NFL Top Four teams a la College Football Playoff
By Dan Salem
Its time to name the NFL Top Four teams a la the College Football Playoff and let them duke it out for the 2015 Super Bowl. The NFL playoffs are far less exciting, so with only four teams in the playoffs, who makes the cut? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
TODD:
The first season of the college football playoff has been a resounding success and the games haven’t even been played yet! The regular season was as impactful and exciting as ever, and the final committee vote was packed with intrigue and argument.
Why couldn’t the NFL generate this kind of buzz with its playoffs? Instead, we’re left wondering how much of an underdog the NFC South champion will be when it hosts a first-round game and whether some team getting hot at the right time will make for yet another season of the best team not winning the Super Bowl.
Well what if the NFL took a page out of the college playbook? I mean, they’ve already stolen all the offensive schemes!
If you were forced to pick a final four for the NFL, with those being the only teams eligible to compete for the Super Bowl, who would you take? Forget about conferences or divisions; just give me the most deserving four teams in the league.
Here’s who I’d take:
New England Patriots – tied for best record in the AFC; top point differential in the entire NFL; one of only three teams to top 400 points scored; victories over fellow division leaders Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis; Tom Brady.
Green Bay Packers – top point differential in the conference; top scoring offense in the NFL; one of only two NFC teams with double-digit victories; win over New England; Aaron Rodgers.
Denver Broncos – tied for best record in the AFC; 7-0 at home, 4-0 in the division; have played one of hardest schedules in the league; top defense in the AFC as far as yards allowed; wins over Indianapolis, Arizona; Peyton Manning.
Seattle Seahawks – second in the NFC in point differential; only team in the NFL to have scored more than 300 points while allowing fewer than 250; top defense in the league; top rushing offense in the league; wins over Green Bay, Denver, Arizona; Russell Wilson.
That’s my final four and I don’t think there’s even a close fifth team right now. The NFL would have it easy compared to what the NCAA committee debated over.
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DAN:
An NFL top four teams for a college football like playoff is a super fun exercise, one that needs to be played out by the latest Madden video game. If ever a playoff needed to be simulated, it’s the NFL top four duking it out for the Lombardi trophy.
So only four NFL teams get to play in the playoff to make the Super Bowl, i.e. the championship game. Your four teams are excellent choices, yet neglect some simple mathematics.
My top four NFL teams:
New England Patriots – Ever since their week four loss to Kansas City, the Patriots have been embarrassing people. Their lone loss is to an NFC power, with demoralizing victories over AFC powers Denver and Indianapolis. With the top record in the AFC, along with Denver, the Patriots are an easy pick for the new NFL playoff format.
Denver Broncos – No other team outside of New England has dominated its competition so consistently in the AFC. The score wasn’t always lopsided, but the games were. Plus there is Peyton Manning.
Arizona Cardinals – Much like the Ohio State Buckeyes, this team keeps losing quarterbacks and bouncing back with more victories. Owning the best record in the conference goes a long way and losses to Denver and Seattle were of the ‘good’ variety.
Green Bay Packers – The Packers are playing like the best team in the NFC, at least at home, and this committee loves history and elite quarterbacks. Green Bay is an easy selection for the final NFL playoff representative.
A note on the Seahawks snub; they had too many bad losses to shaking football teams. The Chargers, Chiefs, Rams, and Cowboys have all been up and down this season with bad losses of their own. This hurt Seattle’s overall ranking.
Will our NFL top four teams end up filling out the Championship games in the NFL playoffs? Will New England face off with Green Bay in the Super Bowl like everyone expects? The 2015 Super Bowl won’t be won by a top four team from a selection committee, but maybe, just maybe both systems work equally.