Week 13 NFL Playoff Picture

The Week 13 NFL playoff picture is coming into focus, as Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals gained ground on their three AFC North rivals, the Arizona Cardinals sustained another blow without their starting QB, the Denver Broncos dealt the Kansas City Chiefs a huge setback, and the Philadelphia Eagles special teams roller-coaster kept pace with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

And down the stretch they come…with just four games and four weeks left for every NFL team, the playoff picture has its leaders, its followers, and its stragglers. It’s time to assess each team’s chances at the post-season and see who has the inside track.

AFC Division Leaders	W	L	T	Pct	Scored	Allowed	Net Pts	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Non- Conf
New England Patriots	9	3	0	.750	378	253	125	6-0	3-3	2-1	6-2	3-1
Denver Broncos	9	3	0	.750	361	276	85	6-0	3-3	4-0	7-1	2-2
Cincinnati Bengals	8	3	1	.708	260	247	13	4-1-1	4-2	2-1	5-3	3-0-1
Indianapolis Colts	8	4	0	.667	382	283	99	5-2	3-2	4-0	6-3	2-1

 

Indianapolis is closest to actually punching its postseason ticket and can wrap up the AFC South with a win and a Houston loss this weekend or with a victory when Houston visits in Week 15. But, having lost to both Denver and New England, the Colts need help to sneak into the top 2 and gain a first-round bye. They look to be on track for hosting a game Wildcard Weekend.

New England’s loss at Green Bay in Week 13 drops their lead for home field advantage to a tiebreaker (head-to-head) over the Denver Broncos. Each will jockey for position over the final four weeks, having business to attend to in division matchups to secure their playoff spots and earn the bye.

The Patriots and Broncos will also have a large effect on who secures the Wildcard spots. Both current frontrunners – the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins – face their respective divisional leaders in Week 15, and the Chargers host the Patriots on Sunday. As for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos severely damaged their postseason hopes by dropping them to 1-3 in the division and 5-4 in the conference with a win at Arrowhead in Week 13.

AFC Wild Card	W	L	T	Pct	Scored	Allowed	Net Pts	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Non- Conf
San Diego Chargers	8	4	0	.667	279	249	30	5-1	3-3	2-2	6-3	2-1
Miami Dolphins	7	5	0	.583	301	232	69	3-2	4-3	3-1	6-3	1-2
Kansas City Chiefs	7	5	0	.583	277	224	53	4-2	3-3	1-3	5-4	2-1
Buffalo Bills	7	5	0	.583	264	217	47	4-3	3-2	3-2	4-5	3-0
Baltimore Ravens	7	5	0	.583	328	242	86	4-2	3-3	2-3	3-5	4-0
Pittsburgh Steelers	7	5	0	.583	320	298	22	4-2	3-3	2-2	6-3	1-2
Cleveland Browns	7	5	0	.583	252	245	7	4-2	3-3	2-2	4-5	3-0
Houston Texans	6	6	0	.500	287	247	40	3-3	3-3	2-1	5-3	1-3

 

Meanwhile, the Broncos will also help determine the AFC North winner, traveling to Cincinnati for the Bengals fans’ dreaded “prime-time game” in Week 16. Cinci’s two-game lead in the loss column is key, but with games vs. PIT, @CLE, vs. DEN and @PIT to close out the season, the Bengals will need to perform lest they be overtaken by one of the other 7-5 contenders.

In fact, the numbers above show their biggest threat to be the Baltimore Ravens, sporting a +86 point differential to the Bengals +13. ’s team has an anemic offense and it would not be surprising to see them tumble out of contention with a 2-2 month.

However, to discuss the AFC North and the Wildcard picture, we also need to discuss the NFC South – a.k.a., the worst division in the modern era. Take a look at those non-conference records: Cleveland, 3-0; Baltimore, 4-0; Cincinnati, 3-0-1. Only Pittsburgh, at 1-2 has not fattened up on the pathetic NFC South. In aggregate, the AFC North is 11-2-1 against their “competition” from the other conference. Two games remain: Pittsburgh’s visit to “leader” Atlanta in Week 15 and a Week 16 matchup featuring the Browns visiting the Panthers.

There aren’t enough negative adjectives in the English language to do the NFC South justice.

