Most of the spots in the NFL Playoffs 2018 are locked up, with nearly all chalk across the board. Even our contenders were expected to be here, all except an elite pair.
Week 15 set our playoff picture in full vision. The clutter was removed almost entirely, leaving us with a clear blueprint for who will be playing in January. The interesting thing is who fell off and who remains in the hunt for a berth in the NFL Playoffs 2018.
Should we be surprised by the teams fighting for playoff spots in the AFC and NFC? The playoff field is top-heavy and dominated by chalk… depending on who you ask. We debate the surprises, the expectations, and the ultimate playoff results.
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the NFL Playoffs 2018 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Todd Salem:
The AFC playoff field is a snapshot of the old guard mixed with completely unexpected contenders. The top six is arguably the exact top six favorites from the preseason: Kansas City, Houston, New England, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. Maybe some folks had Jacksonville over Houston, but this sextet is chalk.
The rest of the teams alive are anything but. Indianapolis and Tennessee are still alive, but in the upset of the season, it’s not because the AFC South is such trash. They are actually vying for a wildcard spot! Miami and the Cleveland Browns are also still alive. Everyone else has been eliminated. It’s such a weird group of four. No Denver; no Jacksonville; Cincinnati crumbled midseason. At no point did anyone think the Dolphins and Browns specifically were good, but here they remain.
The reason the AFC picture feels so clean is because I don’t expect the top six to change. Is Miami really going to surpass New England? Is Cleveland going to grab a playoff spot in its first season of respectability this decade? These things are possible but don’t feel likely. The AFC feels standard.
The NFC does not, even though the picture is actually, ironically, cleaner. Only nine teams are still alive in the NFC, but any of the three non-clinched spots feel like they could go to anyone. New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Chicago are already in. Dallas leads the way in the East, but Philly and Washington both only trail by one game. Carolina, currently at 6-8 after losing Monday Night to New Orleans, could still get in too because neither wildcard holder has more than eight wins as it stands.
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The Cowboys’ super easy schedule bodes well for them, especially with a game in hand. They face the Buccaneers and Giants the final two games. Those teams should probably be focused on securing top 10 draft picks rather than playing spoiler. The Giants specifically took pride in their mini-run here the past month, but after an embarrassing loss to Tennessee, we can put that to rest.
Both the Eagles and Redskins have to face an AFC team vying for the postseason and then each other in Week 17. That is a hard hill to climb. To make matters worse, Dallas has tiebreakers. Philadelphia lost both matchups head-to-head. And Washington cannot surpass Dallas’ record within the division.
The NFL Playoffs picture was so much fun heading into Week 15. Everyone was still alive. There was a path for Denver, Green Bay, even the Giants. Cincinnati and Atlanta had yet to be eliminated. The possibilities and maturations were endless. Now, not so much.
Dan Salem:
I would call both the AFC and NFC playoffs nearly all chalk. There is only one surprise team in each league. Indianapolis being in play for an AFC spot is surprising, yet Andrew Luck is enough to temper the issue. Chicago clinching an NFC spot is certainly surprising, but everything else is on script. We attempted to predict in the preseason which teams would fall out of contention, but only Atlanta has now been eliminated.
I do not consider Miami or Cleveland to be good football teams, yet I commend them for sticking around. Carolina is in a similar position, and all three require a minor miracle to actually make the playoffs. We therefore move on to teams with winning records.
The NFC East is truly up for grabs, but Nick Foles might just pull off the impossible for a second time. I’m ready to eliminate Washington and give Dallas the benefit of the doubt, as they control their own destiny. But the New York Giants knocking the Cowboys from the NFL Playoffs is as close to a Super Bowl victory as this team is getting. Don’t rule that out.
We cannot be surprised by Tennessee. They were in this exact spot last year. The same is true of the Los Angeles Chargers, yet they finally got over the hump and into the playoffs. Every other team with a “path” into the playoffs is a bad football team. Only the teams who have already clinched are very good this season, and that includes the Patriots and Steelers. We are going to get some solid wildcard games, because these teams are all so close. But if the script continues to be read as written, none of our home teams are losing in the division round.
Are you ready for Kansas City versus Los Angeles and New Orleans versus Los Angeles? No, you’re the homer! I’m not a homer. This is wishful thinking, as a local to Los Angeles, but also the four best teams in the league. Chicago is right there, as are the Patriots. Yet each possess a weakness recently exploited by inferior competition.