![]() Week 14-18 Matchups: BYE, vsBUF, vsJAX, Buffalo Bills 7-5 Each are within half a game of New England, roster incredible firepower, and are more than capable of catching the Pats from behind. The Patriots’ main competition for the first-round bye are the 8-4 Chiefs and the 8-4 Ravens. The Pats enter their Week 14 bye and will be well rested for a stretch run containing the 7-6 Colts, 7-5 Bills, 2-10 Jags, and 6-7 Fins. There is plenty of reason to believe that New England can run the table and finish 13-4. Week 14-18 Playoff Implications: Bill Belichick’s Pats are the hottest team in the league – winners of 7 straight and now controlling their own destiny for both a first-round bye and Super Bowl win! Using FiveThirtyEight ‘s season predictions, we can put together the potential 2021 NFL playoff bracket for amusement and speculation. Gone are the days of 13-0 and 14-0 teams resting starters late in the season because they already have the 2-seed clinched. This will create more meaningful games among top teams late in the regular season. Remember in 2008 when the Patriots were 11-5 and missed the playoffs while the 8-8 Chargers got to go? Yeah, that won’t happen now with the current system.Īn added benefit of the 14-team field is that each conference now has just one bye. NBC Sports went back and found that if this current system had been implemented since 1990 – we would have a smaller percentage of losing teams in the playoffs as well as a smaller number of 10-win snubs, which also never goes over well. Those worried that an expanded postseason will allow even more teams with losing records into the field will be pleased to know that this is not the case. It always looks bad for the NFL when teams with losing records sneak into the postseason. Seeds 5-7 will belong to the Wild Cards, of which there are now 3 in each conference. This is the first expansion of the NFL postseason since the field changed from 10 to 12 in 1990.ĭivision winners will receive the 1-4 seeds in their conference based upon their regular season record. ![]() The NFL expanded the playoffs from 12 teams to 14 beginning in the 2020 season. Let’s break down some playoff chances and wild endgame scenarios! NFL Using Same Expanded Playoffs as Last Season We have 5 weeks of regular season football remaining in this the 102nd running of the National Football League. Arizona could lose out, finish 10-7, and still need a ridiculously specific scenario to occur in order to go home without playoff football. It would take miracles for the Cardinals, Packers, or Bucs to miss the playoffs, but no NFL teams have clinched postseason berths yet in 2021. Is it probable? No! Running the table and finishing 8-9 would only slightly improve New York’s playoff chances to “trivial” and “in need of loads of help”. The 3-9 Jets are in rough shape but a path still exists that sees New York into the postseason. Hilariously, 1-10-1 Detroit is now officially eliminated following their first win in 364 calendar days.Ģ-10 Jacksonville and 2-10 Houston are also both certainly on the outside looking into the playoff picture. Three teams are mathematically eliminated from the postseason. Their suite of query tools and team reports make finding betting trends a breeze for both casual and hardcore NFL observers. Several factors determine a team’s shot of qualifying for postseason football – including current record, remaining strength of schedule, health of star players, and strength of division. For each NFL team, I list the % chance that FiveThirtyEight gives of that team reaching the 2021 postseason as well as their first-round bye and Super Bowl equities. ![]() Their NFL Prediction tools are fun to play around with. The 49ers, Steelers, and Chargers are all excluded from the playoff field entering Week 14 action.įiveThirtyEight provides a wealth of NFL playoff odds information and is cited often in this piece. With nontraditional winners like Arizona, Cincinnati, and Washington lined up for playoff spots – some blueblood franchises are going to be on the outside looking in. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Cleveland, Ohio, USA Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) celebrates with guard Max Garcia (73) after catching a touchdown pass during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Cards haven’t had a winning season in the desert since 2015 and are in the driver’s seat to secure a first-round bye. The Arizona Cardinals lead football (10-2) with the best winning percentage through 13 weeks. ![]()
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