Post by NFL on Oct 26, 2022 10:20:56 GMT -5
Matchups of the Week:
Bears (7-2) vs Colts (5-4)
Patriots (7-2) vs Cardinals (5-4)
Raiders (6-3) vs Saints (5-4)
Other Notes:
AFC East vs NFC West: Buffalo & San Francisco should be able to pick up easy wins this week, keeping each of them alive in the division & wildcard races -- the two of them will match-up in week 10. Seattle's magic number is down to 2 for the division after claiming the H2H tiebreaker with Arizona, but they are right in the race for the top seed with the Lions as well.
AFC North vs NFC East: A lot of teams in these divisions with winning records, but only one that looks like a legitimate playoff contender. The Commanders have been scoring in the top 10 over the past month, while the other 7 teams are all still in the bottom 14 for scoring. Assuming they keep the hot streak going, Washington should cruise to a third consecutive double digit win season.
AFC South vs NFC North: The Titans have all but claimed their third straight AFC South title, only needing a pair of victories against the only winless teams in the league (GB/KC). Detroit, meanwhile, got a huge gift from the Vikings as they upset the Bears in week seven, setting up the Lions with a division lead on Chicago & a much easier schedule to end the season. Houston should finally get back to .500 before getting division leaders Denver & Tennessee in their next two.
AFC West vs NFC South: Outside of the Chiefs, who were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention, these are very likely to two strongest & most competitive divisions in the lead. There's a pretty solid chance we have a 3 or 4 way tie in one of these divisions going in to next week, and truthfully, no one has really pulled away:
LV/DEN/LAC are all between 9th-16th in scoring and so far, no one owns a 2-0 record vs any of the others.
TB/NO/CAR are all between 7th-12th in scoring, while ATL (the division leader) is 17th. The Saints are the only team with a 2-0 record against another division opponent (defending champion TB).
AFC Playoff Picture:
#1 Tennessee Titans (8-1)
#2 New England Patriots (7-2)
#3 Denver Broncos (7-2)
#4 Cincinnati Bengals (7-2)
#5 Las Vegas Raiders (6-3)
#6 Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
#7 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
1 GB: Colts, Bills, Browns
2 GB: Texans
4 GB: Dolphins
5 GB: Jets, Jaguars, Ravens
Eliminated: Chiefs
NFC Playoff Picture:
#1 Detroit Lions (8-1)
#2 Seattle Seahawks (8-1)
#3 Dallas Cowboys (6-3)
#4 Atlanta Falcons (5-4)
#5 Chicago Bears (7-2)
#6 Washington Commanders (6-3)
#7 Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
0 GB: Saints
1 GB: Buccaneers, Panthers, 49ers, Vikings, Eagles
3 GB: Rams
4 GB: Giants
5 GB: Packers
Bears (7-2) vs Colts (5-4)
- 1st Matchup All Time
- CHI 3rd in PPG, IND 5th in PPG
- Bears: upset by Minnesota in week seven, a long shot for the division with a much tougher schedule
- Colts: loss to Tennessee takes them out of division race, fighting for a wildcard spot after dropping 3 of 4
Patriots (7-2) vs Cardinals (5-4)
- 1st Matchup All Time
- NE 8th in PPG, ARI 6th in PPG
- Patriots: will be tested with two top 6 scoring teams (ARI/SEA) & a rematch with Buffalo over the next four weeks
- Cardinals: fighting for a wildcard spot at this point, the Cardinals NE & TB back to back
Raiders (6-3) vs Saints (5-4)
- 1st Matchup All Time
- LV 9th in PPG, NO 11th in PPG
- Raiders: have dropped 3 of 4 but still in division race with a win, follow up this week with JAX (1-8) & KC (0-9)
- Saints: have won 4 straight to jump back into NFC South race, easiest remaining schedule after this week
Other Notes:
AFC East vs NFC West: Buffalo & San Francisco should be able to pick up easy wins this week, keeping each of them alive in the division & wildcard races -- the two of them will match-up in week 10. Seattle's magic number is down to 2 for the division after claiming the H2H tiebreaker with Arizona, but they are right in the race for the top seed with the Lions as well.
- BUF (5-4) / LAR (2-7)
- MIA (2-7) / SEA (8-1)
- NYJ (1-8) / SF (4-5)
AFC North vs NFC East: A lot of teams in these divisions with winning records, but only one that looks like a legitimate playoff contender. The Commanders have been scoring in the top 10 over the past month, while the other 7 teams are all still in the bottom 14 for scoring. Assuming they keep the hot streak going, Washington should cruise to a third consecutive double digit win season.
- CIN (6-3) / WAS (6-3)
- PIT (6-3) / DAL (6-3)
- CLE (5-4) / PHI (4-5)
- BAL (1-8) / NYG (1-8)
AFC South vs NFC North: The Titans have all but claimed their third straight AFC South title, only needing a pair of victories against the only winless teams in the league (GB/KC). Detroit, meanwhile, got a huge gift from the Vikings as they upset the Bears in week seven, setting up the Lions with a division lead on Chicago & a much easier schedule to end the season. Houston should finally get back to .500 before getting division leaders Denver & Tennessee in their next two.
- TEN (8-1) / GB (0-9)
- HOU (4-5) / MIN (4-5)
- JAX (1-8) / DET (8-1)
AFC West vs NFC South: Outside of the Chiefs, who were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention, these are very likely to two strongest & most competitive divisions in the lead. There's a pretty solid chance we have a 3 or 4 way tie in one of these divisions going in to next week, and truthfully, no one has really pulled away:
LV/DEN/LAC are all between 9th-16th in scoring and so far, no one owns a 2-0 record vs any of the others.
TB/NO/CAR are all between 7th-12th in scoring, while ATL (the division leader) is 17th. The Saints are the only team with a 2-0 record against another division opponent (defending champion TB).
- DEN (7-2) / ATL (5-4)
- LAC (6-3) / TB (4-5)
- KC (0-9) / CAR (4-5)
AFC Playoff Picture:
#1 Tennessee Titans (8-1)
#2 New England Patriots (7-2)
#3 Denver Broncos (7-2)
#4 Cincinnati Bengals (7-2)
#5 Las Vegas Raiders (6-3)
#6 Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
#7 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
1 GB: Colts, Bills, Browns
2 GB: Texans
4 GB: Dolphins
5 GB: Jets, Jaguars, Ravens
Eliminated: Chiefs
NFC Playoff Picture:
#1 Detroit Lions (8-1)
#2 Seattle Seahawks (8-1)
#3 Dallas Cowboys (6-3)
#4 Atlanta Falcons (5-4)
#5 Chicago Bears (7-2)
#6 Washington Commanders (6-3)
#7 Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
0 GB: Saints
1 GB: Buccaneers, Panthers, 49ers, Vikings, Eagles
3 GB: Rams
4 GB: Giants
5 GB: Packers