Tag: playoff

Saints get some much-needed help from the Steelers in NFC playoff race

The Saints got some much-needed help from the Steelers, keeping them alive in the NFC playoff race. But they aren’t out of the woods yet:

Whew: it was a little too close for comfort, but the New Orleans Saints got some much-needed help from the Pittsburgh Steelers, keeping them alive in the crowded NFC playoff race. The Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon which created a ripple effect felt throughout the NFC.

For the Saints, it means there are still two paths open to clinching a playoff berth next week. But one option is much simpler than the other, even if neither of them are easy. Let’s tackle the complicated one first.

Because the Seahawks lost and fell to 8-8, a loss in Week 18 (to the Arizona Cardinals) would knock them out of playoff contention altogether. If the Saints catch a couple of other breaks, they’ll win the NFC’s seventh playoff seed. But that would mean whichever team wins on Sunday night — the Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings — would have to lose in the following week. Green Bay hosts the Chicago Bears, while the Vikings will visit the Detroit Lions. So that’s at least two other games the Saints will need to be watching whenever they kick off themselves.

And that brings us to the clearest path forward. The Saints must beat the Atlanta Falcons in their own regular season finale and hope for a Carolina Panthers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which would clinch an NFC South title and the playoff berth that comes with it. If the Buccaneers take care of business (and they should, against a lowly Panthers team) then the Saints are stuck praying on the downfall for the Seahawks and Packers or Vikings (which we’ll find out later Sunday evening).

That’s what losing games in Green Bay and Minnesota earlier this year costs you. If the Saints had won either of those matchups they wouldn’t be in this position. But it is what it is, and they’ll just need to keep focusing on what they can control to try and salvage something from this season.

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Ranking all 32 NFL teams (including the Saints) by playoff probability

Ranking all 32 NFL teams (including the long-shot New Orleans Saints) by playoff probability going into Week 17:

Derek Carr and Dennis Allen haven’t exactly guided the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs. They’re facing elimination from the postseason altogether on Sunday; a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would put the NFC South out of reach, and a couple of other games’ results could put the final nails in their coffin.

ESPN’s NFL Football Power Index gives the Saints a 10.9% chance of reaching the playoffs going into Week 17. If New Orleans can’t win the NFC South, they’ll need both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks to lose out in the final two weeks so they can get that seventh wild-card spot. It isn’t very likely.

Here’s where the Saints rank among the rest of the league per ESPN’s playoff percentages:

Saints, Rams on collision course to compete for NFC’s 7th playoff seed

The Saints and Rams are on a collision course to compete for the NFC’s 7th playoff seed on Thursday night:

So much talk about the New Orleans Saints’ playoff hopes have centered on the NFC South title, and that’s easy to understand. Whichever team wins the worst division in pro football will secure a home playoff game, so it’s seen as the Saints’ easiest path forwards.

But it’s not the only road they can take. There’s a non-zero chance of the Saints reaching the postseason as the final wild-card seed in the NFC playoff picture. It’s just a significantly more challenging journey to take. The first step: beating the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

The Rams are slotted in just ahead of the Saints in the NFC playoff standings; if the postseason started today, Los Angeles would round out the playoff picture as the No. 7 seed, with New Orleans watching from home at No. 8. A win at SoFi Stadium on Thursday wouldn’t clinch anything for the Saints, but it would be a powerful statement that their playoff ambitions are just as legitimate as the Rams’ are.

And of course it’s the Rams. They’re one of the Saints’ oldest rivals, dating back to their shared history in the old NFC West. New Orleans has logged more wins (35) and losses (43) against the Los Angeles than many other teams even if they aren’t playing each other as often as they used to. It’s almost karmic that they are the hurdle between the Saints and a playoff berth.

But again, a win on Thursday night won’t seal the deal. It would certainly bode well for what comes next, with New Orleans headed for rematches against the same Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons teams that beat them earlier this year.

Three of the seven playoff seeds are already accounted for: the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers have all clinched postseason berths already. The Saints are likely going to have to take it down to the wire in Week 18, but they’ve got a chance to make the cut. They just need to keep winning. Let’s see if they have it in them.

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College Football Playoff: Thoughts and reaction as Florida State gets shafted

Not normally one to defend Florida State but wrong is wrong.

30 years ago Notre Dame beat Florida State head-to-head in the “Game of the Century”.  A week later the Fighting Irish were upset by a solid Boston College team and it cost them a national championship.

