NFL Playoffs 2017: Seattle Seahawks best team to miss out?
By Dan Salem
Multiple spots in the NFL Playoffs 2017 are up for grabs in the final week of the season, meaning some excellent teams will fall short. Will the Seattle Seahawks be the best team to miss?
Nine of the 12 playoff spots have been clinched heading into Week 17. All that remains other than positioning is finding a second NFC wildcard and nailing down the two AFC wildcard teams. This begs the question, what is the best non-playoff team of the season?
Are the Seattle Seahawks the BEST team to miss? The Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens are all in contention. Its the NFL Playoffs 2017.
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the NFL Playoffs 2017 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Todd Salem:
Overall, we have a pretty solid batch of playoff teams. That becomes less solid if someone like Buffalo or Tennessee grabs a final spot. But for the reverse, we could have some rather talented teams on the outside looking in (which would be even more noteworthy if someone like Detroit or Tennessee grabs a final spot).
Baltimore can still miss the playoffs. According to 538, the Ravens have a 94 percent chance of making it in. The easy answer is to say they would be the best non-playoff team if they fell short. But I don’t think that would be true. Take a look at the NFC instead.
There is just one spot left in the postseason in this conference. Atlanta and Seattle are both awaiting a Week 17 game to get in. Both cannot make it. If the Falcons win, they’re in, but they play Carolina. Seattle needs help. Either way, these are quality teams, one of whom will come up short.
The Seahawks could finish 10-6 and miss the playoffs. They could have the league MVP in Russell Wilson and miss the playoffs. Or Atlanta could fall short with nine wins, the reigning league MVP, and a top-10 offense.
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As I said before, this current batch of playoff teams is pretty darn good. I’m not sure I think any of these outsider teams necessarily “deserve” to be in, but it’s a quality group all around out of the NFC this season. Whomever of Seattle and Atlanta falls short will be the cream of the undesirable crop.
The same cannot be said of the AFC, which could have a rather ugly playoff lineup. Baltimore is really good but is also unwatchable at times. The same goes for the Chargers. The aforementioned Bills and Titans are not really good but could also get in. As for the definitive playoff absentees, there isn’t a single one that feels playoff-worthy no matter how closely you look. Just think about it this way. The Dallas Cowboys are somewhere between the eighth and 10th-best team in the NFC. They aren’t even in this discussion. Yet if you placed them in the AFC, I would say they are a playoff team right now. Give them the sixth seed!
Dan Salem:
Even though the Dallas Cowboys are a real long shot to make the playoffs, aren’t they the most disappointing miss of all our potential playoff teams? Dallas may also be the best of the bunch, now that Ezekiel Elliott is back on the field. Seattle has played up or down to its opponents all season. Atlanta has shown flashes of dominance and mediocrity. Only the Cowboys have appeared night and day with and without Elliott.
Okay, I really tried to talk myself into that argument, but I’m honestly just disappointed in Dallas. They entered the season with so much potential and an expectation of playoff glory. Philadelphia completely overtook them in both the division and the NFC. So long Cowboys. You are not the best non-playoff team this season.
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The best non-playoff team will be the Seattle Seahawks. Atlanta is going to make the playoffs in my opinion, leaving Seattle on the outside looking in. The Seahawks beat both the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, two of the best teams in the conference and the league. Every loss was against a potential playoff team, except for the Washington Redskins, and they only got blown out once all year. Seattle likely finishes with double digit wins, a successful season by all measures except the one that counts most. They will be at home when the NFL playoffs 2017 begin.