2014 NFL Predictions Week 15 Update
In Week 11 we said... "with six weeks to go, this is when the men get off the porch and chase the boys away.... to date only one team has been officially eliminated. We'll check back Wild Card weekend."
Not so fast Joe. In Week 15, we have confirmed what we suspected in Week 11, but had to wait and see. Read on to find out... Playoff teams in BOLD.
AFC
EAST
NE - "The most resourceful coach in the NFL." In catbird seat, need to win at home Week 17 vs. Bills to get #1 seed.
BUF - "Schizoid with lots of potential, but which team is going to show up?" Bison stampede showed up, DEN lucky to escape, GB not so lucky, will NE be? Cashed in on Bills tough D. Need to win out and get help for six seed. Nobody wants to see them right now, much less in playoffs. Take playoff futures for next year.
MIA - "Too many turnovers, no discipline, could back into WC with new found D & help." As in years past, when the chips were down, the real fins stood up and took a dive.
NYJ - "The curse of the dynasty dog killer descends on Gotham, just not a good team and Ryan pays the price. Alot of money for nothing." Bye Bye Rex. Chris Rock said it best, "How bad is it? its so bad we would welcome Jay Cutler." There is hope, for the #1 draft pick that is.
NORTH
CIN - "Tougher schedule and bungling Marvin Lewis don't help." Despite being in catbird seat, must be careful, with Marvin Lewis they could still wind up having to buy tickets to make the playoffs. In any event, a one and done.
PIT - "A load of unrealized potential here, late run could get it done." A work in progress with home losses to TB and NO? Really? They are better on the road.
BAL - "Rice scandal hurt, Weak late schedule = run?" Limping along and could back into playoffs, one and done.
CLE - "Manziel could be bigger bust than Leaf or RG3. Should have traded down to fill needs." The bust is getting exposed, which will drop his trade value to zero.
SOUTH
IND - "Tougher schedule this year, need to find some D to go deeper in playoffs. Default div. winner, probable 1 and done." Status quo, one and done.
HOU - "One bad year = + Clowney, great talent base, weak schedule rebound. Fitzpatrick? Meh, imagine what they could do with the Lion's backup QB?" Again, if you want playoffs, deal for DET backup QB.
TEN - "Whisenhunt needs to clean house, at best a .500 team muddled in purpose and without chemistry. QB's Whitehurst? Locker? Go steal a Lombardi Trophy from the Lions." Hoping for the #1 draft pick.
JAX - "2nd most mismanaged team in NFL, should have grabbed known quantity Tebow 2 years back for hometown ticketsales. Some FLA college teams could beat the Jags." Ditto above.
WEST
DEN - "Rebound from SB humiliation?" Need to win out and get help from Bills for #1 seed, otherwise they go to NE for AFC title game where Manning has not faired well.
KC - Lost to da Raiders, that says it all. Probably will cost them a WC, if they get in, one and done.
SD - "Plagued by injuries and inconsistent D play. Need to win out and get help, otherwise odd man out in the West." Road wins @ SF & KC not in the cards.
OAK - "A commitment to mistakes. Most mismanaged team in NFL." Hope is in the air, but they would squander the #1 pick anyway.
NFC
LEAST
DAL - "Plenty of Rom-O, if they find any D in Dallas." Found a running game which helped D. Probable div winner, but still a one and done." Split home and away with Philly. Must win out to take division, then one and done.
PHI - "Kelly's heroes have a lot of O, but no D. Just the remnants of the dog killers dynasty." Blew out Pokes in D on Turkey day, then folded the tent vs Squawks & Pokes. Must win out and get help, probable spectator this playoff season, unless Big D chokes.
NYG - "Jekyll and Hyde QB and team, Coughlin's last stand, everybody has read the Book of Eli, pressure crumbles him." Only question here is, with Jets looking, Giants should too. Who's next coach in NY pressure cooker, Harbaugh?
WAS - "Needs to get over RG3 mistake where they should have traded down to fill needs, just not a good team." Hire me as GM, bench RG3, play #3 QB, get #1 pick, trade down to build, offload bust RG3 to Jets and deal for DET backup QB.
NORTH
GB - "Mr. Rodgers said, R-E-L-A-X, this is my neighborhood. He's right, when they control rock and find D look out. Should cruise to #2 or #1 seed, will be tough at home." Foresaw Buffalo debacle, now in #2 position. Rodgers vs tough D, not so good, should make NFC title game appearance.
DET - "So deep in talent, how long with it take Caldwell to figure out Stafford will never pull this off. Their backup QB is best kept NFL secret. They found D, still stuck on Stafford." Status quo, had to rally @ home to beat Vikes. Win at Chitown and loss in frozen tundra gets #6 seed.
