NFL playoff images: Seed predictions and matches for AFC, NFC brackets for Week 14

The picture of the NFL’s playoffs only starts to become clearer as we get to NFL Week 14. The 2021 NFL season is unpredictable, as fewer teams than usual have entered and proven to be consistent winners. , reliable.

There are currently 12 teams in the AFC with a record of .500 or more. That makes predicting the final standings and the outcome of the Wild Card race messy.

On the NFC side, the top teams are a bit clearer, but there are seven teams with five or six wins vying for the final Wild Card slots in the carnival. Nothing has worked out yet, but there are some unlikely scenarios in this week’s NFC.

The captain, 1st seed, and Wild Card participants will change frequently throughout the final 5 weeks of the 2021 season. Why? Because potential playoff teams are simply clustered too closely together, there is increased volatility. That would make the playoff visuals interesting to watch.

Sporting News offers game selections every week, so those can help you see if your favorite team’s chances of making it to the knockout stages will improve or decrease in Week 14. But as we saw last year, the addition a seventh playoff team adds extra appeal and competition to that final spot.

And with the lack of the top teams in the NFL this season, perhaps the 7th seed will have a chance to win a place in this year’s playoffs – if all goes well.

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NFL playoff images: AFC predictions

• First seed: New England Patriots

The rest of the game: at Colts, versus Bills, versus Jaguars, at Dolphins

The Patriots are currently half a match behind the other top three and have a one-and-a-half lead in the AFC East with a 14-11 win over the Bills on the week’s “Monday Night Football” show. 14. They’ll be back and enjoying Goodbye Week 14 – the latest in NFL history – this week as they hope to remain the No. 1 seed without lifting a finger.

• 2nd seed: Tennessee Titans

The rest of the game: vs. Jaguars, at Steelers, vs. 49ers, vs. Dolphins, at Texans

The Titans scored just 13 points in each game before their Week 13 goodbye. Both are at a loss. The Titans play the Jaguars in Week 14 and will stay on in the hunt for the #1 seed with a win over their lowly divisional opponent. But to do that, their attack will need to step up even without Derrick Henry and AJ Brown.

• 3rd seed: Baltimore Ravens

The rest of the game: at the Browns, against the Packers, at the Bengals, against the Rams, against the Steelers

The Ravens beat the Steelers a tough game in Week 13, when they had a chance to win by converting to two points at the last second, but Lamar Jackson couldn’t connect with Mark Andrews in a set-up. good design. Making matters worse, Raven lost full-back Marlon Humphrey in the off-season to a pec injury. The Ravens have scored 19 points or less in four straight games and still have three splits as they compete in the packed AFC North race.

• 4th seed: Kansas City Chiefs

Remaining games: versus the Raiders, at the Chargers, against the Steelers, at the Bengals, at the Broncos

The Chiefs have won 5 games in a row but their attack is still not too impressive. They have scored 22 points or less in five of their last six games. However, their wins were enough to give them a one-game lead in the AFC West, another tournament where each team is .500 or higher.

• 5th seed: Los Angeles Chargers

Remaining games: with. Giants, vs. Chiefs, at Texans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders

The Chargers are breathing the captain’s neck and are a game back by the AFC West leaders. They’ll have to get past the Giants in Week 14 but if they do, they’ll have a chance to get past (or before) the Captain when they start on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 15.

• 6th Seed: Cincinnati Bengals

Remaining games: against the 49ers, at the Broncos, against the Ravens, against the Chiefs, at the Browns

Like the Chargers, the Bengals are head-riding on Raven’s neck and have just one game back in the AFC North race. Unlike the Chargers, Cincinnati’s quarterback Joe Burrow is facing a dislocated finger in his throwing hand. If that affects his ability to throw, the Bengals may have to find a way to avoid sliding down the pits of six- and seven-winning teams looking to lock up three AFC Wild Card slots.

