Power Rankings
The "The 2015 Season is only Ten Months Away" Quintro
32.) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8 = 141-151)
31.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7 = 150-245)
30.) Oakland Raiders (0-8 = 129-211)
29.) New York Jets (1-8 = 154-252)
28.) Tennessee Titans (2-6 = 137-202)
All of these teams are completely done. Other than some potential Michael Vick rennaissance performances, I can't even see any of them as spoilers. The Titans will probably back into 3 more wins because they basically never go worse than 5-11 no matter the lack of talent. The rest are all competing for that #1 pick and the right to draft Marcus Mariota.
The "Spoiler Alert Activated" Quintro
27.) Washington Redskins (3-6 = 197-229)
26.) Atlanta Falcons (2-6 = 192-221)
25.) Houston Texans (4-5 = 206-197)
24.) Minnesota Vikings (4-5 = 168-199)
23.) St. Louis Rams (3-5 = 149-220)
None of these teams will make the playoffs, more so because the middle of both conferences are loaded. I guess the Vikings or Texans have some shot, but you really can't see it. By the way, nothing says more about the current NFL than the Rams sandwiching a terrible loss to the Chiefs with wins over Seattle AND San Francisco. Jeff Fisher's team will somehow go 7-9, again. Also, I'm not a believer of the Vikings, even if Peterson does return in a Week or two.
The "This Isn't How it was Supposed to Go Down" Trio
22.) Chicago Bears (3-5 = 180-222)
21.) New York Giants (3-5 = 178-209)
20.) Carolina Panthers (3-5-1 = 177-236)
The Bears, Giants and Panthers are all two games under .500. They all have paper thin units and injury issues. None of the three really do anything well. The Bears have two good receivers, but a headcase at QB. The Giants have injuries everywhere. The Panthers have a defense that alternates between good and pathetic, and a QB with absolutely no one to throw to. I guess they'll win a few games here or there, but they've been three of the more disappointing teams in the NFL this year.
The "I Guess they could Nab a Wild Card, but Realistically, can they?" Trio
19.) San Francisco 49ers (4-4 = 168-178)
18.) Buffalo Bills (5-3 = 178-165)
17.) Cleveland Browns (5-3 = 185-169)
The 49ers offense looks terrible. Something is wrong with that team. Kaepernick hasn't gotten any better, and that o-line has only gotten worse. They should be better. The defense has done valiant work keeping them in games. For the Bills, yes, they are 5-3, but that includes some absolutely ridiculous wins. Their schedule gets a lot tougher down the stretch. The Browns are 5-3, but when this team can easily perform like they did when they lost to the Jags at any moment, it is hard to really believe in them.
The "One Team Going One Way, Three Teams Going the Absolute Other Way" Quatro
16.) New Orleans Saints (4-4 = 227-198)
15.) San Diego Chargers (5-4 = 205-186)
14.) Dallas Cowboys (6-3 = 230-195)
13.) Philadelphia Eagles (6-2 = 234-177)
Two weeks ago, the Saints were in free-fall at 2-4, while the Chargers were 5-2 heading to Denver, and the Cowboys were the toast of the NFL at 6-1. Two weeks later, the Saints look ready to explode, and the Chargers and Cowboys are in dire times. The Chargers definitely won't play that bad again, but there are signs that defenses are playing them better and getting more and more pressure on Rivers. The Cowboys, assuming Romo comes back and stays healthy, will be fine. The real Wild Card is the Saints. If they win all but one game at home (reasonable), they should easily win the NFC South, and host a terrified team that is holistically better than them in the Wild Card Round. For the Eagles, I personally don't think Sanchez will be a viable backup against a much tougher schedule going forward. They need him to play better than he did against Houston to win many games.
The "Who Knows with the AFC North" Trio
12.) Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1 = 194-187)
11.) Baltimore Ravens (5-4 = 240-174)
10.) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3 = 249-219)
I don't really think the Browns are a viable division title contender, but all three of these teams are. The head-to-head will decide all of them, and by that I mean the two games remaining between Cincy and Pittsburgh. The Ravens have the best point differential, but the worst record. The Bengals the opposite. Somehow, Pittsburgh might sneak that division out despite having a home loss to Tampa Bay on their resume.
