The following is calculated assuming that all unplayed games are 0-0 ties. That is assumed to make tiebreakers work out better.
Both Jacksonville and Tampa Bay are win-less no more! Both won against teams that were 4-4 and needing a win to keep in the playoff hunt. Jacksonville's win was more surprising as it was on the road and Tampa Bay was playing a team (Miami) with some major off-the-field issues. Who would have guessed that the only remaining undefeated team would have kept it's "oh" longer than those two especially with Kansas City travelling to Denver this week. Week 10 was a week of surprises although the results left the playoff picture pretty much unchanged.
Starting off in the AFC with the East, the top half of the division was off this week, and as such, the Patriots still have a two game lead over the Jets. With their loss in MNF, the Dolphins are now a game back of New York. The Bills are 1.5 games behind Miami.
Moving onto the North, Cincinnati lost this weekend and currently hold a game and a half lead over Baltimore and Cleveland. The Ravens and Browns are 1-1 against each other this year, but Baltimore has played and lost an additional divisional game, so the Browns currently have the tiebreaker for second having a 2-1 divisional record (versus 2-2 for the Ravens). Pittsburgh is last at a game back on those two.
Down South, only the previously winless Jacksonville won. As such, the Colts still have a two game lead over the Titans who have a two game lead over the Texans who now have just a one game lead over the Jaguars.
As for the West, 9-0 Kansas City had a bye this week and saw their lead in the division drop to just a game over Denver. San Diego is four games back from the Broncos in third, and Oakland is a game back from the Chargers.
The AFC divisional leaders can all be ranked by record. The 9-0 Chiefs are at the top followed by the 7-2 Patriots. The 6-3 Colts are third, and the 6-4 Bengals are fourth.
As for the wild cards, Denver still has the best non-division leading record and controls the first wild card. New York has the best record among those in contention for the second wild card, and so they currently have it. This week AFC's playoff picture is the same as last week:
Moving onto the NFC, there's now a tie atop the East between the 5-5 Cowboys and 5-5 Eagles. Dallas won in Philadelphia when they faced off earlier this season, and so the Cowboys currently have the divisional lead via tiebreakers. The Giants and Redskins are tied for third a game and a half back from the leaders. New York and Washington have yet to play this season, but the Giants have played and won an extra divisional game and so they have the tiebreaker via having the better divisional record (1-2 versus 0-2).
Up North, the three way tie has been broken as only Detroit was victorious of the three this week. Chicago and Green Bay are now tied a game back from the Lions, and since the Bears defeated the Packers in their only match up so far this year, Chicago has second via tiebreakers. Minnesota got their second win this season on Thursday and sit 3 games back from the Bears and Packers.
The top two teams from the South won this weekend, and so the Saints maintained their game lead over the Panthers. The Falcons are four games behind Carolina. And the Buccaneers, with their win, are just a game back on Atlanta.
Out West, Seattle's lead over San Francisco has extended to two and a half games. Arizona is a game behind the 49ers, and St. Louis is one and a half games behind the Cardinals.
The NFC divisional leaders are also rank-able by record. The 9-1 Seahawks lead the way with the 7-2 Saints a game and a half behind. The Lions are currently third at 6-3, and the 5-5 Cowboys have the fourth spot.
As for the NFC's wild cards, two of the second place teams are tied at 6-3: Carolina and San Francisco. Those two faced off this past weekend, and the Panthers won, so they're currently the five seed while the 49ers are the six. Here's the current NFC playoff picture (the same teams as last week with just the two wild cards switching spots):
Looking ahead to the playoff picture after next week, the scenarios in the AFC are a lot simpler than those in the NFC. The Patriots, Bengals, and Colts will all still be leading their divisions after the weekend is over. As for the West, the Chiefs will be playing the Broncos in Denver, and the winner will be atop the division (either Kansas City with a tie game lead or Denver via head-to-head tiebreaker). The loser of that game will have the first wild card. The second wild card will go to the first team from the following list to win: Jets, Titans, Browns, Ravens, and Chargers. If all five of those teams lose, New York will keep the spot.
On the NFC side, only the Seahawks are locked in to be leading their division after next weekend. With the Cowboys on a bye next week, control of the East is in the hands of the Eagles. If Philly wins, they take over the lead otherwise it stays with Dallas. As for the North, the Lions keep the lead unless they lose, the Bears lose, and the Packers win (because Detroit controls the three-way tiebreaker via divisional record and the head-to-head tiebreaker versus Chicago so they only lose the lead in a tie with Green Bay who has the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Lions). The Saints will keep the lead in the South with a win or a loss by the Panthers. Otherwise the division lead will come down to the strength of victory tiebreaker. If New Orleans comes out behind on that tiebreaker, they will be a wild card.
As for the NFC wild cards, Carolina and San Francisco keep their spots with wins (or as just mentioned, the Panthers spot goes to the Saints if they take the divisional lead). If the Panthers lose, they will most likely still keep a wild card spot, but they could lose the spot to the Cardinals (who have a win against the Panthers). However, in order for Arizona to take the spot, the 49ers must win and the second place team from the North must not be tied with Arizona and Carolina unless that team is Detroit (whom the Cardinals also have beaten this year). As for the 49ers, they will lose the wild card spot to the Lions if Detroit falls to second in the North (by losing and having the Bears lose while the Packers win).
No comments:
Post a Comment