2015 NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Teams Unpredictable!
By Dan Salem
The top teams in each conference are set, so who’s grabbing the final Wild Card spots? The 2015 NFL Playoffs are unpredictable! So many teams can make it happen. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
We have very quickly ventured into the haves and the have-nots in the 2015 NFL season. It hardly took half the year for the league to be divided in thirds: the elite, the thin middle class and the rest. (Kind of mirroring life?)
In the AFC, assuming New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver win their respective divisions (and why should they not?), the two wildcard spots really only have four teams fighting for them.
The Jets and Steelers are in the lead with Miami looking frisky with its new head coach and Oakland looking competent after decades of looking the opposite. Do you see any other possible interlopers? With nine regular-season games still remaining, are we really already down to just eight possible playoff teams in the AFC?
In the NFC, things are hardly better. One team is going to win the NFC East, and the rest will miss the playoffs. The Packers, Panthers and Cardinals are out ahead for the others. That leaves a group of Minnesota, Atlanta, St. Louis and Seattle battling for the wildcards. Again, just eight teams are left alive?
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I could be talked into more in the NFC I suppose. Seattle has the same 3-4 record as a number of other squads. Does that mean it should be ruled out or someone else should be ruled in? I still hate to eliminate Dallas if Tony Romo returns when first eligible (November 22 against Miami), but the Cowboys have lost all four games without him to this point.
I also don’t feel stupendous about the Vikings. They have played a pretty easy schedule (thanks Detroit!). I like either of the NFC West wildcards ahead of them, but at 4-2, Minny would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
At most, 17 teams are still alive entering Week 8 of the NFL season. That sounds like heresy in a league that prides itself on parity and balance. I suppose a byproduct of parity and being unpredictable is occasionally having unbalanced seasons.
Aug 13, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback
Tom Brady(12) shakes hands with Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Randall Cobb(18) after a preseason NFL football game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
DAN:
The Final NFL Wild Card spots in each league are infinitely more wide open than you realize. Both conferences have four top teams, with a solid number five pulling its weight. But that sixth and final playoff team will be completely unpredictable.
Your right to eliminate a huge chunk of the league, but here are the top four teams in each conference. Notice only three are division winners in each.
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AFC:
New England Patriots (7-0)
Denver Broncos (6-0)
Cincinnati Bengals (6-0)
New York Jets (4-2)
NFC:
Green Bay Packers (6-0)
Carolina Panthers (6-0)
Arizona Cardinals (5-2)
Atlanta Falcons (6-1)
Someone will win the NFC East and AFC South, but both of those division are completely wide open at this point. I’m not prepared to anoint any team the victor. They all get lumped into our next group of wanna-be contenders. All of these teams have fatal flaws. Only the Vikings in the NFC have a firm grip on their playoff berth.
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AFC:
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
Oakland Raiders (3-3)
Indianapolis Colts (3-4)
Buffalo Bills (3-4)
Miami Dolphins (3-4)
NFC:
Minnesota Vikings (4-2)
St. Louis Rams (3-3)
Seattle Seahawks (3-4)
New Orleans Saints (3-4)
New York Giants (3-4)
Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)
Washington Redskins (3-4)
That’s a lot of teams, and I didn’t even include those teams with only two wins but an equal number of losses. You can’t tell me that one of these teams won’t completely turn things around in the second half and actually play well. Outside of the two teams atop each wildcard list, and the winners of the NFC East and AFC South who were included for good measure, I’m not confident in any of these teams!
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A schizophrenic football team is completely unpredictable. The Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and St. Louis Rams all fall into this category. They’ve dominated in some weeks, and gotten blown off the field in others. That’s not a winning formula in the NFL.
My gut feeling is that the Jets and Falcons defeat whichever team qualifies for the remaining wildcard spot in each conference respectively. Consistency is king and I’m not putting money on unpredictability.
Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at College Sports Madness, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.