NFL Football: A Look at the Playoff Picture Through Week 14

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In a year of chaos, confusion, and life changes like we have never seen before, NFL football has gotten through the first 14 weeks. Oh, there have been a few hiccups here and there, but it looks like we may see the finish to the 2020 season. In this piece, we take a look at where the teams stand in the chase for the playoffs. I bet that the oddsmakers have been up and down with canceled games and Covid-19 making it hard for bettors across the landscape.

Let’s take a look at some of the teams in playoff contention and those with outside shots.

The Contenders in the NFL

As most of us already knew, the Kansas City Chiefs were going to win the AFC West. The Pittsburgh Steelers are always the class of the AFC North and started the year 11-0 before losing their last two games. In the NFC West, the logical picks were the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams. Neither team has disappointed tied atop the division at 9-4.

The NFC South was there for the New Orleans Saints taking and at 10-3, they are on track to do just that. In the NFC North, the question was could the Minnesota Vikings challenge the Green Bay Packers for the division and it is clear the answer is no.

With Tom Brady in Tampa, the Buffalo Bills and their star QB, Josh Allen, have risen to the top and they look destined to win the AFC East.

The Surprises of the NFL

With Phillip Rivers now in Indianapolis, the Colts were expected to make a vast improvement since losing Andrew Luck to retirement. At 9-4 and 5-2 on the road, they have done just that. They find themselves in a dogfight, tied for the division lead with the Tennessee Titans and their workhorse, Derrick Henry. I don’t think most prognosticators had these two at 9-4 and looking as good as they have to this point in the season.

How bout those Cleveland Browns and their leader behind center, Baker Mayfield? Say what you want about Mayfield, but he keeps maturing game after game and the team is looking more like a winner than they have in recent memory. They may not win the division, but they have a legit shot to do just that with a little help from the Steelers if they fall into a lull.

The Miami Dolphins began the year with Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB and he is always an interception or bad decision away from being benched. Well, it happened, and in came rookie Tua Tagovailoa. He has not wowed us with his passing skills, but he has managed a 95.2 passer rating and over the last two weeks he has thrown for 612 yards. He is also 5-2 in his seven starts for what looks like the possible playoff-bound Dolphins.

The Rest of the NFL

The NFC East is about as bad as a division can get. The leader of the division has played worse than .500 ball all year and the leader of the pack right now is the Washington Football Team at 6-7. They also have the comeback story of the last many years in QB, Alex Smith, who has come back from a horrific injury to keep his team contending. Who will win the East is still a toss-up, so stay tuned on this one.

When Lamar Jackson took over for Joe Flacco the football world was shocked at this kid’s success. But that is the thing about something new in this league. Eventually, you get figured out and teams adjust. They have done just that and Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have looked subpar at times. If they do not get better consistency soon, they will find themselves on the outside looking in on the playoff picture.

We cannot end this article without bringing up Brady and the Bucs. Things started out rough for him and the team but he has found cohesiveness with his receivers. His team is getting in sync with him and realize what they have to do playing with a proven winner. If they stay the course, the playoffs are in reach, and with Brady at the helm, who would think otherwise.

In the End

We will have to wait and see if the Steelers can finish what they started. Can the Chiefs and Mahomes keep playing at this high level and repeat as Super Bowl champs? Will teams like the Bills or the Titans ride their horses to what looks like a possible AFC Title tilt? Or maybe, just maybe, we may see the impossible with the Browns finding lightning in a bottle and making an improbable deep run in the postseason. This is the NFL and it ain’t ever or over until it’s over.