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How does the playoff picture work right now?


bap1331

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http://www.nfl.com/p...playoff-picture

Id love to win the rest of our games but even the teams with the worst records are looking to finish out strong and ruin other teams chances of the playoffs (aka Titans and Chiefs).

In other words, we really need to win the rest of the games.

Im not too sure about how the playoff wild card rules work, so the question is:

-Are the Bengals fighting for the Steelers current spot since they are in the same division?

-Who do we need to lose so we can keep our spot? (Assuming things dont work out the next few weeks...)

-Chargers can only fight for the Broncos spot? Not ours, right?

-Titans are obviously going to fight for our spot...

Team #1

Dolphins schedule:

vs. Patriots - Cant believe im rooting for the Pats on this one...

vs. 49ers- im about 75% sure that the Dolphins wont pull this one out...

vs. Jaguars

vs. Bills

vs. Patriots

Team #2

Chargers schedule (this one is irrelevant?)

vs. Bengals

vs.Steelers - Big Ben should be back

vs. Panthers

vs. Jets

vs. Raiders

Team #3

Titans schedule

vs. Texans - Im not too sure they will win this one.

vs. Colts

vs. Jets -Hopefully the good Mark Sanchez shows up for this game

vs. Packers - Packers will be fighting for a spot still at this point...

vs. Jaguars

Last of all, IF we make the playoffs. We would face the Broncos first? Then Texans? or Ravens?

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http://www.nfl.com/p...playoff-picture

Id love to win the rest of our games but even the teams with the worst records are looking to finish out strong and ruin other teams chances of the playoffs (aka Titans and Chiefs).

In other words, we really need to win the rest of the games.

Im not too sure about how the playoff wild card rules work, so the question is:

The Wild Card teams are the 2 teams with the best conference record who didn't win their division.

-Are the Bengals fighting for the Steelers current spot since they are in the same division?

The only time division comes into play is when 2 wildcard teams have the same record. At the moment, the AFC North is still "technically" up in the air but once the Ravens clinch it, they will be fights the Colts and the Steelers for the open Wild Card spots.

-Who do we need to lose so we can keep our spot? (Assuming things dont work out the next few weeks...)

Because you are in the Wild Card hunt, the only game that you can really lose is the Lions game. Other than that, the Colts plays 3 division games and a conference game.

-Chargers can only fight for the Broncos spot? Not ours, right?

As it relates to the Wild Card race, it's up for grabs. The AFC West is WEAK, so unless something epically wrong happens with the Broncos, they will will their division. Saying that, as stated earlier, the Wild Card is determined by Conference wins and losses so they are technically playing for either Wild Card spot.

-Titans are obviously going to fight for our spot...

As well as the Steelers.

Team #1

Dolphins schedule:

vs. Patriots - Cant believe im rooting for the Pats on this one...

vs. 49ers- im about 75% sure that the Dolphins wont pull this one out...

vs. Jaguars

vs. Bills

vs. Patriots

Team #2

Chargers schedule (this one is irrelevant?)

vs. Bengals

vs.Steelers - Big Ben should be back

vs. Panthers

vs. Jets

vs. Raiders

Team #3

Titans schedule

vs. Texans - Im not too sure they will win this one.

vs. Colts

vs. Jets -Hopefully the good Mark Sanchez shows up for this game

vs. Packers - Packers will be fighting for a spot still at this point...

vs. Jaguars

Last of all, IF we make the playoffs. We would face the Broncos first? Then Texans? or Ravens?

It depends on the seeding. As it stands now, the Colts would face the Broncos but this will become clearer closer to the end of the season.

Responses in red.

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The Chargers are out case closed. The Bengals will probably take the Steelers spot. And us? We control our own Destiny.

Not neccesarily. Anything can happen. It's actually a pretty tight race.

Let us look at the next games.

Pitt @ Baltimore

Cin @ SD

NE @ Miami

These could prove to be swing games in a tight race. If the Steelers, Bengals, and Dolphins loose, this could close the gap. While the last wild card spot wouldn't change (it's a tie with a head-to-head tie breaker), the Chargers would be tied with the Dolphins 1 game behind the wildcard race but the Chargers would have the tie breaker of division wins. The thing about this scenario is it isn't overreaching. Also, the Chargers last 3 games after the Steelers aren't difficult at all.

Looking at it, the Colts have the hardest road to maintain their spot.

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Not neccesarily. Anything can happen. It's actually a pretty tight race.

Let us look at the next games.

Pitt @ Baltimore

Cin @ SD

NE @ Miami

These could prove to be swing games in a tight race. If the Steelers, Bengals, and Dolphins loose, this could close the gap. While the last wild card spot wouldn't change (it's a tie with a head-to-head tie breaker), the Chargers would be tied with the Dolphins 1 game behind the wildcard race but the Chargers would have the tie breaker of division wins. The thing about this scenario is it isn't overreaching. Also, the Chargers last 3 games after the Steelers aren't difficult at all.

