The Chiefs is the first team in the AFC. The Steelers are North Asian champions. Seahawks are NFC West Champions. NFC East will drop to Week 17. The two giants can snatch AFC South early Sunday night in Green Bay. This is the tally of early Sunday’s matches in the knockout race.
Here it is complete Postseason look And resolve the scenarios ahead, along with the analysis from ESPN Soccer Strength Index (FPI), after early matches on Sunday afternoon.
Note: X denotes the team that clinched the play-off platform, Y denotes the team that clinched its division, and Z denotes the team that won a match in the first round.
Go to: AFC | NFC
Asian Football Confederation
It doesn’t matter how it happens as long as it happens, does it? The Chiefs snatched the top seeders in the AFC and home stadiums during the qualifiers on Sunday, although they were on alert for most of the match. Ultimately they won when they kicked the Falcons Pro Bowl Yongho koo Missed what would have been a 39-yard field target with 9 seconds remaining.
The Chiefs will have the only match in the first round of AFC, and their next match on the road will be either in the Super Bowl or in the 2021 season.
Remaining table: Chargers charge
The Steelers knocked out their extended funk at the end of the first half of Sunday’s match against Colts, retrieving back from a three-time delay to win and snatch North Asia. They temporarily moved into second place, and will stay there at Week 17 if the bills lose Monday night to the Patriots.
Remaining table: In the browns
The Bills’ win in Week 15 in Denver did the trick, making them East Asian champions for the first time since Jim Kelly was the midfielder in the beginning. On Sunday they discovered, however, that they would not be able to outrun the bosses in first place overall.
In terms of finishing second, they have a breakthrough with the Steelers. Generally, the bills are spotty. They have won seven of their last eight matches, and only lost when the Cardinals called Hell Mary in Week 10. But Pittsburgh has the advantage for now with their beating Colts on Sunday.
Remaining table: The Patriots versus the dolphins
The Giants could win the South Asian Football Championship by winning Sunday night at Green Bay, thanks to the Colts’ loss to the Steelers. The game will be played in snowy conditions at Lambeau Field and should be fun. Titans currently have a 94% chance of making the qualifiers, per FPI.
Remaining table: In the Packers, in Texas
The Dolphins scored one of the season’s most dramatic and meaningful wins on Saturday night, and maintained their place in the top seven in the AFC by beating the Raiders. Ryan FitzpatrickIt might not only push the dolphins back into the playoffs, but they could also hold up against the Browns or any other qualified team.
Dolphins cannot win at Week 16, but a victory in Week 17 over Bells will, as will losing Crows, Browns or Colts. Miami has an 83% chance of wrapping up a berth, per FPI.
Remaining table: In Bells
Sunday’s victory over the Giants, along with Brown’s loss to the planes, pushed the Ravens once more into the tipping point. They have now won four games in a row and are not a team anyone in the AFC would look forward to playing. To win post-season status, all they need to do is win Cincinnati in Week 17. They will also enter if Brown or the Colts lose. All in all, the FPI says Baltimore has a 93% chance of getting it done.
Remaining table: In Bengals
Brown’s Sunday loss to the jets was also, well, Brown. By playing a depleted roster due to the COVID-19 protocols, they lost out to a single-win team and stuck to their playoff chances by a thread.
They have a head-to-head tiebreak against the Colts and can clinch a playoff spot at Week 17 by beating the Steelers at home. They can also win if the Colts lose, or this combination: the Giants lose the last two matches, while the Ravens, Colts and Dolphins win at Week 17. The FPI gives him a 54% chance.
Remaining table: Opposite the Steelers
Still on the hunt for the AFC
Indianapolis Colts (10-5): Sunday’s collapse in Pittsburgh leaves Colts out – but is not left out of – the playoff picture, thanks to the tiebreakers’ drawbacks of Titans, Browns and Dolphins. They will need help at Week 17 to secure a place for them. First, they need to win. After that, they need either to be lost by the Titans in the last two matches, or lost to Week 17 by the Crows, Browns, or Dolphins. It sounds like a lot, but the FPI is giving Colts a 77% chance of the qualifiers.
NFC
The Packers wouldn’t be able to grab the NFC number 1 on Sunday night even if they beat the Titans at home, because both the Saints and Seahawks won at Week 16. But regardless of what happens on Sunday night, the Packers will be NFC’s number 1 NFC stub if they beat On the bears at week 17.
Remaining table: Against the Titans, in Beers
The Saints clinched the NFC South Championship for the fourth time in a row with their wild win Friday over the Vikings. The question now is whether they will be able to jump the Packers to first place in the conference. The simplest way to do this is to beat the Panthers at Week 17 and have the pack players lose their last two matches; FPI gives approximately 10% chance of occurrence.
Remaining table: In Panthers
Seahawks snatched NFC West with their Sunday win over the Rams. They are not yet disqualified from the race for the NFC number one, but they will need to beat 49 players in Week 17 and also lose the Firms and Saints in Week 17. This is unlikely, but it’s also not out of the question.
Remaining table: At the 49ers
After 16 weeks of brutality, the NFC East title would drop to Week 17. Washington would win it if it beat the Eagles. If not, the winner of the Week 17 match between the Giants and the Cowboys would win the division. FPI made Washington the 58% favorite for taking NFC East.
And yes, that means a team below 0.500 will officially win the division one way or the other. Yuk. This has only happened twice in the Super Bowl era: 2014 Panthers (7-8-1) and 2010 Seahawks (7-9).
Remaining table: In eagles
Bucs clinched a playoff match on Saturday by crushing the Lions, but Friday’s victory eliminated the Saints from the NFC Southern title race. Regardless, the pirates should be able to snatch the fifth-seeded NFC playoffs next weekend by beating Atlanta.
Remaining table: Hawks versus
The Rams failed to grab an extension berth this weekend by losing to the Seahawks. They would now need either a win at Week 17 or a loss by the bears to do so. If they lose and the Bears win, they will miss out on post-season after entering Week 16 with a 96.2% chance of making the playoffs, per FPI. (This number has decreased to 89%).
Remaining table: Versus cardinals
Sunday’s victory at Jacksonville, after the Cardinal’s loss on Saturday to 49 players, brought the Bears to the brink of an unlikely playoff match. They will either need to defeat the Packers at Week 17 or the Cardinals lose to the Rams in order to secure their place after the season. The FPI says there is a 77% chance that Chicago will play soccer after the season.
Remaining table: Packers vs.
Still in the NFC hunt
Arizona Cardinals (8-7): Saturday’s loss to the 49ers left the Cardinal in need of help to enter the qualifiers. They would need to win at week 17 and lose bears to do so (34% chance per FPI).
Dallas Cowboys (6-9): The Cowboys could win at NFC East if they beat the Giants at Week 17 and Washington lost to the Eagles. Among the still-surviving teams, Dallas had the lowest FPI playoff odds at 15%.
New York Giants (5-10): Likewise, the Giants could win at NFC East if they beat the Cowboys in Week 17 and Washington lost to the Eagles. FPI gives New York a 27% chance of making this happen.
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