Santa is about to unwrap the playoff fate for the entire NFL. In just a few days, we will know the exact NFL playoff matchups, but things are starting to take shape in both the NFC and AFC. The Saints-Steelers matchup served as a perfect picture of the race in our NFL power rankings.
Just seconds before JuJu Smith-Schuster's fumble, it looked like the Steelers were mounting a comeback victory. Now, the Steelers will need the help of Baker Mayfield to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh needs the Browns to defeat the Ravens in order to have a chance to make the playoffs.
While there was no guarantee the Steelers would have won the game, it appeared Pittsburgh was on their way before Smith-Schuster's fumble. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke about the position the team now finds themselves.
"We made the bed, we'll lay in it," Tomlin told NFL.com. "I'll expect us to lay in it very well and perform. We'll control what it is that we can control and that's our preparation to play next week. All other things out of our control, we won't worry much about. Like everyone else, we've had 15 opportunities to this point to state a case for ourselves so we won't lament about our positioning. We'll just simply control the things that are in front of us, and that's next week's preparation and play."
Tomlin is hoping Mayfield can help make that bed a little nicer.
The Road to the Super Bowl in the NFC Will Travel Through the Superdome
The Saints were the beneficiaries of the fumble as it helped New Orleans' secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Playing in the Superdome is a massive advantage for the Saints, and now the team has the opportunity to play their two playoff games at home. The Saints offense is particularly lethal at home making it tougher for the Rams, Bears and the other NFC contenders come January.
Some of the Saints players are referring to it as "Domefield advantage." Saints running back Alvin Kamara spoke about the vibe inside the Superdome and how the team feeds off the energy.
“That’s like we got 13 people on the field because the Dome is that much of an advantage with the noise, with the energy, just the atmosphere that that brings,” Kamara told Nola.com.
The Cowboys & Patriots Clinched Playoff Berths in Week 16
After squandering opportunities in Week 15, the Patriots and Cowboys took care of business in Week 16. Both teams clinched their division and are officially headed to the playoffs. The Cowboys are locked in as the NFC's No. 4 seed, while it is more complicated for the Patriots.
New England still has some work to do in order to secure a first-round bye, but the Patriots sit in a good position. A win by the Patriots against the Jets in Week 17 will give New England a little extra rest.
For the Cowboys, there continue to be questions about the Dallas offense, but the defense is doing enough to compensate. The Cowboys were clicking offensively with the addition of Amari Cooper but have hit a bit of a dry spell over the last couple weeks. We will see if they can get the offense back in high gear before the postseason.
Click the next arrow to see our latest NFL power rankings.
No. 1 New Orleans Saints
In what looks to be a wide-open NFL playoffs, the Saints are as safe of a bet as any team to reach the Super Bowl. The Saints have now secured the NFC's No. 1 seed and would potentially play both of their postseason games in New Orleans. The Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will also be indoors, meaning the Saints could potentially not have to play outside in order to hoist another Lombardi Trophy.
The Saints offense is especially dangerous at home and has a major advantage with home field secured. We are used to seeing a prolific New Orleans offense, but this Saints defense is the best we have seen in years. Combine all that with one of the best running back tandems in the NFL in Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. This team is going to be a very tough out come January. Not to mention Drew Brees is playing as well as ever.
Ingram noted the Superdome is clearly an advantage for the Saints.
“Clearly, with us being in the dome, our fans, our home field is clearly a weapon for us, clearly an advantage for us,” Ingram explained to NOLA.com. “That would be huge. We just got to keep doing what we got to do.”
The Saints take on the Panthers in Week 17 in a matchup that will not impact the playoff standings.
No. 2 Los Angeles Rams
What to make of the Rams heading into the playoffs is anyone's guess. Will we see the explosive Rams offense we saw at the beginning of the season or the unit that has struggled at times in December? Head coach Sean McVay gives them a chance to overcome their recent struggles, but there are serious doubts as to whether the team can return to its earlier form.
McVay believes L.A.'s problems are fixable, and we saw that against the Cardinals.
”I think it’s pretty clear," McVay explained to USA Today prior to Week 16. "It’s not really a magic solution. We’re not taking as good of care of the football. We’ve got to do that. When we do get the turnovers, we’ve got to be able to turn those into points and not just field goals, but touchdowns. Then, we’ve got to avoid the negative plays and we’ve got to create them on defense. It’s a simple solution. Things that we have done at different points in this year and we’ve just got to get back to emphasizing those things and making sure we understand how important they are because we’ve been in a lot of games like what that Philly game was.”