CHI - "Read above, ditto for Cutler and with Trestman making the calls, no one could, not even legendary Montana. New coaching and QB needed." Status quo, maybe Jets would take Cutler and Trestman?
MIN - "Still rebuilding, No D and must find one fast as Bridgewater & Peterson won't be enough. Took a "switching", still not ticking." Hopeful for #1 draft pick.
SOUTH
NO - "Lost what little D and ground game they had. Brees arm and Payton's brains won't be enough. Probable 7-9 or 8-8 default div winner, then one and done." Jekyll & Hyde.
CAR - "Tougher schedule, no surprises. They have D, but 1 dimensional O needs new playbook. One more year of Riverboat, then?" Sink the boat and if they get Harbaugh look out.
ATL - "Weak schedule rebound, alot of O, with a little D they could make a run. No D whatsoever, when does the clock run out on Smith?" Go after Harbaugh.
TB - "Lovie won't make much difference. Man U. players would be an improvement, some EFL teams could beat the Bucs. True, but they did beat the Skins." Big mistake, could be the difference between #1 and #3 pick.
BEST
SEA - "As defending SB champs, every week they are opponents SB. Its tough to repeat." They jelled at just the right time. I expect the Squawks to take care of business in Arizona (vs a third string QB, as #2 QB Drew Stanton, with a knee injury, joins #1 QB Carson Palmer on the bench), returning home to finish strong vs the spoiler minded Rams.
ARZ - "Last year Arians 10-6 group finished outside, not this year. Need to find pass D, more ground game. They do host the 2015 SB, lost QB Palmer for year." Must win vs SEA this week, then @SF. Not likely, but they have clinched a berth.
SF - "Need to change predictable O playbook, Kaepernick must run more and make less mistakes. Lame-O and QB gaffs are killing them." 3 straight L's with loss at da Raiders, buh - bye. Front office debacle, poor ownership, have bungled a winning coach and SB contender into a .500 team. Expecting a massive off season exodus of talent from next years last place team in the West.
STL - "Fisher has a work in progress, without QB Bradford, going nowhere in footballs smashmouth division. This is the team NOBODY wants to see right now, take playoff futures for next year." Will be in the West hunt next year, Los Angele's should snatch them back now.
Playoff Six Packs
AFC
Preseason SD, NE, CIN, IND, DEN, BAL
Week 11 NE, DEN, PIT, IND, KC, BAL
Week 15 NE, DEN, IND,CIN, PIT, BAL
NFC
Preseason SEA, GB, DAL, CAR, SF, ARZ
Week 11 ARZ, GB, DAL, NO, DET, SF
Week 15 SEA, GB, DAL, NO, ARZ, DET
In the AFC: "Outside of a repeat title game with NE & DEN, the other contenders - IND, KC, PIT, CIN, BAL, MIA all have various deficiencies which will become problematic in the playoffs." Status quo, NE & DEN will be tough at home and that should be the AFC Championship match up.
In the NFC: "Although GB's QB Rodgers is hot, their inability to defend the run (#29 rush D), could be problematic. Even with their run game and D still performing, smashmouth SEA have been anything but... don't stick a fork in just quite yet. Given the make up of the NFC playoff teams and ARZ losing Palmer, if somebody doesn't make a statement by running the remainder of the table..." Status quo and as for running the table, with their recent 7-1 streak which involved making a statement by manhandling the Niners, Zona and Philly, that would be defending SB champion Seattle. In any event, Seattle and Green Bay should be in the NFC title game, and it won't matter where the game is played.
Super Bowl outlook: "The winner of the NFC Best will probably win SB XLIX." Despite the #31 passing game, with the NFL's #1 rush D, #5 pass D and #1 rushing offense, you don't need a passing game. All you need is a QB who can pass consistently, scramble when necessary and NOT make mistakes. Seattle reminds me of the 72-75 Dolphins with Bob Griese at QB, nothing fancy, just taking care of business with fundamental mistake free football, as a solid ground game and defense wins championships.
Quite frankly, the Seahawks should wind up the #1 seed and even if they don't, the Arena Football League dink, dunk, flash and pass teams like Green Bay, Detroit, Dallas, Denver and New England will not be able to stand up to the Squawks. It's going to be another ugly postseason watching Seattle asphyxiate and swallow team after team like a hungry python.
And yes, as a Niner fan and Squawk hater, I have my money where my mouth is. I suspected as much prior to the Squawks choking down a Feeble Niner turkey on Thanksgiving. Fortunately I was able to lay off a nice chunk on Seattle three weeks ago to repeat at 7 to 1.
