LeGarrette Blount will have 120 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and the next week the defense will suddenly find a pass rush and pitch a shutout (see San Francisco).
Because of that, it has become hard to doubt them week in and week out.
But in the event they somehow snag a wild card berth, it will be quite easy to doubt them.
Why? Because look at how they've done against the four NFL elites they've played: Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Baltimore. All losses.
That doesn't mean they're not a good team, it just means they're not Super Bowl material.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars
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The Jags currently sit atop the AFC South by virtue of their 6-5 record and tiebreaker with Indianapolis. They also just had a three game win streak snapped by a loss at the New York Giants.
As for how exactly the team is succeeding, it's a little hard to understand. Defensively, they have one of the most porous units in football, allowing over 26 points and 375 yards per game. Offensively, their success more or less hinges on what kind of day Maurice Jones-Drew is having.
Well, it just so happens that the former UCLA Bruin has nearly 500 yards rushing in his last four games, and the Jags are 3-1 in that span. If he can keep on keepin' on, the Jags could end up being one of those surprising underdog teams at the end of the year.
But right now, they're hardly a lock for Dallas.
11. Indianapolis Colts
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The Colts may be 6-5 and second in the AFC South right now, but they're trending in the wrong direction.
This is, of course, by no real fault of their making. No team in the NFL has had to deal with the kind of injuries that Peyton Manning and the Colts have had to deal with, and it's actually something of a miracle that they have a winning record at all.
But they've lost two straight, to New England and San Diego, and the losses have shown that there's only so much Peyton Manning can do. Yes, he's thrown six touchdowns, but he's also thrown seven picks.
That being said, it's hard to think the Colts will finish with anything less than a wild card berth. But the possibility of them making it to Dallas looks pretty bleak right now.
10. New York Giants
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The Giants are 7-4 right now, and are second in the NFC East to the Eagles thanks to their loss to Philadelphia two weeks ago.
If we were to make these predictions in early November, the Giants would undoubtedly be a favorite, as many pundits around football thought they might have been the best team in football.
Well, they've lost two of their last three, and it took a second half comeback against Jacksonville to avoid a three game slide. In other words, they've fallen back to the pack, as it were.
But there is hope for them simply because they're never likely to fall behind by too much. Their defense allows just 286.5 yards per game, and will keep them in most games.
If they do indeed make it to the playoffs, as a division winner or as a wild card team, they are an interesting sleeper pick because of what they did a few years ago.
9. Chicago Bears
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The Bears are 8-3 right now, and are all alone atop the NFC North.
There is really no other team in football that used the month of November to help their playoff stock as much as Chicago. They went 4-0, and most recently beat two good teams in Miami and Philadelphia.
The win against the Eagles was very telling. Not only were they able to contain Michael Vick, but Jay Cutler might have had the finest game of his career, completing 66.7 percent of his passes and throwing four touchdowns.
Naturally, if the Bears can get that out of Cutler on a consistent basis, they might be 11-0 given the strength of their defense. As it is, the Bears are second in the league with an average of 15.6 points allowed per game, and Cutler will more often than not make a few mistakes each game.
That being said, there are obviously worse picks in the NFC than the Bears.
8. Kansas City Chiefs
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The Chiefs are first in the AFC West with a 7-4 record, just one game ahead of the oncoming Chargers.
But after it seemed like they were heading for a downfall following losses to Oakland and Denver, they have rebounded with a fury. And that has had everything to do with Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe.
Cassel led the NFL in touchdown passes in November with 12, and he threw only one interception. Bowe was the recipient of eight of those touchdowns, and also had 528 yards receiving. Both of those figures were tops in football.
If you factor in that the Chiefs are also still leading the league in rushing, then we could be looking at a team that is more dangerous than they're getting credit for.
Right now, consider them a good underdog pick to win the AFC.
7. San Diego Chargers
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When the Chargers slipped to 2-5 after their loss at home against New England, Norv Turner's club seemed doomed.
But as the saying goes, beware the Chargers in the second half of the year (trust me, there are people who say that out there). They've won four in a row to run their record to 6-5, and it could be just a matter of time before they take over first place in the AFC West.
It would be easy to single out Philip Rivers as the man solely responsible for the Chargers' turnaround, but he had just 713 yards passing in the last month (true, helped by a bye week), which is roughly half of what Peyton Manning finished the month with.