The "5-3 after Eight Games, Not Leading the Division... That Defines Wild Card' Quatro
9.) Seattle Seahawks (5-3 = 202-174)
8.) Kansas City Chiefs (5-3 = 200-138)
7.) Miami Dolphins (5-3 = 211-151)
6.) Green Bay Packers (5-3 = 222-191)
The Seahawks, Packers, and to some extent, Dolphins have shots at their division, but more likely they will all be Wild Card teams if they make the playoffs. They will be terrifying ones as well. The Chiefs surprisingly have the best point differential of this bunch. The Dolphins are one loose fumble away from 6-2 and being right there for the division (conversely, the Packers are one loose fumble away from 5-4). It will be interesting to monitor if any of these teams can go on a 7-1 type run to end the season.
The "Can the Colts Finish the Tic-Tac-Toe" Trio
5.) Indianapolis Colts (6-3 = 290-211)
4.) New England Patriots (7-2 = 281-198)
3.) Denver Broncos (6-2 = 245-185)
Despite the time-lines not really fitting, there used to be a theory of the rock-paper-scissors nature of these teams a decade ago. It would be Denver playing New England tough, but sucking against Indy, while the Colts would struggle with the Patriots. Now the rock-paper-scissors might be the exact opposite. The Colts get their chance at the rock-paper-scissors in two weeks when they host the Patriots, easily the biggest regular season game of the Luck/Pagano era. For the Broncos, they'll have to hope that like each of the past two years, they can hold serve while the Pats drop a game here or there to get the #1 seed again and avoid going back to Foxboro.
The "These Could be the Two Bye Teams in the NFC?" Duo
2.) Detroit Lions (6-2 = 162-126)
1.) Arizona Cardinals (7-1 = 192-156)
Honestly, these could be the two bye teams in the NFC? The Lions and Cardinals even play each other in two weeks (what a Sunday that will be, with this as the appetizer for the entree of Colts/Pats on SNF). They have the best two defenses in the NFC (Lions best in the NFL). The Lions should have Megatron back which should hopefully fix their offense. Two very good teams, that are excellently coached on defense. Coming into the season it seemed obvious that the five best teams in the NFC were, in some order, SEA, SF, NO, GB, PHI. Well, halfway through, it is unquestionably the Lions and Cardinals.
Playoff Projections
AFC
1.) Denver Broncos = 13-3
2.) Indianapolis Colts = 12-4
3.) New England Patriots = 12-4
4.) Cincinnati Bengals = 10-5-1
5.) Kansas City Chiefs = 11-5
6.) Baltimore Ravens = 10-6
NFC
1.) Detroit Lions = 12-4
2.) Arizona Cardinals = 12-4
3.) Dallas Cowboys = 10-6
4.) New Orleans Saints = 10-6
5.) Seattle Seahawks = 11-5
6.) Green Bay Packers = 10-6
Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games
Byes: Indianapolis Colts (6-3); Minnesota Vikings (4-5); New England Patriots (7-2); San Diego Chargers (5-4); Houston Texans (4-5); Washington Redskins (3-6)
The quality of these six teams really runs the gamut here. The Patriots would be many people's pick for best team in the NFL right now. The Colts are right up there. No team needs a bye more than the Chargers right now.
13.) Denver Broncos (6-2) @ Oakland Raiders (0-8) (4:05 - CBS)
12.) Atlanta Falcons (2-6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7) (1:00 - FOX)
11.) Dallas Cowboys (6-3) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) (1:00 - FOX)
10.) Tennessee Titans (2-6) @ Baltimore Ravens (5-4) (1:00 - CBS)
9.) New York Giants (3-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (5-3) (4:25 - FOX)
8.) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) @ New York Jets (1-8) (1:00 - CBS)
7.) Chicago Bears (3-5) @ Green Bay Packers (5-3) (SNF - NBC)
6.) St. Louis Rams (3-5) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-1) (4:25 - FOX)
5.) Carolina Panthers (3-5-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) (MNF - ESPN)
4.) Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) @ Buffalo Bills (5-3) (1:00 - CBS)
3.) Cleveland Browns (5-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1) (TNF - NFLN)
2.) Miami Dolphins (5-3) @ Detroit Lions (6-2) (1:00 - CBS)
1.) San Francisco 49ers (4-4) @ New Orleans Saints (4-4) (1:00 - FOX)
The "The 2015 Season is only Ten Months Away" Quintro
32.) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8 = 141-151)
31.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7 = 150-245)
30.) Oakland Raiders (0-8 = 129-211)
29.) New York Jets (1-8 = 154-252)
28.) Tennessee Titans (2-6 = 137-202)
All of these teams are completely done. Other than some potential Michael Vick rennaissance performances, I can't even see any of them as spoilers. The Titans will probably back into 3 more wins because they basically never go worse than 5-11 no matter the lack of talent. The rest are all competing for that #1 pick and the right to draft Marcus Mariota.
