NFL Playoffs 2016: Epic Comebacks Spark Major Concern for Elite

Teams heading toward the NFL Playoffs needed epic comebacks to win, sparking major concern amongst elite teams. Their playoff viability is vanishing.

We had a number of epic comebacks in the NFL in Week 15. Or were they epic collapses? Who do you give more credit to when a supposedly good team makes a miraculous comeback to steal a win away from an inherently bad team?

A win is a win, except when a playoff team barely defeats one of the worst teams in its division. Multiple elite squads brought their playoff viability into question, needing epic comebacks to win this past week.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem discuss the NFL Playoffs in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

The Houston Texans were down 13-0 and 20-5 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brock Osweiler was benched and Tom Savage mounted a comeback that got Gus Bradley fired. The Pittsburgh Steelers were down 20-9 to the Cincinnati Bengals at halftime before winning the second half 15-0 and winning the game. The Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys were also down late in their respective games before mounting comebacks, though the point margins were smaller.

We also saw the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers hold off what would have been pretty bad losses in Week 15, as well as the comeback by the Tennessee Titans over the Chiefs—whatever category that last one falls into other than “surprise.”

Discuss the last few if you want, but the first pair of massive comebacks by heavy favorites are very confusing to me. I don’t want to reward Houston or Pittsburgh. They were playing horribly just a few weeks prior to postseason play with division titles on the line. Is defeating the Jaguars or undermanned Bengals anything to be proud of? I know “a win is a win,” especially this time of year. There is something to that. Kansas City would have loved to just get a win in any form. But with two regular-season games remaining, we saw “bad” wins by the Texans, Steelers, Ravens and Packers: four teams all within a game or currently holding playoff spots.

Maybe that just means no one is elite this year and everyone is capable of being upset, even in games that matter a great deal. New England, Oakland, Dallas and Seattle have already clinched playoff spots. And we know nearly all of those teams have patented the big comeback or bad win. Oakland is 8-1 in one-score games and 5-0 in games decided by a field goal or in overtime. Seattle has scored fewer than 14 points five times already and has one win and one tie in those contests. There isn’t a single team this year that I love to run through the postseason.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Really, the only consistent thing in 2016 has been the bottom of the NFL. The foursome of Cleveland, San Francisco, Jacksonville and the Jets have been so atrocious as to make the rest of the league seem overly competent. Mounting a comeback against these teams is nothing to be proud of. Hang your head in shame, Houston! Hang it!

Dan Salem:

There are only two teams in each conference who stand above the rest—maybe three. Yet there is still a dividing line between the teams heading toward the NFL Playoffs and those at or below .500 right now. The elite teams encompass all our playoff teams by default and I’m very concerned for nearly half their viability in the postseason.

You named four really bad teams that every elite squad should be handling with ease, but I’d add the Rams, Bengals and Chargers to that list. This makes the Raiders victory concerning and wins by the Texans and Steelers red flags. Oakland should blow San Diego off the field if they hope to hang with New England or Kansas City in the playoffs. Pittsburgh and Houston must annihilate the bottom-feeders of their respective divisions if they want to win them and make the playoffs. A win is a win, except when it points toward the obvious. Neither team is going deep if they hang on to win their divisions.

The flipside are the Packers, Ravens and Cowboys. Baltimore has won close all season and winning a close game over one of the NFL’s best defenses is a solid accomplishment. Dallas also squeaked out a win against a likely Wild Card team. Job well done. Green Bay kept its winning streak alive over a divisional opponent in a cold game which saw the resurgence of its rushing attack. I predicted they’d win their division and I like what I saw, despite the close game against a bad team. These comebacks were encouraging.

Next: NFL Picks, Predictions for Each Week 16 Game

There is only one open Wild Card spot in the AFC and NFC, respectively. I love what the Titans are doing right now, fulfilling my prediction that they make the playoffs. Houston must watch their back, because Tennessee is coming. Same with Baltimore coming for Pittsburgh. The AFC North and South runner-ups are likely staying home for the playoffs. Its a similar story in the NFC, where Detroit must watch its back as the Packers are surging. Both teams are not going to be playing in the postseason.

Home/NFL