Everything was decided until the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams showed up to play. Both teams are disrupting NFL Playoffs harmony and leaving the end of the season wide-open.
There are two teams, two disruptors, that are throwing wrenches into the 2019 NFL Playoffs. If not for these two teams, the playoff field in each conference would pretty much be set heading into Week 15. Instead, there are a lot of moving pieces and turmoil awaits. Thank you!
In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans have been the disruptor. When Marcus Mariota was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill, most people likely wrote off the Titans completely. After bombarding the Raiders in Week 14, Tennessee is instead tied for the division lead in the AFC South. It has won four games in a row and has by far the best point differential in the division. The Tannehill-led Titans are for real.
In the NFC, a pristine playoff picture has been disrupted by the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams took down Seattle in dominant fashion Sunday night to remain just one game out of the current playoff field. With three to play, its anyone’s guess who finishes on top.
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the 2019 NFL Playoffs in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Todd Salem:
Tennessee’s winning streak is impressive and hasn’t been made up of pushovers either. The Titans defeated the AFC West-leading Chiefs and the playoff-hopeful Colts and Raiders this past month. In fact, Tennessee, while inserting themselves into the postseason picture, has partially removed both Indianapolis and Oakland from the same fight.
The division might be tough to secure though, considering the remaining schedule this season. Tennessee and Houston, oddly, have yet to play, meaning two of the final three games of the season will see this pairing face off. If they split the two matchups, the “other” game would decide the division. In that other game, the Titans play the Saints, while Houston has Tampa Bay.
But Tennessee can also fall back on a wildcard berth. The Titans are a more complete team than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who they are tied with for wildcard positioning right now. I think the Titans get in one way or another.
Los Angeles was written off earlier this year as it collapsed in dramatic fashion. The offense that was so lauded around the league completely fell apart. The nadir was certainly a 45-6 dusting by the Baltimore Ravens. But two straight comfortable wins have followed, and the Rams aren’t out of it just yet.
It is funny to think of the Rams as underdogs coming from behind. Prior to the season, they were one of the very biggest favorites in the entire league and especially in the NFC. They were a shoo-in to repeat as NFC West champion. Now, the division is out of the question, and they are just hoping for a second Wild Card spot.
Los Angeles is obviously in worse shape than the Titans in the other conference. I don’t think the Rams end up making it into the postseason. The deck is stacked against them, and Minnesota has been playing good football. But without Los Angeles, the NFC would be nothing more than the masochistic search for an NFC East winner as the season concludes.
Dan Salem:
Thank goodness for the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams. The 2019 NFL Playoffs were shaping up to make the home stretch of the season as boring as can be. Thankfully that is not the case, because Los Angeles and Tennessee decided to hit the gas hard and play great football.
No one is safe over the final three games of the season unless, of course, you’ve already clinched a playoff spot. Even New England at 10-3 can technically finish tied with the Titans and a bevy of other AFC teams.
The Rams are only one game behind Minnesota and two behind Seattle and Green Bay. Everyone is on notice and 10 wins won’t guarantee anyone a playoff spot. I must now make the obligatory NFC East caveat, where seven wins may be enough to secure a trip to the playoffs.
Garbage division aside, it’s tricky to pinpoint a favorite over the final three weeks. Some teams like the Patriots have been playing underwhelming football, but have an easy final three to play (Cincinnati, Miami and Buffalo). Others like the Steelers are on a roll but have an arduous set of games remaining (Buffalo, Baltimore and the Jets).
The Bills play the aforementioned Patriots and Steelers, as well as the Jets. With Tennessee and Houston playing one another twice, it all comes down to how well Buffalo plays. Let’s leave the Jets out of this.
Do our current trends continue, or will the season continue to be as schizophrenic as ever? I find it hard to envision a scenario where Seattle or Minnesota miss the playoffs. The same is true of Buffalo and Houston. But “easy” opponents this season have proven to be anything but, on a pretty consistent basis.
If your holiday wish was for meaningful football and tons of spoiler opportunities, then this is your dream scenario. Tennessee and Los Angeles deserve your gratitude.