NFC Division Leaders	W	L	T	Pct	Scored	Allowed	Net Pts	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Non- Conf
Arizona Cardinals	9	3	0	.750	258	224	34	6-0	3-3	2-1	7-2	2-1
Green Bay Packers	9	3	0	.750	380	267	113	6-0	3-3	4-1	6-3	3-0
Philadelphia Eagles	9	3	0	.750	375	285	90	6-0	3-3	3-0	5-3	4-0
Atlanta Falcons	5	7	0	.417	291	299	-8	3-3	2-4	4-0	5-4	0-3

 

Atlanta is tied with New Orleans at 5-7, owning the tiebreaker and the theoretical lead. With each passing week, it becomes more more likely that a sub-.500 team will be hosting a playoff game. We’ll get back to this cesspool in a moment.

The Arizona Cardinals and backup quarterback have lost two in a row. They face a slew of tough division games, including a visit from a desperate Chiefs team this Sunday. Next comes a Week 15 trip to St. Louis and a home game vs. Seattle in Week 16 before closing out on the road against the also-desperate San Francisco 49ers. With this schedule, Arizona may sputter to the finish line. The loss of looms large, as Stanton is a sub-par backup and the Cardinals’ point differential belies major offensive problems.

Green Bay owns the tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Eagles and, at this point, has to be considered the favorite for home field advantage in the NFC. ’s special teams scoring train now owns the clear advantage over their division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, after a Thanksgiving drubbing of the Boys in the House that Noted Football Genius Jerry Jones Built. But with a visit from the surging Seahawks and then a return engagement with the Cowboys, we will surely know Philadelphia’s fate in the next two weeks: a division title and a bye, or back into the scrum fighting for a wild card spot.

NFC Wild Card	W	L	T	Pct	Scored	Allowed	Net Pts	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Non- Conf
Seattle Seahawks	8	4	0	.667	298	221	77	5-1	3-3	2-1	6-2	2-2
Detroit Lions	8	4	0	.667	231	207	24	5-1	3-3	3-0	6-2	2-2
Dallas Cowboys	8	4	0	.667	302	273	29	3-4	5-0	2-2	5-4	3-0
San Francisco 49ers	7	5	0	.583	231	244	-13	3-3	4-2	1-3	6-4	1-1
New Orleans Saints	5	7	0	.417	323	318	5	3-3	2-4	2-1	4-4	1-3
Chicago Bears	5	7	0	.417	253	337	-84	2-3	3-4	1-3	4-4	1-3
Minnesota Vikings	5	7	0	.417	233	257	-24	3-3	2-4	0-4	5-5	0-2
St. Louis Rams	5	7	0	.417	261	285	-24	3-3	2-4	2-2	3-5	2-2
Carolina Panthers	3	8	1	.292	228	331	-103	2-4	1-4-1	1-2	3-6	0-2-1
New York Giants	3	9	0	.250	257	319	-62	2-4	1-5	1-3	2-7	1-2
Washington Football Club	3	9	0	.250	244	322	-78	2-3	1-6	1-2	1-7	2-2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	10	0	.167	220	314	-94	0-6	2-4	0-4	1-7	1-3

 

Meanwhile, the race for the Wildcard in the NFC is simple when compared to the AFC. If the Detroit Lions win their next three, they almost certainly earn a spot. While they must face the Packers in Week 17 at Lambeau, they have games with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and the putrid Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Take care of business, get to eleven wins and let the 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys, Eagles and Cardinals beat each other up before a potentially meaningless game (for both teams and seeding) with Green Bay.

Finally, that Tampa and Carolina BOTH have a chance to win the NFC South tells you everything you need to know about how pathetic that division has been in 2014. Their ineptitude is artificially inflating the AFC North race, contributing to a huge disparity in the competitive balance of the Conferences. Of course, the terrible New York Giants and Washington Football Club are also contributing to the NFC’s stench, but as of today both the Cowboys AND 49ers miss the playoffs, while the Falcons “earn” a berth.

If that happens, count on major unrest (read: Jerry Jones complaints), breathless Peter King tomes, expansion of the playoffs and other steps taken to ensure that no sub-.500 team hosts another playoff game ever again.

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