Six playoff video games are in books.
Seven video games, and eight groups, stay standing on the highway to Tremendous Bowl LIX.
How did the Wild Card spherical affect our pondering with regards to which of the eight groups left standing have one of the best odds of successful the Lombardi Trophy? As we did final week, our workers writers right here at. SB Nation every ranked the groups left standing, and primarily based on the voting outcomes, we now have our newest set of rankings.
Listed here are the eight groups left within the chase for Tremendous Bowl LIX, ranked by their odds of successful all of it.
8. Houston Texans
All through the annals of soccer historical past, one factor has been true: you probably have a move rush, it’ll take you far. Simply ask the 2007 and 2011 Giants! The Houston Texans have their flaws, particularly offensively, however the one positive factor they’ve is a protection that may completely harass opponents. Of their resounding 31-12 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston pressured Chargers QB Justin Herbert on greater than half of his dropbacks, and acquired Herbert to throw 4 interceptions, one in every of them returned for a landing. I nonetheless have my questions in regards to the offense, but when they will get the play they acquired out of WR Nico Collins and RB Joe Mixon, it’ll make their lives a lot simpler: and their opponents rather more troublesome.
7. Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders are off to the Divisional Spherical, due to an environment friendly efficiency from the rookie QB and a doink for the ages from kicker Zane Gonzalez. In his first playoff recreation Daniels related on 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and confirmed outstanding development when in comparison with his Week 1 outing in opposition to the identical Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Whereas Daniels relied extra on his legs within the face of strain, on Sunday evening he punished the Buccaneers after they introduced 5 or extra rushers, finishing 9-of-14 passes for 140 yards in these conditions.
Issues will get a lot more durable for Washington now as they head to Detroit to tackle a rested Lions squad, The Commanders may need the proverbial “puncher’s probability,” however that is additionally a workforce that’s 9-4 in one-score video games this season, and has discovered methods to win all year long. Will that be sufficient Saturday evening?
6. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are a darkish horse in these playoffs to make some noise. Flying underneath the radar for a lot of the season, this well-rounded unit discovered its groove after Puka Nacua returned from harm and Cooper Kupp was at full energy as properly.
Los Angeles has the deepest receiver corps within the playoffs by a large margin, and their offense is potent, with Kyren Williams breaking out at working again. It is a very totally different Rams workforce than the group that received the Tremendous Bowl. Clearly there’s no Aaron Donald to anchor the protection, and that’s damage them a bit of — however the workforce has proven it’s ok to gradual a few of the league’s greatest groups and let their offense take over.
In a short time, the Rams have moved from being a workforce that appeared fortunate to be in these playoffs to a workforce to worry. If they will shock and show themselves with one other win then the sky is the restrict.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
The NFL+ “Comprehend it All” reminded us this weekend that protection nonetheless wins championships within the NFL.
As an apart, when this season is over we have to have a protracted dialogue about that advert marketing campaign, however we digress …
However that reality may bode very properly for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Vic Fangio’s protection led the way in which for the Eagles of their 22-10 win over the Inexperienced Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon, intercepting Jordan Love thrice and pressuring him all through the competition. The Packers QB completed the sport with an NFL Passer Score of simply 41.5, the second-lowest of his profession and the second-lowest ever from a Packers QB within the playoffs.
Whereas they misplaced Nakobe Dean to a brutal knee harm within the win, which can check their depth at linebacker, this Philadelphia protection seems to be extraordinarily formidable. Whereas the offense sputtered considerably in Jalen Hurts’ first recreation again from a concussion, the Eagles speeding assault can be an issue for opponents. Add in among the best offensive strains in soccer, and you’ve got a troublesome out within the playoffs.
4. Detroit Lions
It might sound ridiculous to have the Lions ranked this low contemplating how stellar they’ve been in 2024, however placing them at No. 4 is a product of two components: They’re nonetheless combating by means of lots of accidents, and the AFC simply seems to be so good this season that it’s powerful to place any NFC workforce forward of them at this level.
We additionally now know that stopping Sam Darnold and the Vikings in Week 18 wasn’t that spectacular after being dispatched with ease by the Rams within the Wild Card Playoffs.
Make no mistake: The Lions are nonetheless our choose to make it to the Tremendous Bowl from the NFC, and actually, it seems to be like a reasonably simple highway at this level — however with as many accidents as they’ve sustained it’s powerful to think about how they’ll match up with the large three of the AFC.
3. Buffalo Payments
At halftime of Sunday’s Wild Card recreation between the Buffalo Payments and the Denver Broncos, the visiting workforce trailed by simply 10-7. The Broncos landed a giant shot on their first possession of the sport — a protracted strike from rookie Bo Nix to former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin — and Tony Romo was within the sales space cautioning Payments followers that they need to be apprehensive.
The sport ended with a last rating of 31-7.
That halftime rating didn’t seize what was enjoying out on the sector: Behind a formidable speeding assault Buffalo held the soccer for practically 20 minutes within the first half, and racked up 128 yards on the bottom. Believers within the “physique blow” concept of working the soccer rejoiced within the second half because the Payments exploded for 21 unanswered factors en path to their rout.
Up subsequent? A highly-anticipated rematch of a Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Payments followers may need motive to fret for actual this time, because the Ravens’ speeding assault additionally seems to be formidable, however as we noticed within the second half Sunday, when Josh Allen will get his probabilities, he can take over a recreation within the blink of an eye fixed.
2. Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
We’ve gotten to the purpose within the season the place the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs sit up within the gaming chair. With the primary general seed in tow and homefield benefit all through the convention, they’re completely set as much as do what everybody thinks they’re going to do: win the entire thing, once more. The factor that most likely holds them this excessive this season is that they’re lastly getting wholesome. RB Isaiah Pacheco is again, in addition to WR Marquise Brown, making their offense rather more dynamic. With Brown again within the lineup in opposition to the Steelers and Texans, the Chiefs’ EPA per play was 0.214, a lot increased than their 0.068 EPA per play that they’d all through the season. Brown provides them rather more quickness to open up brief areas of the sector, and one other goal for QB Patrick Mahomes, who takes his play as much as one other stage within the playoffs. Add on a protection led by among the best playoff performers in fashionable NFL historical past in DT Chris Jones, you have got a components for a three-peat.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Saturday evening’s recreation between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers supplied the most recent instance but of the outdated soccer adage: “It’s not the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmies and Joes.”
The Steelers entered Saturday evening’s recreation in opposition to the Ravens with a transparent plan to decelerate Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the vaunted Baltimore speeding assault. They might “scrape change” Baltimore’s learn choice designs, with a defensive finish crashing down on Henry to drive Jackson to tug the ball and maintain it himself, and a second-level defender would loop across the edge to try to comprise the elusive QB.
That scheme works nice on a whiteboard, however loses a few of its shine on the sector in opposition to two of one of the best at their place.
Now the Ravens get a rematch with the Buffalo Payments of a recreation in Week 4, received in dominant trend by Baltimore. If the workforce we noticed Saturday evening exhibits up this weekend, the Ravens could be headed to their second-straight AFC Championship Recreation.
