Let The Playoff Analysis Begin!

By Brett | Permalink | 1 comment | November 29th, 2006 | Trackback

We were going to start this post with a mention of how the Broncos have made a QB switch, and are hoping to ride Jay Cutler (figuratively) to the playoffs. We did the perfunctory Jay Cutler image search, and this little doozy is what came up. So there you have it. Jay Cutler. Rookie QB. Laser Rocket Arm. Greased up bodybuilder.

Anyway, this is about the time of year when all the talking heads start pouring over all the different potential playoff scenarios. While we’re not going to go into mindnumbing detail on tiebreakers, division records, conference records, etc., we kinda want in on the act.

So, without further ado, here’s our first not-very-scientific playoff analysis:

AFC East

• Who’s going? The Pats are going to win this division, and enter the playoffs as the 3 or 4 seed.
• Who’s got a shot? Amazingly, at 6-5 and with an easy schedule down the stretch, the Jets actually have a shot at earning a wild card berth. If they were in the NFC, they’d probably be winning their divsion right now.
• Who’s the spoiler? Both Miami and Buffalo are playing very good ball right now. Both of these fit the “they’re not gonna make the playoffs, but you don’t want to play them in December” billing.
• Who should be going, but won’t? Miami. This team has a ton of talent, and they’ve finally started to show it. They just came on a little too late.

  AFC North

• Who’s going? Baltimore. The defense looks every bit as good as they did in 2000 when they won the Super Bowl, and Brian Billick finally (!) has the offense playing well. This team is going to be a tough out in the playoffs.
• Who’s got a shot? Cincinnati has finally started playing some defense, after getting embarrassed by the Chargers a few weeks back. They’re 6-5, and still have Baltimore, Indy, and Denver on the schedule, along with Oakland and Pittsburgh. Even if they go 3-2, they’ll still probably need some tie-breaker love to get in. Consider the Bengals a longshot at this point.
• Who’s the spoiler? Guess we’ve gotta go with the Steelers, since the wheels are coming off in Cleveland.
• Who should be going, but won’t? That’s easy. Has a team every had a larger fall from grace than this year’s Steelers? Rough season in Pittsburgh.
  

  AFC South

• Who’s going? The Colts. The Colts have the inside track on homefield advantage in the AFC, which, ostensibly, is what they need to get to the Super Bowl. Didn’t help them much last year, though. Even if they do get homefield, the Pats, Chargers, and Ravens all the defensive personnel and schemes to beat Peyton Manning. Bottom line, though, the Colts are going to be a factor again in January.
• Who’s got a shot? Jacksonville, we guess. Their schedule down the stretch is brutal –Miami, Indy, Tennessee, New England, and Kansas City. At least they don’t have to play Houston again.
• Who’s the spoiler? Tennessee. Just ask the Giants. The Titans aren’t a real good team, but they have some young, talented players. Plus, you know Jeff Fisher won’t let these guys mail it in.
• Who should be going, but won’t? Jacksonville. At the end of the season, they’ll be able to point to three winnable games –the two losses to Houston, and last week’s game against Buffalo– that kept them out of the playoffs.
  
  AFC West

• Who’s going? The Chargers. The defense is getting some of its studs back, and they have the most potent offense in the league. This is a team that could beat the Colts in Indy, and has a great shot at going to the Super Bowl.
• Who’s got a shot?Kansas City and Denver are both 7-4, and both have relatively tough schedules over the next five weeks. They seem to be teams going in opposite directions, tough. The Chiefs have been letting Larry Johnson do the heavy lifting, their defense has been playing well, and Trent Green is healthy again. The Broncos, on the other hand, haven’t been able to find any consistency in the backfield, their defense came down to earth in November, and they’re going to finish out the season with a rookie QB. With those things in mind, we don’t like Denver’s chances.
• Who’s the spoiler? Oakland. Just kidding.
• Who should be going, but won’t Denver. The tough schedule and rookie QB are going to combine to derail the Broncos. We predict they’ll finish out at 9-7, which won’t be quite good enough in the AFC.

  With five weeks of regular season play to go, this is who we’ve got going to the playoffs from the AFC*: New England, Indy, Baltimore, and San Diego as the division winners, and KC and New York as the wild cards.

  NFC playoff analysis coming up tomorrow.

  *Subject to change at any time.

  
  
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