The "Spoiler Alert Activated" Quintro
27.) Washington Redskins (3-6 = 197-229)
26.) Atlanta Falcons (2-6 = 192-221)
25.) Houston Texans (4-5 = 206-197)
24.) Minnesota Vikings (4-5 = 168-199)
23.) St. Louis Rams (3-5 = 149-220)
None of these teams will make the playoffs, more so because the middle of both conferences are loaded. I guess the Vikings or Texans have some shot, but you really can't see it. By the way, nothing says more about the current NFL than the Rams sandwiching a terrible loss to the Chiefs with wins over Seattle AND San Francisco. Jeff Fisher's team will somehow go 7-9, again. Also, I'm not a believer of the Vikings, even if Peterson does return in a Week or two.
The "This Isn't How it was Supposed to Go Down" Trio
22.) Chicago Bears (3-5 = 180-222)
21.) New York Giants (3-5 = 178-209)
20.) Carolina Panthers (3-5-1 = 177-236)
The Bears, Giants and Panthers are all two games under .500. They all have paper thin units and injury issues. None of the three really do anything well. The Bears have two good receivers, but a headcase at QB. The Giants have injuries everywhere. The Panthers have a defense that alternates between good and pathetic, and a QB with absolutely no one to throw to. I guess they'll win a few games here or there, but they've been three of the more disappointing teams in the NFL this year.
The "I Guess they could Nab a Wild Card, but Realistically, can they?" Trio
19.) San Francisco 49ers (4-4 = 168-178)
18.) Buffalo Bills (5-3 = 178-165)
17.) Cleveland Browns (5-3 = 185-169)
The 49ers offense looks terrible. Something is wrong with that team. Kaepernick hasn't gotten any better, and that o-line has only gotten worse. They should be better. The defense has done valiant work keeping them in games. For the Bills, yes, they are 5-3, but that includes some absolutely ridiculous wins. Their schedule gets a lot tougher down the stretch. The Browns are 5-3, but when this team can easily perform like they did when they lost to the Jags at any moment, it is hard to really believe in them.
The "One Team Going One Way, Three Teams Going the Absolute Other Way" Quatro
16.) New Orleans Saints (4-4 = 227-198)
15.) San Diego Chargers (5-4 = 205-186)
14.) Dallas Cowboys (6-3 = 230-195)
13.) Philadelphia Eagles (6-2 = 234-177)
Two weeks ago, the Saints were in free-fall at 2-4, while the Chargers were 5-2 heading to Denver, and the Cowboys were the toast of the NFL at 6-1. Two weeks later, the Saints look ready to explode, and the Chargers and Cowboys are in dire times. The Chargers definitely won't play that bad again, but there are signs that defenses are playing them better and getting more and more pressure on Rivers. The Cowboys, assuming Romo comes back and stays healthy, will be fine. The real Wild Card is the Saints. If they win all but one game at home (reasonable), they should easily win the NFC South, and host a terrified team that is holistically better than them in the Wild Card Round. For the Eagles, I personally don't think Sanchez will be a viable backup against a much tougher schedule going forward. They need him to play better than he did against Houston to win many games.
The "Who Knows with the AFC North" Trio
12.) Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1 = 194-187)
11.) Baltimore Ravens (5-4 = 240-174)
10.) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3 = 249-219)
I don't really think the Browns are a viable division title contender, but all three of these teams are. The head-to-head will decide all of them, and by that I mean the two games remaining between Cincy and Pittsburgh. The Ravens have the best point differential, but the worst record. The Bengals the opposite. Somehow, Pittsburgh might sneak that division out despite having a home loss to Tampa Bay on their resume.
