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 relating to which of the eight groups left standing have the very 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 based mostly on the voting outcomes, we now have our newest set of rankings.
Listed below 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: when you have a cross 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 received Herbert to throw 4 interceptions, considered one of them returned for a landing. I nonetheless have my questions in regards to the offense, but when they’ll get the play they received 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, because of an environment friendly efficiency from the rookie QB and a doink for the ages from kicker Zane Gonzalez. In his first playoff sport Daniels related on 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and confirmed exceptional progress 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 once 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 might need the proverbial “puncher’s likelihood,” 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 below the radar for a lot of the season, this well-rounded unit discovered its groove after Puka Nacua returned from damage and Cooper Kupp was at full power 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 just a little — however the workforce has proven it’s adequate to gradual a number 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 concern. If they’ll 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 might 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 Ranking 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 damage within the win, which is able to check their depth at linebacker, this Philadelphia protection appears extraordinarily formidable. Whereas the offense sputtered considerably in Jalen Hurts’ first sport again from a concussion, the Eagles dashing assault can be an issue for opponents. Add in the most effective offensive strains in soccer, and you’ve got a tricky out within the playoffs.
4. Detroit Lions
It may appear 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 elements: They’re nonetheless preventing by way of lots of accidents, and the AFC simply appears so good this season that it’s robust 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 decide to make it to the Tremendous Bowl from the NFC, and truthfully, it appears like a reasonably straightforward highway at this level — however with as many accidents as they’ve sustained it’s robust 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 sport 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 fearful.
The sport ended with a remaining rating of 31-7.
That halftime rating did not seize what was enjoying out on the sector: Behind a formidable dashing 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” principle 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 might need purpose to fret for actual this time, because the Ravens’ dashing assault additionally appears formidable, however as we noticed within the second half Sunday, when Josh Allen will get his possibilities, he can take over a sport 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 in all probability 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 larger than their 0.068 EPA per play that they’d all through the season. Brown provides them rather more quickness to open up quick 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 the most effective playoff performers in fashionable NFL historical past in DT Chris Jones, you will have a components for a three-peat.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Saturday evening’s sport between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers supplied the most recent instance but of the previous soccer adage: “It’s not the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmies and Joes.”
The Steelers entered Saturday evening’s sport in opposition to the Ravens with a transparent plan to decelerate Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the vaunted Baltimore dashing assault. They might “scrape alternate” Baltimore’s learn possibility designs, with a defensive finish crashing down on Henry to drive Jackson to tug the ball and preserve it himself, and a second-level defender would loop across the edge to attempt 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 the very best at their place.
Now the Ravens get a rematch with the Buffalo Payments of a sport in Week 4, received in dominant trend by Baltimore. If the workforce we noticed Saturday evening exhibits up this weekend, the Ravens is perhaps headed to their second-straight AFC Championship Sport.
