Spoiler Alert!
Half a season. That's all The MMQB's resident psychic needs to know (well, guess) what's coming up in 2014's second half and the playoffs
Whew, what a season!
After putting all the different calculations and permutations from the NFL season so far into The MMQB Super Computer (Ok, it’s my feeble brain, just play along), we determined how the rest of the 2014 season will play out.
And, boy, what a race we’re going to have just to get to the postseason. The top of the NFC goes wild, with four different teams finishing 12-4. Two of those 12-win teams will have to play on the road on Wild-Card weekend. The AFC has some of the usual suspects, as well as an upstart sneaking into the last spot.
Once the playoffs begin it’s rematches and storylines galore, especially when Super Bowl XLIX kicks off in Glendale.
The AFC Playoff Teams
Spoiler Alert!
1. Denver Broncos, AFC West champs, 14-2. (David E. Klutho/SI/The MMQB)
2. New England Patriots, 12-4, AFC East champs. (Winslow Townson/SI/The MMQB)
3. Indianapolis Colts, 11-5, AFC South champs. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
4. Cincinnati Bengals, 9-6-1, AFC North champs. The AFC’s only drama is in the North, where the Bengals win the division by the slimmest of margins: their tie against the Panthers. The Ravens, Steelers and Browns all finish 9-7. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
5. San Diego Chargers, 11-5, Wild Card. (John W. McDonough/SI/The MMQB)
6. Houston Texans, 9-7, Wild Card. The surprising Texans will go 5-3 in the second half. Their 8-4 conference record gives them the tiebreaker over Baltimore, Miami, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Cleveland. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
The NFC Playoff Teams
Spoiler Alert!
1. Arizona Cardinals, 12-4, NFC West champs. In the NFC, four teams from two divisions will finish with 12 wins. Arizona wins the NFC West tiebreaker and takes the top seed. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
2. Philadelphia Eagles, 12-4, NFC East champs. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
3. Detroit Lions, 11-5, NFC North champs. The Lions upset the Packers at Lambeau Field on the final day of the season, and the season sweep gives them the tiebreaker for the division title. (Al Tielemans/SI/The MMQB)
4. New Orleans Saints, 11-5, NFC South champs. The Saints take advantage of a home-heavy second-half schedule, finishing the regular season on a 9-1 run. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
5. Dallas Cowboys, 12-4, Wild Card. The Cowboys finish strong, but lose the division to Philadelphia on a tiebreaker. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
6. Seattle Seahawks, 12-4, Wild Card. Last week's victory in Carolina ends up being the first of eight consecutive wins for the defending champs. But their hot streak is snapped in Arizona in Week 16. They lose the tiebreaker to the Cardinals and have to settle for a Wild-Card spot. (Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
The Postseason
Spoiler Alert!
AFC Wild Card: The big Wild-Card weekend headline is Andy Dalton, Marvin Lewis and the Bengals continuing their playoff drought. The Bengals lose at home to the Chargers for a second straight year. (John Grieshop/Getty Images)
NFC Wild Card: The Saints end the Cowboys' magical season, simply outscoring them in the Superdome. (Rogelio Solis/AP)
NFC Wild Card: The Seahawks stay hot and grab a road win in Detroit, making the Lions' return to the playoffs a short one. (Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
AFC Wild Card: Andrew Luck and the Colts knock off the AFC South rival Texans. (Bill Frakes/SI/The MMQB)
AFC Divisional Round: The Broncos roll over the Chargers in Denver for a second time this season. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
NFC Divisional Round: This year, the Eagles have no trouble holding court at home against the Saints. (Evan Habeeb/Getty Images)
AFC Divisional Round: New England beats the Colts in a Divisional Round rematch. (Winslow Townson /SI/The MMQB)
NFC Divisional Round: The Seahawks finally find the right formula in the desert and edge the Cardinals. Arizona's dreams of a home Super Bowl are dashed. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
AFC Championship: It's Manning vs. Brady XVII, and Peyton gets the better of the Patriots for a second straight January. (Brennan Linsley/AP)
NFC Championship: The Seahawks run out of road magic in the frigid Linc. Chip Kelly leads the Eagles to the Super Bowl in his second season. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
Super Bowl XLIX: The Eagles simply don’t have enough on defense to slow down Manning, and Peyton finally gets that second Super Bowl title. The question immediately becomes: Will Manning ride off into the sunset and retire, or will he be back for more in 2015? (Jack Dempsey/AP)
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