The "5-3 after Eight Games, Not Leading the Division... That Defines Wild Card' Quatro
9.) Seattle Seahawks (5-3 = 202-174)
8.) Kansas City Chiefs (5-3 = 200-138)
7.) Miami Dolphins (5-3 = 211-151)
6.) Green Bay Packers (5-3 = 222-191)
The Seahawks, Packers, and to some extent, Dolphins have shots at their division, but more likely they will all be Wild Card teams if they make the playoffs. They will be terrifying ones as well. The Chiefs surprisingly have the best point differential of this bunch. The Dolphins are one loose fumble away from 6-2 and being right there for the division (conversely, the Packers are one loose fumble away from 5-4). It will be interesting to monitor if any of these teams can go on a 7-1 type run to end the season.
The "Can the Colts Finish the Tic-Tac-Toe" Trio
5.) Indianapolis Colts (6-3 = 290-211)
4.) New England Patriots (7-2 = 281-198)
3.) Denver Broncos (6-2 = 245-185)
Despite the time-lines not really fitting, there used to be a theory of the rock-paper-scissors nature of these teams a decade ago. It would be Denver playing New England tough, but sucking against Indy, while the Colts would struggle with the Patriots. Now the rock-paper-scissors might be the exact opposite. The Colts get their chance at the rock-paper-scissors in two weeks when they host the Patriots, easily the biggest regular season game of the Luck/Pagano era. For the Broncos, they'll have to hope that like each of the past two years, they can hold serve while the Pats drop a game here or there to get the #1 seed again and avoid going back to Foxboro.
The "These Could be the Two Bye Teams in the NFC?" Duo
2.) Detroit Lions (6-2 = 162-126)
1.) Arizona Cardinals (7-1 = 192-156)
Honestly, these could be the two bye teams in the NFC? The Lions and Cardinals even play each other in two weeks (what a Sunday that will be, with this as the appetizer for the entree of Colts/Pats on SNF). They have the best two defenses in the NFC (Lions best in the NFL). The Lions should have Megatron back which should hopefully fix their offense. Two very good teams, that are excellently coached on defense. Coming into the season it seemed obvious that the five best teams in the NFC were, in some order, SEA, SF, NO, GB, PHI. Well, halfway through, it is unquestionably the Lions and Cardinals.
Playoff Projections
AFC
1.) Denver Broncos = 13-3
2.) Indianapolis Colts = 12-4
3.) New England Patriots = 12-4
4.) Cincinnati Bengals = 10-5-1
5.) Kansas City Chiefs = 11-5
6.) Baltimore Ravens = 10-6
NFC
1.) Detroit Lions = 12-4
2.) Arizona Cardinals = 12-4
3.) Dallas Cowboys = 10-6
4.) New Orleans Saints = 10-6
5.) Seattle Seahawks = 11-5
6.) Green Bay Packers = 10-6
Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games
Byes: Indianapolis Colts (6-3); Minnesota Vikings (4-5); New England Patriots (7-2); San Diego Chargers (5-4); Houston Texans (4-5); Washington Redskins (3-6)
The quality of these six teams really runs the gamut here. The Patriots would be many people's pick for best team in the NFL right now. The Colts are right up there. No team needs a bye more than the Chargers right now.
13.) Denver Broncos (6-2) @ Oakland Raiders (0-8) (4:05 - CBS)
12.) Atlanta Falcons (2-6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7) (1:00 - FOX)
11.) Dallas Cowboys (6-3) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) (1:00 - FOX)
10.) Tennessee Titans (2-6) @ Baltimore Ravens (5-4) (1:00 - CBS)
9.) New York Giants (3-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (5-3) (4:25 - FOX)
8.) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) @ New York Jets (1-8) (1:00 - CBS)
7.) Chicago Bears (3-5) @ Green Bay Packers (5-3) (SNF - NBC)
6.) St. Louis Rams (3-5) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-1) (4:25 - FOX)
5.) Carolina Panthers (3-5-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) (MNF - ESPN)
4.) Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) @ Buffalo Bills (5-3) (1:00 - CBS)
3.) Cleveland Browns (5-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1) (TNF - NFLN)
2.) Miami Dolphins (5-3) @ Detroit Lions (6-2) (1:00 - CBS)
1.) San Francisco 49ers (4-4) @ New Orleans Saints (4-4) (1:00 - FOX)
