Well, the playoff races just got a whole lot clearer! A little lower in this column I'll cover that specifically. It was interesting to see so many blowout victories this week, by the Patriots, Titans, Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Packers, and my Bears.
Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. Buffalo Bills (10-6) [1]
2. New England Patriots (10-6) [5] : HUGE blowout victory for the Patriots!
3. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) [2] : Tough loss that takes them out of the race for the top seed in the NFC
4. Tampa Bay Bucs (12-4) [3] : They should have done much better against the lowly Jets
5. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) [4] : They couldn't hold back the surging Bengals
6. Green Bay Packers (13-3) [9] : Now THAT looks like a Number One seed!
7. Los Angeles Rams (12-4) [6] : Great comeback, but it shouldn't have gotten to that point
8. Arizona Cardinals (11-5) [8]
9. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) [10] : Talk about capturing the division in style!
10. Indianapolis Colts (9-7) [7] : Now fighting for a playoff spot they could have clinched
11. Tennessee Titans (11-5) [12] : Captured the division
12. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) [11]
13. San Francisco 49ers (9-7) [13]
14. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7) [18]
Divisional Rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC West [1] : Far and away the best
2. AFC East [2]
3. AFC West [3] : Three big wins this weekend
4 (tie). NFC East [4] : This division gives us two playoff teams, leading off a 3-way tie!
4 (tie). AFC North [5] : This division has the tightest collection of records, making it the most competitive from top to bottom
4 (tie). NFC South [5]
7. NFC North [8] : And look who escapes the cellar, and they have leapt quite a bit ahead of #8
8. AFC South [7] : With the Colts in danger of missing the playoffs, this division has fallen
Divisional and Playoff Races
As I stated at the top of this column, this race has gotten easier. There are only three playoff spots unclaimed, and one will be gained by the winner of Sunday night's contest between the Chargers and Raiders. Thus, technically, there are challenges for only two playoff spots. The other AFC hole can be owned by the Colts; if they win, they're in. If they lose and Pittsburgh wins, the Steelers reach the playoffs. If they both lose, that means the Ravens win. If the Dolphins lose, the Ravens capture the spot. If the Dolphins WIN and the Colts and Steelers both lose, then BOTH teams playing in the Sunday night game (Chargers and Raiders) clinch playoff spots. Whew! Everybody got that?
Fortunately, the NFC spots are much simpler. If the 49ers win OR the Saints lose, the 49ers are in. If the 49ers lose AND the Saints win, they clinch.
Most of the division races solidified in Week 17. Only two races remain contested, one in the AFC and one in the NFC. The AFC division is the East, where both the Bills and Patriots sit atop the division. The Bills have the tiebreaker, so if they win OR the Patriots lose, the Bills clinch the division. In the NFC, it's the South up for grabs. There, the Rams lead by a game, but the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker. Thus, the Rams clinch by winning or having the Seahawks lose. If the Rams lose and the Seahawks win, they capture the crown.
Seeding gets a bit more complicated. Let's just focus on the top spot in the AFC. Tennessee captures the top seed if they win. If they lose and the Chiefs win, the Chiefs are Number One. If both the Titans and Chiefs lose, then it gets more fun, as it depends upon the AFC East winner. If the Bills win the division, they CANNOT get the top seed. Thus, Cincy gets the top spot if Tennessee and KC lose and the Bengals win. If all three lose, then the Titans have it. Now, if the Patriots win the AFC East, they CAN capture the top spot. They would gain it if the Titans and Chiefs both lose.
The Packers have clinched the Number One seed in the NFC, so let's look at the other seeds. The Rams get #2 if they win. The next in line is Tampa Bay, who gets #2 if they win and the Rams lose. The Cowboys capture the #2 spot if they win AND BOTH the Bucs and Rams lose.
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