No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs
There may not be any moral victories in the NFL, but the way the Chiefs played in Seattle will help them in the postseason. Kansas City is not without their flaws, but neither is any other team in the league. Patrick Mahomes has ascended into one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Chiefs' loss to the Seahawks means they are still fighting with the Chargers for the AFC West. If the Chiefs can secure the division, they will get a first-round bye along with home field in at least the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The second place team will have to play on the road on the opening weekend of the postseason.
Much has been made about Mahomes' no-look passes, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid noted he has no desire to tame down his quarterback.
"He's able to decipher the defense and kind of know where his guys are," Reid told ESPN. "You've got to put in the speed of the player and all those things. He's able to get that all spit and calculated out in his brain. He's got a knack for it. You heard this about Ted Williams, the baseball player, that he could read the stitches on the baseball. Certain guys have vision. They can see. [Mahomes] does have real good vision. ... I haven't seen a lot of guys do that. I was around [Brett] Favre, who did some amazing things that way and Donovan [McNabb] and those guys. But not quite like that."
The Chiefs take on the Raiders in their regular season finale.
No. 4 Chicago Bears
Bears fans criticized last week's power rankings noting that Chicago was too low. The Chicago faithful could have a point. The Bears have a defense that will travel come playoff time and enough offensive weapons to make them a threat. The key to the Bears success will be the play of Mitch Trubisky. If Trubiksy can play at a high level, the Bears can be contenders in the NFC.
Chicago has a difficult season finale against the Vikings, and Minnesota needs to win to make the playoffs. The Bears can finish no lower than the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Trubisky believes the team has found their footing heading into the playoffs.
“I just think the experiences that we’ve been through have just made us a stronger, smarter team, and more importantly, have united us as a family,” Trubisky explained to the Chicago Sun-Times. “The things that we’ve been through and the experiences in each own game, you take that and you carry that with you.”
No. 5 New England Patriots
For as much as we have discussed the deficiencies of the Patriots, no AFC team is going to look forward to playing them in the postseason. This is not the strongest New England team we have seen under Bill Belichick, but the team has a wealth of playoff experience. As long as Tom Brady is leading your team in January, you have a chance to make the Super Bowl.
The Patriots have officially punched their ticket to the postseason but still have some work to do to secure one of the top two seeds. New England holds the tiebreaker over the Texans. Even though the two teams are tied in the standings, the Patriots would be the No. 2 seed in the AFC if the postseason started today.
Prior to clinching a playoff berth, the Patriots' week has been overshadowed by the latest Josh Gordon setback. Just when Gordon had become an integral part of the Patriots offense, Gordon may have now played his last down of NFL football. Belichick still feels like the Patriots have enough weapons to win without Gordon, including wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.
“Phil’s tremendous,” Belichick told the Boston Globe. “He’s a tremendous kid, great teammate. I think he has everybody’s total respect in the locker room on everything — his preparation, the way he treats other people, how unselfish he is, how he’s always ready for his role. You saw that in the Super Bowl last year. So, I don’t think you could ask for any more than what he gives the team.”
The Patriots take on the Jets in Week 17 as they look to secure one of the top seeds in the AFC.
No. 6 Seattle Seahawks
How good are the Seahawks? As the team proved on Sunday night, Seattle can hang with anyone in the NFL, but the challenge is the Seahawks can finish no higher than No. 5 in the NFC. The Seahawks thrive at home but will be playing all their playoff games on the road.
The Seahawks appear to be on a collision course with the Cowboys on the opening weekend of the playoffs. Seattle defeated the Cowboys earlier this season. The Seahawks have the defense and rushing attack that will allow them to potentially make some noise in the postseason. Prior to the Seahawks clinching a playoff berth, Pete Carroll noted the team had no plans on coasting in Week 17 if they were able to secure a playoff spot.
“No, absolutely not,” Carroll explained to The Seattle Times. “If we couldn’t clinch, we might do what? No. Whatever that is no. We’re going to try and win a football game and we’ll do whatever we can.”
The Seahawks will take on the Cardinals in Week 17. If the Seahawks end up with the No. 6 seed instead of No. 5 they would likely play the Bears.
No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers sustained a disappointing loss against the Ravens making it difficult for L.A. to win the AFC West. The Chargers are headed to the playoffs, but they are likely going to be playing on Wild Card weekend. This past weekend, it was not the prolific Chargers offense we are used to seeing.
Philip Rivers' 27-game streak with a touchdown pass ended against the Ravens. The Chargers quarterback is still confident the team will bounce back heading into the postseason.
