The NFL playoff landscape, at the end of Week 13

With all the games completed on matchday 13, we take a look at how the postseason would play out if the NFL regular season ended today.

After celebrating an atypical “Monday Night Football“of Week 13 –with intense gusts of wind and dropper passing game– among the New england patriots (9-4) and Buffalo bills (7-5), we took a look at how the playoffs would play out if the season ended right now.

Although there are no changes regarding the 14 teams that would be classified to the playoffs compared to last week, there are changes regarding the order in which they appear:

American Conference

The Pats they established themselves in the first place of the AFC with a tight victory in the first meeting of the campaign against the Bills, with a pending commitment for December 26 in Foxoborough. With that, New england holds in hand the ticket to the rest day at the Postseason Wild Card Round.

The second site is for Tennessee Titans (8-4), provisionally, who did not play because they enjoyed their regular season off. A defeat for the Patriots before the Bills it would have catapulted them to first place in the AFC seed.

The Baltimore Ravens (8-4) fell on their visit to the Pittsburgh steelers (6-5-1), and with that they stopped occupying the first place in the sowing of the AFC. A failed 2-point conversion in the final moments may have changed the story, but for now, Baltimore He has missed the rest day, moving to site N ° 3 of the sowing.

The Kansas city chiefs (8-4) beat the Denver Broncos (6-6), successfully defending the tip of the AFC West. A stumble in the house of the Chiefs I would have left Denver with the first divisional position, momentarily, already KC out of the postseason.

The Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) lost to Los Angeles Chargers (7-5) with what Bolts took fifth place in sowing, and Cincy ranked sixth. The defeat of the Bills at home during the “MNF“Instead, he sent them up to seventh and last place, for the time being.

As it is, the AFC Wild Card Round I would have a visit from the Bills to Tennessee, of the Bengals to Baltimore, and of the Chargers to Chiefs, highlighting two divisional games and, therefore, a third game in the campaign for those series.

The meeting between Buffalo and the Titans is unprecedented in the campaign, but it is impossible to forget the “Music City Miracle“When it comes to these two in the playoffs.

The Chargers they already beat once Kansas city, by 30-24, and the return match will be played on December 16, in THE, primetime. Finally, Cincy beat Baltimore, 41-17, in what was his best performance of the regular season, but the Ravens They await their chance for revenge on December 26.

National Conference

The NFC will not move with the party of “MNF“because they are opponents of the American, so the table is fixed until, at least, the game next Thursday night between Steelers Y Minnesota Vikings (5-7).

The first place in the sowing, provisionally, is in the hands of the Arizona cardinals (10-2), first team to reach double-digit wins this season. That means the Cards they would rest in the first round of the playoffs.

Lower, seconds appear the Green bay packers (9-3), who had a much-needed day off in Week 13, thinking about the health of the fractured toe of Aaron Rodgers.

The third ticket is in the hands of the Tampa bay buccaneers (9-3) after beating the Atlanta Falcons (5-7). The fourth ticket, and last among the teams that would serve as locals in the Wild Card Round, is for the Dallas cowboys (8-4), until now.

Los Angeles Rams (8-4) are currently fifth, and they would be the ones chosen to visit Dallas in the first round of the postseason, a duel that is not contemplated in the regular season. The Rams regained some shine in this Week 13, but the notion of being able to play all the playoffs at home, including until the Super Bowl LVIIt seems really far away today.

The sixth-placed ticket is provisionally held by the Washington Football Team (6-6), which improves one position compared to the previous day. Your flight plan would include for the Wild Card Round a plane ticket for Tampa bay, a repetition of one of the most exciting duels of the previous season’s playoffs. And if that was not enough, Washington surprised the current champions of the Super bowl by 29-19 in Week 10.

Finally, the San Francisco 49ers (6-6) would be the last team to receive an invitation to the postseason, and would be contemplating a trip to the tundra of Lambeau Field. The Packers they already beat the Niners in Week 3, by 30-28.

The eliminated

Week 13 gifted us with the first team eliminated mathematically from the playoff race. The Houston Texans lost by beating to the Indianapolis Colts (7-6), and his 2-10 mark, coupled with the triumph of Chargers about Bengals it means there is no way for Houston to make the postseason anymore.

Sure, we can talk about other teams that are practically eliminated from the contest, in both conferences, but only the Texans they have run out of mathematical opportunity, officially so far. Of course, this list will grow exponentially in the coming dates.