We'll check back prior to Wild Card weekend.
Not so fast Joe. In Week 15, we have confirmed what we suspected in Week 11, but had to wait and see. Read on to find out... Playoff teams in BOLD.
AFC
EAST
NE - "The most resourceful coach in the NFL." In catbird seat, need to win at home Week 17 vs. Bills to get #1 seed.
BUF - "Schizoid with lots of potential, but which team is going to show up?" Bison stampede showed up, DEN lucky to escape, GB not so lucky, will NE be? Cashed in on Bills tough D. Need to win out and get help for six seed. Nobody wants to see them right now, much less in playoffs. Take playoff futures for next year.
MIA - "Too many turnovers, no discipline, could back into WC with new found D & help." As in years past, when the chips were down, the real fins stood up and took a dive.
NYJ - "The curse of the dynasty dog killer descends on Gotham, just not a good team and Ryan pays the price. Alot of money for nothing." Bye Bye Rex. Chris Rock said it best, "How bad is it? its so bad we would welcome Jay Cutler." There is hope, for the #1 draft pick that is.
NORTH
CIN - "Tougher schedule and bungling Marvin Lewis don't help." Despite being in catbird seat, must be careful, with Marvin Lewis they could still wind up having to buy tickets to make the playoffs. In any event, a one and done.
PIT - "A load of unrealized potential here, late run could get it done." A work in progress with home losses to TB and NO? Really? They are better on the road.
BAL - "Rice scandal hurt, Weak late schedule = run?" Limping along and could back into playoffs, one and done.
CLE - "Manziel could be bigger bust than Leaf or RG3. Should have traded down to fill needs." The bust is getting exposed, which will drop his trade value to zero.
SOUTH
IND - "Tougher schedule this year, need to find some D to go deeper in playoffs. Default div. winner, probable 1 and done." Status quo, one and done.
HOU - "One bad year = + Clowney, great talent base, weak schedule rebound. Fitzpatrick? Meh, imagine what they could do with the Lion's backup QB?" Again, if you want playoffs, deal for DET backup QB.
TEN - "Whisenhunt needs to clean house, at best a .500 team muddled in purpose and without chemistry. QB's Whitehurst? Locker? Go steal a Lombardi Trophy from the Lions." Hoping for the #1 draft pick.
JAX - "2nd most mismanaged team in NFL, should have grabbed known quantity Tebow 2 years back for hometown ticketsales. Some FLA college teams could beat the Jags." Ditto above.
WEST
DEN - "Rebound from SB humiliation?" Need to win out and get help from Bills for #1 seed, otherwise they go to NE for AFC title game where Manning has not faired well.
KC - Lost to da Raiders, that says it all. Probably will cost them a WC, if they get in, one and done.
SD - "Plagued by injuries and inconsistent D play. Need to win out and get help, otherwise odd man out in the West." Road wins @ SF & KC not in the cards.
OAK - "A commitment to mistakes. Most mismanaged team in NFL." Hope is in the air, but they would squander the #1 pick anyway.
NFC
LEAST
DAL - "Plenty of Rom-O, if they find any D in Dallas." Found a running game which helped D. Probable div winner, but still a one and done." Split home and away with Philly. Must win out to take division, then one and done.
PHI - "Kelly's heroes have a lot of O, but no D. Just the remnants of the dog killers dynasty." Blew out Pokes in D on Turkey day, then folded the tent vs Squawks & Pokes. Must win out and get help, probable spectator this playoff season, unless Big D chokes.
NYG - "Jekyll and Hyde QB and team, Coughlin's last stand, everybody has read the Book of Eli, pressure crumbles him." Only question here is, with Jets looking, Giants should too. Who's next coach in NY pressure cooker, Harbaugh?
WAS - "Needs to get over RG3 mistake where they should have traded down to fill needs, just not a good team." Hire me as GM, bench RG3, play #3 QB, get #1 pick, trade down to build, offload bust RG3 to Jets and deal for DET backup QB.
NORTH
GB - "Mr. Rodgers said, R-E-L-A-X, this is my neighborhood. He's right, when they control rock and find D look out. Should cruise to #2 or #1 seed, will be tough at home." Foresaw Buffalo debacle, now in #2 position. Rodgers vs tough D, not so good, should make NFC title game appearance.
DET - "So deep in talent, how long with it take Caldwell to figure out Stafford will never pull this off. Their backup QB is best kept NFL secret. They found D, still stuck on Stafford." Status quo, had to rally @ home to beat Vikes. Win at Chitown and loss in frozen tundra gets #6 seed.
