January 3, 20224 yr comment_187903 There are only a few spots left in the playoffs going into the last week. In the NFC, SF is 9-7 and NO is 8-8. SF has to beat LAR to get in. NO has to beat ATL and have SF lose to get in. Odds are in favor of NO here. If that happens, it will 4 out of 5 seasons out of the playoffs for Shanahan who still has a losing record as a coach. I don't get all the love he gets. His offense has regressed from the 2019 to now and technically he has more playmakers. In the AFC, IND is 9-7 and needs to win vs JAX next week to get in. They can still get in with a loss as long as LVR loses to LAC and PIT loses one of their next two. My assumption is IND wins making LAC vs LVR next SNF essentially a playoff game. The winner gets in and a road playoff game against KC lol. Report
January 3, 20224 yr Author comment_187905 The bye is going to be extremely beneficial this year. Right now GB and TEN are in the driver's seats. They play DET and HOU respectively. If games play out as expected, it should be the following: NFC - GB, LAR, TB, DAL, ARZ, PHI, NO with NO at LAR, PHI at TB, and ARZ at DAL for the Wild Card Round. AFC - TEN, KC, CIN, BUF, NE, IND, LAC with LAC at KC, IND at CIN, and NE at BUF for the Wild Card Round. Report
January 3, 20224 yr Author comment_187906 If the WC rounds plays out as expected, the Divisional Round will look like: ARZ at GB and TB at LAR; BUF at TEN and CIN at KC. I think ARZ can upset DAL (already beat them) and IND has a good shot to beat CIN (just double Chase). Even with the Bears out, a lot of intriguing matchups and we could be watching our next HC! Report
January 3, 20224 yr Author comment_187909 Other teams not in the playoffs: Vikings, Chargers or Raiders, Broncos, Ravens, Steelers*, Browns*, Dolphins, WFT, Falcons, Seahawks* and should be 49ers*. The teams with asterisks were consensus playoff teams. The Bears were projected to win 7 games, so are they even a disappointment compared to these teams? Seahawks 12 wins Browns 12 wins Ravens 11 wins 49ers 11 wins Giants 10 wins (LOL) https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/predicting-every-game-2021-nfl-season Bears only projected to win 6 from Sporting News, but how about these: Browns 13 wins Ravens 12 wins 49ers 12 wins Seahawks 10 wins https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-predictions-2021-standings-super-bowl-pick/zntd88pujhap1di9txoklj7hn So just a quick look back and the Browns, Seahawks, Ravens, and 49ers were the clear underachievers this year based on the projections. The Browns will miss their projections by 3-4 wins. Report
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