NFL Playoffs 2014-15: AFC and NFC Predictions for Postseason: With just two Sundays remaining in the NFL regular season, eliminations and clinching could happen with almost every remaining game. Soon, the 12 playoff teams will be established and the road to Super Bowl XLIX will be in full effect As of the end of Week 15, the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots had clinched a spot in the playoffs. The postseason officially begins on January 3 and concludes with the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. Heres a look at my predictions for all 12 playoff spots. NFC *predicted record in parentheses First-Round Byes 1. Seattle Seahawks (12-4) Seattles presence in the postseason was in doubt about four weeks ago. Now the defending champions are again looking like one of the leagues elite. If Seattle wins its final two games over the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams, it could lock up the No. 1 seed because of its head-to-head wins over the Cards and Green Bay Packers. 2. Green Bay Packers (12-4) Green Bay is not the same team on the road. That was made apparent as the Pack lost to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on the road. That said, with wins in the final two games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions, Green Bay should lock up the No. 2 spot. 6. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) at 3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) Dallas evened up the season series with Philadelphia on Sunday night, but because Im predicting Philly will win its last two games, and the Cowboys will split, they will finish in a tie. The Eagles would own that tiebreaker based on a better division record. The rubber match in the Wild Card Round would be compelling. Dallas would be ahead of the Detroit Lions in this scenario. The Lions look like a team headed for a disappointing finish in its last two games. A 10-6 record wont be enough to reach the postseason. 5. Arizona Cardinals (12-4) at 4. Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) We know the Cardinals are in, but despite a predicted 12-4 mark, Arizona will still find itself in the fifth spot behind the division winners. Carolina is playing well despite the uncertainty surrounding Newtons availability the rest of the season, per Conor Orr of NFL. With Derek Anderson under center, Carolina still has the leadership to win the lowly NFC South. AFC *predicted record in parentheses First-Round Byes 1. New England Patriots (13-3) Since losing to the Packers 26-21 at Lambeau Field in Week 13, New England has reasserted its dominance with wins over the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. With the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills left on the schedule, the Pats wont lose again in the regular season. Because the Patriots already beat the Denver Broncos head-to-head, they hold the tiebreaker. 2. Denver Broncos (13-3) That 43-21 loss to New England in Week 9 is going to put Peyton Manning and Co. in the No. 2 spot. 6. San Diego Chargers (10-6) at 3. Indianapolis Colts (12-4) The Chargers have lost two in a row, but Philip Rivers penchant for guiding his team to December success makes me believe the Bolts will win their last two games. On the road against the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs wont be an easy task, but Bryn Swartz of Bleacher Report talks about how good Rivers is in the last month of the year. San Diego will get it done and beat out the predicted 9-6-1 record for the Cincinnati Bengals. Indy seems locked into the No. 3 spot. It has lost to the Broncos and Patriots, so even if either lost a game, the Colts would still come up short. 5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) at 4. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) With a win over the Bengals and a loss to the Chiefs, the Steelers can get to the predicted 10 wins. Pittsburgh would have fewer conference losses than San Diego, thus it would get the fifth seed. As for the Ravens, they have the softest remaining schedule. A road game against the Houston Texans could be of some difficulty, but it is certainly a game the Ravens can win considering Houstons tough quarterback situation. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle chimes in. The home date with the Browns has even better prospects for a Ravens win. Baltimore has beaten Cleveland six straight times at home. Look for the Ravens to win their last two and the AFC North. Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #NFL #NFLPredictions #PreviewPrediction
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 17:06:39 +0000
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