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2015 NFL Predictions: NFL Playoffs March Madness Round 4

By Dan Salem

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Round 4 of our NFL Playoffs March Madness tournament features the Indianapolis Colts’ division. Anyone can make 2015 NFL predictions, so we took all 32 teams and re-created March Madness. Its the NFL Playoffs March Madness style, until one team is champion. 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:

Before the NFL preseason gets underway, let’s make some good ole predictions. But these won’t be anything generic. Instead, we throw the entire National Football League into a seeded bracket tournament a la NCAA March Madness!

Round one – Seattle Seahawks division
Round two – Green Bay Packers division
Round three – Denver Broncos division

Here is how the NFL Playoffs Bracket looks after three rounds:

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We ordered each team by their 2015 over/under line, then settled all tiebreakers with each team’s 2014 point differential. Check out Round one for full seeding and explanations.

DAN:

The beginning of Round 4 in the Mike Vanderjagt Region was once a dynamic quarterback face off. The Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins are trending in opposite directions, however, and no one in their right mind sees these teams as equals. Andrew Luck is heading towards a league MVP, while Robert Griffin III is playing to save his once promising career. I believe he can find success once again, but it won’t be in Washington this season.

Despite RG III’s best efforts, the Redskins are not a very good football team. Improvement is coming, but it’s too little too late in this matchup. The Colts are a dominant team and easily knock off Washington.

My second matchup of Round 4 pits the Houston Texans against the San Diego Chargers. If you’d asked me about these teams several days ago, I’d have leaned heavily towards Houston. But now that Arian Foster is getting groin surgery, and the timetable for his return unknown, I’m much less confident in the Texans.

Before the injury I saw Foster as the pick-me-up that Houston’s offense required. Brian Hoyer is a bit questionable under center, but his receivers are solid. With Foster out, I have no idea who shoulders the load on offense. The defense for Houston is still dominating, however, and overshadows anything the Chargers excel at.

San Diego still has nice offensive pieces, but I don’t trust their consistency or their defense just yet. Houston may have suffered a setback, but they are still better than San Diego. The Texans win this matchup and advance.

Aug 2, 2015; Anderson, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) throws a pass during training camp at

Anderson

University. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

TODD:

For my games out in the Mike Vanderjagt Region, things start off with a quintessential battle of strength against strength and weakness against weakness. When the Buffalo Bills face the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo’s defense versus Atlanta’s offense is something NFL Films captures for later generations. On the other hand, Buffalo’s offense versus the Falcons’ defense could be so bad every drive would have to take place in London.

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I really like Atlanta to have a bounce-back season in 2015. Matt Ryan is somehow one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the NFL even though he’s legitimately awesome every year. I worry about the Falcon’s rushing game though, and the Bills defense would feast on a one-armed attack.

If they get even mediocre quarterback play, the Bills offense could be not half bad this year. The skill players are special; the offensive line is not, but screens and quick drops can alleviate some of that shortcoming. What the Bills do best is probably better than what the Falcons do best; likewise, what the Bills do worst is probably not as bad as what Atlanta is worst at. Buffalo advances.

In my final “round one” match, two teams trending in vastly different directions face off. New England had just a horrid offseason with the Tom Brady suspension, the mass exodus of its secondary and everything else. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is quietly ready for a nice rebound year if Jameis Winston doesn’t suffer too many rookie woes.

Of course, the regression of New England is not enough to pass the point of where the Buccaneers would be progressing towards. The matchup is closer than the seeding would indicate, but I can’t bring myself to actually pick TB to advance here. New England survives.

Here’s how the NFL Playoffs Bracket looks entering the Sweet Sixteen:

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 Bleacher Report, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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