That tells us that they are becoming a more balanced team, which is probably largely thanks to the rise of Mike Tolbert. And defensively, they're still the toughest team to move the ball against, allowing just 273.6 yards per game.
In short, beware a Super Bowl run from the once-dead Bolts.
6. Green Bay Packers
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The Packers are 7-4 and second in the NFC North.
If you're thinking their loss in Atlanta is a sign of things to come, you're wrong. The Packers are still one of the NFC's elite teams, and are going to make the playoffs one way or another.
For one, their defense is almost sneaky good. They lead the NFL with an average of 15.1 points allowed per game. Offensively, they're going to hang at least 24 points on the board more often than not.
They obviously struggle running the ball, but Aaron Rodgers more than makes up for it. Not only has he not thrown a pick since late October, he's also fifth in the league with an average of 268 yards passing every game.
On balance, they're as good a bet as anybody.
5. New York Jets
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It definitely seems like the Jets have had their issues this year. But saying so is by no means a critique of the team, which is in first place in the AFC East thanks to their 9-2 record and tiebreaker over New England.
One of the things you have to like about Rex Ryan's club this year is the offensive improvement they've shown. They averaged 21.8 points and 321 yards per game last season, and are up to 24 and 361.6 this season. That has a lot to do with their additions of LaDainian Tomlinson and Santonio Holmes, particularly the latter.
But here's my problem with the Jets: they have essentially beat up on weak competition. Their current four game winning streak, which has never seemed easy, has come against Detroit, Cleveland, Houston and Cincinnati, all four of whom are not exactly world beaters.
Yes, they beat New England. But that was a different team. And in the playoffs, they're not going to be able to get away with some of the things they've been getting away with recently.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Steelers are currently 8-3, and are second in the AFC North thanks to their loss to Baltimore earlier this season.
They also have some issues. It sounds like Ben Roethlisberger may be hurt worse than he's letting on, and the team may or may not be the subject of the league's scorn depending on who you ask.
But even more pressing than that are some of the struggles they've head recently. The Patriots showed that they can be beaten with a strong passing attack, and they could barely close out Cincinnati and Buffalo, who have four wins between them.
But given their recent history, it would be foolish to doubt them when the playoffs roll around.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
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The Eagles are currently 7-4, and first in the NFC East.
No doubt there were many who were eager to pencil the Eagles into the Super Bowl after Michael Vick's insane Monday Night performance a couple weeks back. But they have been humbled since then, edging out a tough win against the Giants and dropping a game to the Bears in Soldier Field.
As it is, they stand a very good chance of winning the East and maybe even earning a first round bye, as the only team with a better than .500 record they face down the stretch is the Giants.
Once in the playoffs, the natural inclination would be to bet heavy on a team with a player as dynamic as Michael Vick. And since the NFC seems to be rather even this year in terms of competition, that might not be a bad idea.
But at the same time, I wouldn't bet the farm.
2. New Orleans Saints
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The Saints are 8-3, on a four game win streak, and are second to the Falcons in the NFC South.
After a puzzling first half of their 2010 season, the Saints have come alive. It started with a convincing win over Pittsburgh, and has continued all the way through their Thanksgiving comeback over the Cowboys.
And while Drew Brees is still throwing more picks than I'm sure Sean Payton would prefer, he's still been more than capable of being the guy that has to run an offense that, quite frankly, has no other options. In three November games, he averaged 329 yards passing and a couple touchdowns each game.
And unlike last year, the Saints defense has been very reliable. They give up an average of just 17.9 points per game, which is sixth in the NFL.
But the biggest reason they're a good bet for Dallas is because they're the defending champs.
1. Baltimore Ravens
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Thanks to their win over the Steelers earlier this season, the Ravens are atop the AFC North with an 8-3 record.
As always, their strength is defense. They allow 17.1 points per game, and just 307.4 yards per game. Because of this, they're going to at least be competitive in any game they play.
But it's the offense that has me confused. They averaged better than 24 points per game last year, and are averaging just 22.7 points per game this season. A minor step back, to be sure, but one that probably shouldn't have happened given the addition of Anquan Boldin, who has been pretty mediocre since his fast start in the first three games of the season.
If they can get him and Ray Rice going, they could be dangerous. That is to say, of course, even more dangerous. If so, they stand as good a chance of making it to Dallas as anyone.
But the way I see it, they're just barely going to miss.
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