There’s no doubt Ravens are king of hill
Look for surprising Vikings, Titans to take division titles
Monday night provided a clarifying moment in the NFL season. The Baltimore Ravens established themselves as the league’s best team, with an offense that may be remembered for all time for the brutal artistry of its design and the incandescence of Lamar Jackson. The Los Angeles Rams dropped further away from the league’s elite and will likely spend January at home, missing the playoffs a year after reaching the Super Bowl.
You can find the latest league standings on B4, but how will they look when the regular season ends? Here is how we think the playoff field will shake out.
NFC
How they will finish (with current record and remaining schedules):
1. San Francisco 49ers, 10-1: at Ravens, at Saints, Falcons, Rams, at Seahawks
2. Minnesota Vikings, 8-3: at Seahawks, Lions, at Chargers, Packers, Bears
3. New Orleans Saints, 9-2: at Falcons, 49ers, Colts, at Titans, at Panthers
4. Dallas Cowboys, 6-5: Bills, at Bears, Rams, at Eagles, Redskins
5. Seattle Seahawks, 9-2: Vikings, at Rams, at Panthers, Cardinals, 49ers
6. Green Bay Packers, 8-3: at Giants, Redskins, Bears, at Vikings, at Lions
In the hunt: Philadelphia Eagles, 5-6: at Dolphins, Giants, at Redskins, Cowboys, at Giants
Hanging on: Los Angeles Rams, 6-5
Not happening: Carolina Panthers (5-6), Chicago Bears (5-6), New York Giants (2-9), Washington Redskins (2-9), Detroit Lions (3-71), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7), Atlanta Falcons (3-8), Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1)
The NFC field is basically decided aside from the NFC East champion, which will likely come down to a Week 16 meeting in Philadelphia between the Eagles and Cowboys. The Eagles have the easier schedule and play that game at home, but the Cowboys are better and have a one-game edge, with a victory over Philly in hand.
Coming off a bye, the Vikings could surprise the Seahawks in Seattle. If they do, and the 49ers beat the Saints, they could find themselves in line for a first-round bye. They’ll have to win in Green Bay, but the Vikings have a more complete team so long as Kirk Cousins can continue making competence, as opposed to disaster, his performance floor.
AFC
How they will finish: 1. Baltimore Ravens, 9-2: 49ers, at Bills, Jets, at Browns, Steelers
2. New England Patriots, 10-1: at Texans, Chiefs, at Bengals, Bills, Dolphins
3. Tennessee Titans, 6-5: at Colts, at Raiders, Texans, Saints, at Texans
4. Kansas City Chiefs, 7-4: Raiders, at Patriots, Broncos, at Bears, Chargers
5. Buffalo Bills, 8-3: at Cowboys, Ravens, at Steelers, at Patriots, Jets
6. Houston Texans, 7-4: Patriots, Broncos, at Titans, at Bucs, Titans In the hunt: Oakland Raiders, 6-5: at Chiefs, Titans, Jaguars, at Chargers, at Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-5: Browns, at Cardinals, Bills, at Jets, at Ravens
Indianapolis Colts, 6-5:
Titans, at Bucs, at Saints, Panthers, at Jaguars
Cleveland Browns, 5-6: at Steelers, Bengals, at Cardinals, Ravens, at Bengals
Not happening: Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7), Los Angeles Chargers (4-7), Denver Broncos (3-8), New York Jets (4-7), Dolphins (2-9), Bengals (0-11)
The Titans control their fate to an extreme degree. In their last five games, they play the divisionleading Texans twice and face the Colts and Raiders, two of their primary wild card challenges. Given the way they’re playing, that’s a good thing. The Titans have gone 4-1 and averaged 29.4 points since Ryan Tannehill replaced Marcus Mariota, and Derrick Henry and a good defense is a solid cold-weather recipe. They’re a threat not only to emerge from the 6-5 pileup to win a wild card, but to steal the AFC South.
The Browns, riding a four-game winning streak, have a real chance to make a run, with a pair of meetings against the
Bengals. But they won’t beat the Ravens, and a trip to Arizona could be treacherous.