Be very afraid if you see these teams in the NFL Playoffs.
We’re in the second week of December football and the NFL playoff picture is taking shape.
There are some elite teams in the NFL, such as the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, that should be major forces in the postseason. Yet, there are also some teams that no one will want to face come playoff time.
We’re going to focus on teams eight or fewer victories heading into Week 14 who could turn the playoffs on its side next month. The teams are presented in alphabetical order:
Frankly, I’m not completely sold on this team. However, it’s very likely the 8-5 Broncos are headed to the playoffs and they keep getting better. So, this team may be dangerous in a month or so. Of course, the Broncos have to show they can beat good teams. They are 0-5 against teams currently with a winning record. So, that is worrisome heading into January. But coach Sean Payton has this team believing, rookie quarterback Bo Nix gets better every week and they have playmakers on defense. So, there’s reason for opponents to be concerned.
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images
The Texans have been somewhat sluggish this season after they burst onto the scene in 2203. They were a sexy Super Bowl pick going into this season. But they sit at their Week 14 bye a solid 8-5 and likely winner of the AFC South, but they’ve been a bit wonky. They’ve lost to some lesser opponents and quarterback C,J. Stroud has not been as dominant as he was when he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Still, an offense that features Stroud, running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Nico Collins can pull off an upset or two in the postseason.
This is the team to watch the most closely. The Chargers may be close to becoming an elite team in the near future and they could make a big statemen this postseason. In his return to the NFL after a 10-year detour at the University of Michigan, Jim Harbaugh has the Chargers humming at 8-4. Quarterback Justin Herbert is thriving under the stability of Harbaugh’s coaching staff and this is a young roster that is responding to their new coach. They aren’t the same old Chargers anymore and the league knows it. Harbaugh has a strong NFL playoff pedigree from his days with the San Francisco 49ers and this team has a post-season winning formula — it plays defense and runs the ball well. You think the Chiefs would be thrilled to see this team for a third time this season?
The Buccaneers are just 6-6 and are no sure thing to win the NFC South. But if they do get into the playoffs, they could be a test for a wild-card team that will be playing on the road despite probably having a much better record than Tampa Bay. On paper, the Minnesota Vikings are a much better team than the Buccaneers are. But facing an offense featuring Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Bucky Irving on the road in a do-or-die game is not a fun assignment for anyone.
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
The feel-good story of the first half of the NFL season, this team has been shaky of late as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels fell into a lull and the Commanders lost three games in a row before bouncing back with a convincing Week 13 win over the Tennessee Titans to head to 8-5 at their bye. If the Commanders can reset and and Daniels can get hot again, this will be a dangerous matchup for anybody.