Looking at it, the Colts have the hardest road to maintain their spot.

Yes necessarily. They're 4-7. They'll lose tomorrow & continue to lose. They suck. That's it they're done

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Yes necessarily. They're 4-7. They'll lose tomorrow & continue to lose. They suck. That's it they're done

You might want to remember 2008 before you talk in absolutes.

Exactly! Any given day, any team can win. The scenario that I used isn't out of the realm of possibility though. If SD manages to find a way to get hot, especially looking at their last games, it will be trouble in the AFC. Another we have to look at in the AFC is most of the divisional titles are wrapped up, so these teams are really fighting for those 2 wild card spots.

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Flacco is horrible and doesn't always make the best decisions, so if I were a player on the Colts I would want to face the Ravens first. The other division leaders all look formidable at this point.

I don't think we can beat any of the top four AFC teams, at least not right now. We still have a lot of weaknesses that good teams exploit, especially on the road. I think the Ravens are probably the least formidable, but that's not saying very much.

If we get to the playoffs, we're playing with house money. Two years ahead of the conventional time frame, and in spite of a lot of adversity. We are NOT Super Bowl contenders. But it will be one heck of an experience for this team.

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I don't think we can beat any of the top four AFC teams, at least not right now. We still have a lot of weaknesses that good teams exploit, especially on the road. I think the Ravens are probably the least formidable, but that's not saying very much.

If we get to the playoffs, we're playing with house money. Two years ahead of the conventional time frame, and in spite of a lot of adversity. We are NOT Super Bowl contenders. But it will be one heck of an experience for this team.

Indeed. Valuable experience and morale boost for the young rookie QB as well. That way if he gets there again next year, he will know how it feels and will be able to perform better (assuming he doesn't this year from pressure or common rookie mistakes).

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I don't think we can beat any of the top four AFC teams, at least not right now. We still have a lot of weaknesses that good teams exploit, especially on the road. I think the Ravens are probably the least formidable, but that's not saying very much.

If we get to the playoffs, we're playing with house money. Two years ahead of the conventional time frame, and in spite of a lot of adversity. We are NOT Super Bowl contenders. But it will be one heck of an experience for this team.

You are probably correct but 9 weeks ago..we were NOT playoff contenders under any circumstances, right?

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Here's a pretty good website you can use to build your own playoff scenario based on different criteria:

http://ca.sports.yah...playoffscenario

Wow, that's actually incredible. Thanks. Hilarious that's it's a Canadian site. :scratch:

I had actually been assuming at this point that the Colts had an easy path to the playoffs, but that really isn't the case, is it? The numbers that I ran on that site show that unless the Colts win one of the three tough games left (Lions/Hous/Hous) than all it would take for them to get bumped would be for Cincy to upset Baltimore - which could certainly happen. Similarly one would think that the Pats have a bye locked up, while actually the Broncos could very well catch them.

The Colts chances may well come down to "do the Texans have anything to play for". Ironic actually.

Of course we're all assuming that the Colts will win the "easy" games, but no games are easy. Going to KC is never fun.

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You are probably correct but 9 weeks ago..we were NOT playoff contenders under any circumstances, right?

Nine weeks ago, no one thought we would be as good as we are. Now that everyone knows who we are (we AREN'T who they thought we were), that's that. And who we are, right now, is a team that probably isn't good enough to win a playoff game, even if we get there.

If we make significant improvements -- pass defense, red zone offense, etc. -- over the next five weeks, particularly in the remaining road games, that's a different story. And even if we don't, who knows? Anyone can beat anyone else on any given day. But I don't think we're as good as the division leaders in the AFC.

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I'd like to make it to round two at least, making it to the playoffs and making some noise is the ultimate goal, I dont want to finish with a middle of the pack 8-8 or 9-7 record and miss the playoffs and be stuck with a pick in the late teens or early 20's especially in later rounds

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Nine weeks ago, no one thought we would be as good as we are. Now that everyone knows who we are (we AREN'T who they thought we were), that's that. And who we are, right now, is a team that probably isn't good enough to win a playoff game, even if we get there.

If we make significant improvements -- pass defense, red zone offense, etc. -- over the next five weeks, particularly in the remaining road games, that's a different story. And even if we don't, who knows? Anyone can beat anyone else on any given day. But I don't think we're as good as the division leaders in the AFC.

You'll go broke trying to predict this team..

I dont think anyone knows how good we are or arent even now...

When the offense is 1/3 rookies....even they dont know..

we could lose all 5 remaining regular season games or we could make the post-season and beat baltimore (our best matchup)

for 11 weeks now.....people have said they know

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