Ranking the 12 NFL Teams in the Playoffs
January 6, 2018
The NFL playoffs have finally arrived and 12 teams are primed and ready to make their run to the Super Bowl. I ranked the teams from 12 to 1 with a brief summary of why they earned they ranking they did.
- Buffalo Bills
Let’s be honest, the Bills are lucky to be in the playoffs. All the Ravens had to do was close the game out and the Bills were out. Additionally, poor coaching has lead to Tyrod Taylor being poorly managed throughout the season, and if you do not believe in your QB in the NFL, it is tough to go far. With their Pro Bowl running back, LeSean McCoy, questionable for the game this week in Jacksonville, the Bills are in serious trouble.
- Tennessee Titans
The Titans won a huge game against the Jaguars to make their playoffs dreams a reality. With the rise of Marcus Mariota, people predicted that this team had a chance to make the playoffs. However, with an average defense and an inconsistent offense, this team has limited potential. They may, at best, be able to upset Kansas City, but most likely will be a first round boot.
- Carolina Panthers
This rank may come as a surprise, as the Panthers were a win away from winning the toughest division in the NFL. However, this team just has not looked great lately. The team is slumping and the offense is too. Cam will need to put this offense on his back if they are to have a chance to make it out of the first round or two.
- Atlanta Falcons
Coming off a devastating Super Bowl loss, this team has something to prove. Unfortunately, that same team did not seem apparent during the regular season. Matt Ryan may be the source of this trouble, as his play was not the same this year as it has been in the past. Despite the negativity, I could see this team make a run. Julio Jones showed last year he is unstoppable in the playoffs, and if his QB finds a rhythm they could be very scary to other teams in the NFC.
- Jacksonville Jaguars
This team’s defense has been so dominant this season it has left offenses frustrated and confused. The offense has had a massive amount of injuries, however Blake Bortles at one point in the season was playing like a top 10 quarterback. The problem is this team has lost their last two games and may be entering a slump at the worst possible time. Bortles is not a reliable quarterback and this team will go as far as the defense can carry it.
- Kansas City Chiefs
A team that was once at the top of the NFL has had their highs and their lows this year. The team is on a 4 game win streak and seems to be hitting their stride right at the right time. Nothing too flashy stands out on this team, but they get the job done. Tyreek Hill has broke out this season and rookie running back Kareem Hunt led the league in rushing yards. If this team continues its solid play I see them definitely making the 2nd round and giving either the Pats or the Steelers a tough game.
- Los Angeles Rams
Alright I am just going to say that Todd Gurley deserves the NFL MVP. The Los Angeles Rams went from a 3 win team to the 3 seed in the whole NFC. The rise in play of Jared Goff definitely helped, but the biggest reason this team is doing as well is the dominance of Todd Gurley. He’s at the top of this list in just about every stat there is for running backs this year and has put this Rams team on his back. However, it is unlikely Gurley can carry this team every single week in the playoffs, so unless someone else steps up, an off game from Gurley can send this Rams team packing.
- Philadelphia Eagles
Let me just start by saying how talented this team is. They can play anybody and even blow them out of the water if this team is on. Unfortunately, the Eagles lost their potential MVP quarterback in Carson Wentz. Luckily for them they have a serviceable replacement in Nick Foles, but that is all he is… serviceable. He is not the type of player who is going to lead a team to a Super Bowl. If this team is going to make a run, the team will have to makeup for the loss of Wentz, and they cannot expect Foles to do that by himself
- Minnesota Vikings
This team has been one of the pleasant surprises this year. Their defense has been playing very solid and the offense is rolling too. Case Keenum has played surprisingly well and this team has just played very good all around football. If this team plays well it is possible they could make a run for NFC championship game in a very quiet manner.
- New Orleans Saints
This team has been dominant this year and it resulted in a massive division title. Drew Brees has played very well and the defense has been locking teams up as well. Most importantly, the two headed backfield in Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have been unstoppable this year. It appears they are both on every single game, and in the rare case one of them doesn’t play well, the other steps in and carries the load. Luke Kuechly is going to have his hands full this week trying to manage this near unstoppable duo.
- New England Patriots
The only reason this team is number 2 is due to all the drama surfacing at the worst possible time. Tensions between Craft, Brady, and Belichick are high, thus creating a huge distraction for this team. If the Patriots lose early in the playoffs it will be very interesting to see if Brady and Belichick will remain together in New England and is something that needs to be watched very closely. Another reason the Pats are 2nd on this list is Tom Brady started off the season with only 2 interceptions over his first 10 games. However, he had 6 interceptions over his last 6 games, which still isn’t bad, but not at the high level this teams expects from him. All that aside, this is a very talented football team, which is always a threat to go all the way and could go back to back to win the Super Bowl.
- Pittsburgh Steelers
This Steelers team has been rolling this year. Other than that tight 3 point loss to New England in week 15, the Steelers have not lost a game since week 5. They are hot and hot at the right time. This team has such a high powered offense that no defense has shown the ability to slow them down. Also, this team’s defense is playing solid too, giving up more than 30 points only one time the whole season. I like this Steelers team to make it far, their biggest challenge will be traveling to Foxborough and beating the Pats.
Written by Casey Spilka
