With four weeks remaining in the 2015 NFL regular season, here’s a breakdown of the playoff picture…
AFC right now
1. Bengals (10-2)
2. Broncos (10-2)
3. Patriots (10-2)
4. Colts (6-6)
5. Chiefs (7-5)
6. Jets (7-5)
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7. Steelers (7-5)
8. Bills (6-6)
9. Texans (6-6)
New England still controls its own destiny due to the fact Denver and Cincinnati will meet in Week 16. And don’t be surprised if the Pats win out against Houston, Tennessee, the Jets and Dolphins. Denver actually has a much tougher final four, including a Week 15 matchup with the surging Steelers in Pittsburgh, while the Bengals might also be hard-pressed to finish better than 12-4. With that Bengals-Steelers matchup in Denver, we’re giving Gary Kubiak’s team the No. 2 seed in our projection. As far as the wild-card spots go, Pittsburgh is on fire and I can see the Jets tumbling. With Kansas City likely to ride an easy finish, the Chiefs and Steelers look like relatively clear choices. That would also give us a great first-round matchup between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
AFC projection
1. Patriots (14-2)
2. Broncos (13-3)
3. Bengals (12-4)
4. Colts (9-7)
5. Chiefs (10-6)
6. Steelers (10-6)
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7. Bills (9-7)
8. Jets (8-8)
9. Texans (8-8)
Yes, the poor Bills just barely finish on the outside looking in. Make that 16 straight years.
NFC right now
1. Panthers (12-0)
2. Cardinals (10-2)
3. Packers (8-4)
4. Redskins (5-7)
5. Vikings (8-4)
6. Seahawks (7-5)
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7. Bucs (6-6)
8. Falcons (6-6)
9. Eagles (5-7)
10. Giants (5-7)
11. Bears (5-7)
I think Carolina loses on the road to the Giants in Week 15 (but if it doesn’t happen then, the Panthers go 16-0). Arizona finishes with Green Bay and Seattle, which I can see being a split, especially if the finale doesn’t carry any meaning. The Packers own the tiebreaker against an inferior Vikings team that is having issues, so they should secure the NFC North title and the automatic third seed. Three of Washington’s final four come on the road (where it hasn’t won all year) and the Giants are the better team in the NFC East. Seattle’s red hot, and Minnesota will hold onto a playoff spot before inevitably losing in the wild-card round.
NFC projection
1. Panthers (15-1)
2. Cardinals (13-3)
3. Packers (11-5)
4. Giants (8-8)
5. Seahawks (11-5)
6. Vikings (10-6)
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7. Bucs (8-8)
8. Falcons (7-9)
9. Eagles (6-10)
10. Redskins (6-10)
11. Bears (6-10)
That could grant us two epic wild-card games.