CHI - "Read above, ditto for Cutler and with Trestman making the calls, no one could, not even legendary Montana. New coaching and QB needed." Status quo, maybe Jets would take Cutler and Trestman?
MIN - "Still rebuilding, No D and must find one fast as Bridgewater & Peterson won't be enough. Took a "switching", still not ticking." Hopeful for #1 draft pick.
SOUTH
NO - "Lost what little D and ground game they had. Brees arm and Payton's brains won't be enough. Probable 7-9 or 8-8 default div winner, then one and done." Jekyll & Hyde.
CAR - "Tougher schedule, no surprises. They have D, but 1 dimensional O needs new playbook. One more year of Riverboat, then?" Sink the boat and if they get Harbaugh look out.
ATL - "Weak schedule rebound, alot of O, with a little D they could make a run. No D whatsoever, when does the clock run out on Smith?" Go after Harbaugh.
TB - "Lovie won't make much difference. Man U. players would be an improvement, some EFL teams could beat the Bucs. True, but they did beat the Skins." Big mistake, could be the difference between #1 and #3 pick.
BEST
SEA - "As defending SB champs, every week they are opponents SB. Its tough to repeat." They jelled at just the right time. I expect the Squawks to take care of business in Arizona (vs a third string QB, as #2 QB Drew Stanton, with a knee injury, joins #1 QB Carson Palmer on the bench), returning home to finish strong vs the spoiler minded Rams.
ARZ - "Last year Arians 10-6 group finished outside, not this year. Need to find pass D, more ground game. They do host the 2015 SB, lost QB Palmer for year." Must win vs SEA this week, then @SF. Not likely, but they have clinched a berth.
SF - "Need to change predictable O playbook, Kaepernick must run more and make less mistakes. Lame-O and QB gaffs are killing them." 3 straight L's with loss at da Raiders, buh - bye. Front office debacle, poor ownership, have bungled a winning coach and SB contender into a .500 team. Expecting a massive off season exodus of talent from next years last place team in the West.
STL - "Fisher has a work in progress, without QB Bradford, going nowhere in footballs smashmouth division. This is the team NOBODY wants to see right now, take playoff futures for next year." Will be in the West hunt next year, Los Angele's should snatch them back now.
Playoff Six Packs
AFC
Preseason SD, NE, CIN, IND, DEN, BAL
Week 11 NE, DEN, PIT, IND, KC, BAL
Week 15 NE, DEN, IND,CIN, PIT, BAL
NFC
Preseason SEA, GB, DAL, CAR, SF, ARZ
Week 11 ARZ, GB, DAL, NO, DET, SF
Week 15 SEA, GB, DAL, NO, ARZ, DET
In the AFC: "Outside of a repeat title game with NE & DEN, the other contenders - IND, KC, PIT, CIN, BAL, MIA all have various deficiencies which will become problematic in the playoffs." Status quo, NE & DEN will be tough at home and that should be the AFC Championship match up.
In the NFC: "Although GB's QB Rodgers is hot, their inability to defend the run (#29 rush D), could be problematic. Even with their run game and D still performing, smashmouth SEA have been anything but... don't stick a fork in just quite yet. Given the make up of the NFC playoff teams and ARZ losing Palmer, if somebody doesn't make a statement by running the remainder of the table..." Status quo and as for running the table, with their recent 7-1 streak which involved making a statement by manhandling the Niners, Zona and Philly, that would be defending SB champion Seattle. In any event, Seattle and Green Bay should be in the NFC title game, and it won't matter where the game is played.
Super Bowl outlook: "The winner of the NFC Best will probably win SB XLIX." Despite the #31 passing game, with the NFL's #1 rush D, #5 pass D and #1 rushing offense, you don't need a passing game. All you need is a QB who can pass consistently, scramble when necessary and NOT make mistakes. Seattle reminds me of the 72-75 Dolphins with Bob Griese at QB, nothing fancy, just taking care of business with fundamental mistake free football, as a solid ground game and defense wins championships.
Quite frankly, the Seahawks should wind up the #1 seed and even if they don't, the Arena Football League dink, dunk, flash and pass teams like Green Bay, Detroit, Dallas, Denver and New England will not be able to stand up to the Squawks. It's going to be another ugly postseason watching Seattle asphyxiate and swallow team after team like a hungry python.
And yes, as a Niner fan and Squawk hater, I have my money where my mouth is. I suspected as much prior to the Squawks choking down a Feeble Niner turkey on Thanksgiving. Fortunately I was able to lay off a nice chunk on Seattle three weeks ago to repeat at 7 to 1.
We'll check back prior to Wild Card weekend.
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