• 7th Seed: Buffalo Bills

Remaining games: at the Buccaneers, versus the Panthers, at the Patriots, versus the Falcons, versus the Jets

Bills was once considered the best team of the AFC. Currently, they have alternated wins and losses in their last eight games. They last recorded back-to-back wins in Weeks 4 and 5. They have a long way to go to earn a playoff spot and have important games coming up against the Buccaneers and Patriots.

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NFL Playoff Image: NFC Projection

• First seed: Arizona Cardinals

Remaining games: vs. Rams, vs. Lions, vs. Colts, vs. Cowboys, vs. Seahawks

The Cardinals are one of three NFC teams with a playoff-cliching scenario in Week 14. They’re the only team that could enter without a win but beating the Rams would go a long way to locking down the NFC West. A win wouldn’t guarantee the Cardinals being the fourth seed but it would give them a three-game lead plus the Rams beater with four games left. So yes. Keep an eye on that.

• 2nd seed: Green Bay Packers

Remaining games: versus Bears, at Ravens, versus Browns, versus Vikings, at Lions

The Packers also have a pretty simple way to lock a playoff berth. If they win on Sunday and the Vikings lose on Thursday, they win NFC North. There are other ways the Packers get involved, but everything seems to be going well for them. They will focus on playing the Cardinals to win the first seed and say goodbye to the first round.

• 3rd seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Remaining games: against the Bills, against the Saints, at the Panthers, at the Jets, against the Panthers

The Buccaneers could also land a playoff this week, and they look well on their way to winning the NFC South title, something Tom Brady missed during his first year in Tampa Bay. Maybe now the team can finally figure out how to beat The Saints in the regular season. They play again in Week 15.

• 4th seed: Dallas Cowboys

Remaining games: in Washington, at Giants, versus Washington, versus Cardinals, at Eagles

The Cowboys lead Washington by two games in the NFC East. They played Washington twice in the next three games. Four of the last five games of the season featured opponents NFC East and the other featured the Cardinals. This fixture could prove to be tough for Dallas as they want to lock one seed out of four.

Washington was handled by Carolina in Week 16, and now the only way Washington advances to the knockout stages is to win Week 17 over Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have been eliminated. If Washington loses, the winner of the Cowboys-Giants will advance to the knockout stages.

• 5th seed: Los Angeles Rams

Remaining games: at the Cardinals, versus the Seahawks, at the Vikings, at the Ravens, versus the 49ers

Week 14 will tell the Rams a lot about what they’re up against for the rest of the season. Win and they are in the NFC West race and only one game left for the Cardinals to return. Lose and they will need to win and watch Arizona lose to earn a seed out of four. Since the Cardinals play the Lions in Week 15, the Rams can only focus on getting the top Wild Card spot if they can’t win this week.

• 6th seed: Washington football team

Remaining games: vs. Cowboys, at Eagles, at Cowboys, vs. Eagles, at Giants

Good news: Washington would be a Wild Card team if the season ended today. The team leads with a score of 2-6 but is on a four-match winning streak and is playing great defense. Bad news: Washington will face 5 direct rivals to the NFC East to close out the year. That could be a tough one, but if they win Week 14, they’ll just be another Cowboys comeback in the division race.

• 7th seed: San Francisco 49ers

Remaining games: at Bengals, versus Falcons, at Titans, versus Texans, at Rams

The 49ers may not be able to beat the Seahawks, but they have a pretty easy path to the knockouts. They played against the Bengal team, while Joe Burrow dealt with the aftermath of a dislocated pinky, and then met several teams that had struggled late in the day in the Falcons, Titans and Texans. They have a good route to the knockouts, although catching the Cardinals and Rams in the split race looks questionable.

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Current NFL playoff images

Here’s how the standings in both games broke down entering Week 14, along with the other teams still on the hunt for the knockouts.

In the hunt: Steelers (6-6-1), Colts (7-6), Raiders (6-6), Browns (6-6), Broncos (6-6), Dolphins (6-7)

In the hunt: Eagle (6-7), Viking (6-7), Jaguar (5-7), Falcon (5-7), Saint (5-7), Giant (4-8), Bear (4-8), Seahawks (4-8)