The regular season is no more. Its a whole new ball game. With playoff and SuperBowl football in mind, rank the 8 remaining teams with your SB winner at #1 and give brief take if desired.
Jags #8. Poor division. Need more experience. Relying on WRs that have some skills but did not light the world on fire elsewhere. Giants #7. Daniel Jones has shown he’s not the answer. Until this year. Daboll is pretty good. Barkley is pretty stout again. Pass catchers are not high end talents. Thibideaux is coming on but who’s the rest of the D? Cowboys #6. Hate em. Could pull off an upset or two. Inconsistency and record indicate this is where they go. 49ers #5. Rookie QB. They’re due to lose. They’ve been this far. Most of them, but the high flying offenses are difficult to beat week after week. Bills #4. A little too inconsistent. A little too turnover prone. The run game isn’t always there. Bengals #3. Hate them too. Defense is under appreciated. Create lots of opportune turnovers. They’ve been there. Oline banged up. Chiefs #2. Mahomes. Mahomes. And Mahomes. Kelce too. Defense gives it up at inopportune times. Andy Reid does too. Solid in lots of places. Eagles #1. Big playmakers. AJ is a rare talent. Skill guys good. Defense has talent and skill. Can create on both sides of the ball. Have been the best team thru the year.
I agree with 6, 7, and 8 (and probably 5 if they get by the Cowboys - don't bet against Dan Quinn when facing a rookie QB in a playoff game.) 1-4 is a crapshoot. I cannot see the Eagles doing it, but they could. The Bills have not looked good all season, but they have the talent to beat KC or Cincy in the AFC. It is hard to bet against Burrow and Chase in any game. They would be my #2. However, the Texans/I mean the Chiefs, seem to be focused; if they are, they win.
A lot of is a crapshoot. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Cowboys represented in the Super Bowl. It’s actually a solid final 8. Don’t think the Jags or Giants will win, but it wouldn’t be terribly surprising if they did. I probably would have gone Bengals versus Eagles had they not looked so poor versus the Ravens. They were fortunate to win on a play that rarely happens. In my opinion, Daboll leaving Allen is the big difference in the Bills. And a big positive for the Giants. The Bengals D was huge for them last year. Same as the Bucs the year before. Who’s defense is going to step up? Lots of good players still playing but AJ, Deebo and Mahomes are the most enjoyable to watch because they are unique. It’s also a very dynamic group of QBs that can make things happen.
Not big on the NFL….if I watch it’s Ravens. Cowboys are number 2, just because of those helmets, history and they are Texas’s team. Jerry Jones is a douche though.
Each team's current odds to win SB according to nfl.com Biggest vulnerability for eight remaining NFL playoff teams; plus, updated Super Bowl LVII probabilities
Its interesting we always focus so much on tangible football strengths and weaknesses, but so often playoff and SuperBowl winners and losers do so because of less easy to predict or read intangibles... .who is best prepared, who is less distracted, who is most motivated, who knows how to block out negatives, who can manage stress, and whose team chemistry runs deep and is peaking at just the right time. And injuries...injuries and other negatives or distractions play a huge role. Sometimes it is more nuanced factors like weather, or turf, or travel, or a teams plan leading up to the game. All these factors' increase exponentially in importance in a day of parity and less clear dominance. At the end of the day...I still believe the most physical, loose, and energized teams who have the least distractions and do the least dumb things win.
Just quoting myself to make myself feel good. If I had bet and followed this list, I’d be in good shape pending the final game. However I did pick the Bengals prior yesterday. Mahomes was healthier and the D did it this time.