“One more game is added to the slate to win the whole thing and it won’t be here,” Rivers told Fox Sports. “That’s all that we know. Today is disappointing, but we can’t wallow in that disappointment very long...We just couldn’t sustain anything for the most part. Our only touchdown was on a short field, off a great play by our defense. Shoot, we just couldn’t get going, so that’s why I say credit to them...If we were going to have one like this, better now than later. It’s a good defense and they outplayed us today. Depending on what happens, we may get another crack at them in two weeks.”
The Chargers take on the Broncos in Week 17 then head into the postseason.
No. 8 Houston Texans
Football can be a game of inches, especially when you are competing against the Patriots for playoff seeding. A late field goal by the Eagles could be the difference between the Texans securing a first-round bye and playing on Wild Card weekend.
Houston entered Week 16 as the No. 2 seed in the AFC and a one-game lead on the Patriots. Now, the Texans head into the final week of the season tied with the Patriots. Unfortunately for the Texans, the Patriots currently own the tiebreaker between the two teams.
If the postseason started today, the Texans would be the No. 3 seed hosting the No. 6 seed on Wild Card weekend. The Patriots would get the first round bye along with home-field in their first playoff matchup in the Divisional Round. After the game, Texans head coach Bill O'Brien credited Nick Foles and the Eagles for coming up with big plays late in the game.
"He's just got incredible instincts, he sees things well, he hangs in there," O'Brien told ESPN. "The football field for him is heaven on Earth ... I think the ball in his hands is the best thing for our offense and for our football team, no doubt about it. I think that all of these games, virtually every one that we've been in this year has come down to the last two or three minutes of the game. Sometimes we've been on top of those games and today we weren't. Give [Philly] their team, their coaching staff a lot of credit. They did a better job than we did overall. They made more plays."
No. 9 Indianapolis Colts
Over the last six weeks, the Colts have wins over the Cowboys, Texans and Titans. Despite their stellar recent play, the Colts needed a late comeback to squeak out a victory over the Giants. Indianapolis still needs a win over Tennessee in Week 17 to qualify for the playoffs.
If the Colts do make the playoffs, they would be a tricky No. 6 seed in the AFC. Colts head coach Frank Reich noted the team used halftime to correct their poor play against the Giants.
“It was passionate by me, it was passionate by some players,” Reich explained to ESPN. “It wasn't screaming and yelling at each other. It was, ‘this has got to be better.’ It was embarrassing. It was pathetic what we did out there in the first half. I credit the Giants. We knew they're a good football team. A dangerous team. I credit them for slowing us down in the first half… I also think that we learned a lesson today. Just because we had won seven of our last eight or whatever it is, and we're playing a team that is mathematically eliminated, you can't walk out there on the field and play like we played in the first half. That's just not good football. And so, really glad that we could learn that and still come away with a win.”
Others noted it was Andrew Luck's calm attitude that allowed the team to mount a comeback. Colts wide receiver Chester Rogers explained it was business as usual for Luck and the offense.
“(Luck’s) so positive,” Rogers told ESPN. “There are times -- I’m not going to lie -- it’s hard because when things go wrong you want to get down, you want to start cursing, but Andrew comes up and says, ‘Lets stick together. One play at a time and lets stay together.’ Having a quarterback like that, having somebody in the locker room it brings everyone together.”
No. 10 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys bounced back after an embarrassing performance in Indianapolis in Week 15. Dallas finally secured the NFC East and a playoff berth with their win over the Bucs. Chicago's win over the Niners means the Cowboys are locked into the No. 4 seed where they will likely play the Seahawks.
Dak Prescott put up modest numbers against the Bucs, but the quarterback's efficiency helped put the team over the top. Prescott threw for just 161 yards but completed 20-of-25 passes against Tamp Bay. The defense continues to be the story for Dallas as they forced a late turnover to help the Cowboys put the game out of reach.
The Cowboys may have a playoff spot secured, but Ezekiel Elliott noted the team has to stay locked in heading into their season finale.
“No, I don’t think so at all," Elliott explained to the Star-Telegram. "I don’t think we can approach it that way. We can’t afford to take a week off. That’s not even an option. We’ve got to attack this week the same way we’ve been attacking these games — it’s must win and we’ve go to go out there and get that win and finish this season off right. We’ve got to go back and look at this game and see what we did well and look and see what we didn’t do so well and we’ve got to learn from it. And like I said, we can’t get comfortable, we can’t afford to take a week off next week just because we’ve clinched our playoff spot. We’ve got to keep working so we’re ready for the playoffs."
The Cowboys take on the Giants in a Week 17 matchup that will have no impact on playoff positioning.
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