Cards, Ravens lead crunch
If the NFL playoffs started today, Baltimore and Arizona would have home-field advantage in the AFC and NFC. They would earn first-round byes. December is the start of crunch time when playoff contenders are separated from pretenders.
In the AFC, the seeding order would be Baltimore, New England (9-4), Tennessee (8-4), Kansas City (7-4), Cincinnati (7-4), Buffalo (7-4) and the Los Angeles Chargers (6-5).
Five AFC teams without losing records would be on the outside looking in: Denver (6-5), Las Vegas (6-5), Indianapolis (6-6), Cleveland (6-6) and Pittsburgh (5-5-1).
Seeding in the NFC would be Arizona, Green Bay (9-3), Tampa Bay (8-3), Dallas (7-4), the Rams (7-4), San Francisco (6-5) and Washington (5-6).
Chasing Washington for the last playoff spot would be five teams with losing records: Minnesota (5-6), Atlanta (5-6), New Orleans (5-6), Philadelphia (5-7) and Carolina (5-7).
Even though they stand at the forefront of their conferences this week, the Ravens and Cardinals could have problems securing the top seeds.
The Ravens (8-3), who have won six games by six or fewer points, have been struggling to score recently. They’re 3-2 in their last five games, and only once have they scored more than 17 points.
The Ravens have averaged 14 points in their last three games. They were able to overcome Lamar Jackson’s four interceptions to defeat Cleveland 16-10 on Sunday.
Baltimore’s remaining schedule is tough: at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Green Bay, at Cincinnati, Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh.
If the Ravens survive that schedule to stay on top of the AFC, they should be well-prepared for the playoffs.
Arizona (9-2) has the league’s best winning percentage. The Cardinals have won two of their last three games without injured quarterback Kyler Murray and receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
The Cardinals are coming off their open date. Murray and Hopkins are expected to play in their next game at Chicago.
The Cardinals’ schedule: at Chicago, Rams, at Detroit, Indianapolis, at Dallas, Seattle.
The Cardinals won their road game against the Rams and swept the 49ers. Barring a collapse, they should win the NFC West by a comfortable margin.
The Cardinals have the Packers breathing down their necks, and Arizona can’t afford to finish with the same record as Green Bay. The Packers beat them to earn the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Teams like to be on a roll going into crunch time. The Patriots are the hottest team in the NFL, with a six-game winning streak going into their Monday night game at Buffalo.
In that winning streak, they’ve averaged 35.2 points a game, and they’re doing it with rookie quarterback Mac Jones, the runaway favorite to be voted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
New England’s schedule: at Buffalo, at Indianapolis, Buffalo, Jacksonville, at Miami.
If the Patriots win the AFC East over the Bills, Bill Belichick could win NFL Coach of the Year for the first time. His chief competition should come from Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury.
Nobody wants to play New England or Kansas City. The Chiefs have a four-game winning streak to lead the AFC West. They’re not doing it because of quarterback Patrick Mahomes as much as they have a defense that has allowed 11.7 points during the winning streak.
If the Chiefs continue to play terrific defense, they’ll compete for a third consecutive Super Bowl. Their schedule: Denver, Las Vegas, at the Chargers, Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati, at Denver.
No Kansas City opponent currently has a losing record, and all are competing for the playoffs.
No team has been hit harder with injuries than the Titans, who have lost consecutive games to the Texans and Patriots.
Running back Derrick Henry and receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are on injured reserve. Brown and Jones are expected back.
Tennessee’s schedule: Jacksonville, at Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Miami, at Houston.
In the NFC, the Packers would like to come off their open date and overtake the Cardinals. Cheeseheads everywhere are worried about quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ toe injury.
At some point after their off week, the Packers will get back three of their best players who have been injured — offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, defensive end Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Jaire Alexander.
The Packers’ schedule: Chicago, at Baltimore, Cleveland, Minnesota, at Detroit.
Tampa Bay is the third seed in the NFC behind the Cardinals and Packers. At this time last year, the Bucs were about to be 7-5, causing a lot of hand wringing about Bruce Arians’ offense and Tom Brady’s ability to run it the way his head coach demanded.
Then the Bucs won their last eight games, including four in the playoffs, and defeated Kansas City 31-9 in Super Bowl LV.
This season, Brady is at it again, helping the Bucs score at least 30 points six times.
Tampa Bay’s schedule: at Atlanta, Buffalo, New Orleans, at Carolina, at Jets, Carolina.
The Cowboys are the fourth seed in the NFC, but they’ve lost three of four and two in a row. Their schedule: at New Orleans, at Washington, at the Giants, Washington, Arizona, at Philadelphia.
The Rams have a three-game losing streak, and the 49ers have a three-game winning streak that’s left them one game behind Los Angeles.
The Rams have struggled since trading for defensive end Von Miller and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and losing receiver Robert Woods to a season-ending knee injury.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been so inconsistent lately he’s making fans wonder if he’s playing hurt or reverting to his Detroit days.
The Rams’ schedule: Jacksonville, at Arizona, Seattle, at Minnesota, at Baltimore, San Francisco.
The 49ers have averaged 31.6 points in their three-game winning streak. They’ve won four of their last five. They’re running the ball with a vengeance, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is managing the offense the way coach Kyle Shanahan prefers him to.
The 49ers play four of their last six on the road. Their schedule: at Seattle, at Cincinnati, Atlanta, at Tennessee, Texans, at Rams.
Based on what could happen as teams jockey for playoff positions, December really is the most wonderful time of the year for NFL fans.