Did the
Playoff Machine on ESPN.com. So I got...........
Seeds Denver (14-3) & LA Rams (13-4)
1st round
#7 LAC (10-7) vs #2 NEngland (14-3)
#6 KC (11-6) vs # 3 Jax (11-6)
#5 Buff (12-5) vs # 4 Pitt (9-8)
#7 GB (11-5-1) vs #2 Chicago (12-5)
#6 SF (12-5) vs # 3 Philly (11-6)
#5 Sea (13-4) vs # 4 TB (10-7)
FWIW, I usually select the home team if it is close to even. Especially when it is a divisional matchup.....so what shocked me with the above was 1, KC making it still, 2 Det & Indy don't. Of course, I'm far from Nostradamus. So none of the above is by any means fact. So next I went back to look at the schedules......Detroit has an improving Dallas team & road games vs the Rams & Bears, Chicago being the finale. They have no margin for errors since the currently sit outside the playoff picture as we speak......Indy's is brutal. Road games vs Jax, Seattle & Houston surround home games vs SF & Jax 2-3 vs that run would be respectable, but might keep them out if somebody else gets hot.......KC's sched isn't easy. But the good news is that the hard ones (Denver, Chargers & Houston) are @ Arrowhead while the easier ones (Vegas & Tennessee) are on the road. If they can protect homefield twice, 10-7 might get them in over Indy because of an OT win a couple Sundays ago.......
.....So basically, with so many good but inconsistent teams out there, the playoffs start this week. This isn't an exaggeration. They can't pursue preparation as if they have an margin for error. A loss, or the wrong loss can be the diff between a playoff berth or checking draft lists........
......If Cincy can upset the Bills in Buffalo, they will be in the thick of it. What would follow are 3 home games vs Baltimore, Cleveland & Arizona & one road trip to Miami. A 5-0 finish might be just enough to win the terrible AFC North........
.....Speaking of Miami, they have a chance to put a monkey wrench into a lot of postseason plans. They have the Bucs, Bengals, Steelers & New England after the play the Jets Sunday. They have won 4 of their last 5. & if they win their next 5, 10-7 might sneak them in. Even so, they can affect the race in the AFC North, NFC South, & the Patriots push for home advantage in the AFC.........
......What is Jason Sehorn up to?.............
......Wouldn't it be interesting if the Packers & Cowboys tied for the last spot, after tying each other back in September?........
........Will the winner of the AFC North have a +.500 record?.......
......This has got to be the final season for Mike Tomlin. For the 2nd week in a row, a Steeler defender has basically said they knew what was coming and still couldn't stop it. That's coaching. I don't care how you spin it.......