Florida State went on to beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl while Notre Dame beat Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.  Despite both teams having one loss, Florida State was crowned the champion as essentially a lifetime achievement award for Bobby Bowden.

Results on the field didn’t matter as much as they should have then.  Unfortunately, 30 years later the same is true as Florida State is sitting at home for the College Football Playoff.

How did Florida State get the shaft?  Let’s take a look below.

Win over Bengals would give Chiefs HC Andy Reid second-most postseason wins in NFL history

Andy Reid is set to pass Tom Landry for second place on the NFL’s all-time playoff wins list if he can lift the #Chiefs over the #Bengals on Sunday. | from @TheJohnDillon

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid is set to make history if he can lift his team over the Cincinnati Bengals this evening. He’s already one of the winningest coaches in NFL history and the postseason is no different.

After defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC divisional round, Reid tied legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry for second place on the NFL’s all-time leaderboard for playoff wins. With one more win, Reid would take sole ownership of second place in NFL postseason victories behind only New England Patriots HC Bill Belichick (31).

Reid is unlikely to be invested in this accomplishment at this juncture, as he is more likely focused on making a run at the Super Bowl. That said, the fact that he is in a position to surpass Landry in any category highlights the excellent track record that he has put together as a head coach in the NFL. He collected his 10th playoff win with the Chiefs in Kansas City last week and became the first head coach to get to double-digit playoff wins with two separate franchises.

Matched up against a bitter adversary that knocked him out of the postseason last year, Reid is sure to bring his best game plan of the season into the AFC Championship Game. A win would notch another impressive achievement to add to his already-lengthy resume of success.

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Ravens DL Calais Campbell says prospect of securing 100th-career sack makes 2023 return tempting

Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell said that the prospect of securing his 100th career sack makes a return in 2023 tempting

Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell has been among the best players in the league at his position for what feels like forever, and has made a huge impact for the team since being traded to them from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. Entering a season that would see him turn 37 years old in September, Campbell’s future in the league is very much in question.

When asked if the prospect of securing his 100th career sack was weighing on him in his decision to come back in 2023, Campbell told reporters that it would certainly be a hard accomplishment to ignore given that he is so close.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t,” Campbell said. “I had plenty of opportunities to get it this year and didn’t get it done. So, sometimes it’s like, ‘Well, man, it wasn’t that important to you because you didn’t get it done.’ I had the guy in my arms a couple times, and just missed him. So, I guess it’s not the top of the list, but it’s something I really want. At the end of the day, what’s meant to be will be. So, I definitely felt like I left some plays out there though this year, and that kind of hurt a little bit, but that’s football.”

Time will tell if Campbell will decide to return to Baltimore next season, and he is sure to weigh all of his options over the course of the next several months. The veteran is just one sack short of the illustrious 100-sack mark, and would be all-but guaranteed to achieve the feat if he were to return to the field in 2023.

Ravens S Kyle Hamilton ‘thankful’ for successful rookie campaign

Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said that he’s thankful for the support he received from the organization in his rookie season

The Baltimore Ravens saw their season end in brutal fashion on Sunday when they were unable to hold onto a 10-9 halftime lead to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card game. It was a game where Baltimore had multiple chances to win, but a heartbreaking loss was the end outcome.

The loss, disappointing though it may be, offered some perspective from  rookie safety Kyle Hamilton during his end-of-season press conference. In his comments to reporters, rather than dwell on the outcome of his first playoff game, Hamilton reiterated his gratitude for the support he received from the Ravens and their fans in his rookie season.

“It’s a long year. It’s a long rookie year.,” Hamilton explained. “You come in the draft process and don’t really know who you’re going to be with, but I think I came into the perfect situation. Staff, players, personnel – everybody has just been amazing to me this year, and I’m really thankful for the whole organization.”

While his season may be over, Hamilton will continue to play a large part in Baltimore’s defense moving forward. With more time to develop and a healthy offense on the other side of the ball next year, Hamilton should have no problem helping the Ravens become a dominant force in the AFC in 2023. He was moved all around the field during his rookie year, and was able to turn into one of the bright spots on Baltimore’s defense throughout the season.

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Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey excited for rematch vs. Bengals in Wild Card playoff game

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was noticeably excited about the prospect of playing the Bengals for a second-straight week

The Baltimore Ravens will face the Cincinnati Bengals for the second-straight week, this time in the playoffs for Wild Card Weekend. Baltimore will look to avenge their Week 18 loss to the defending AFC champions, sending them home in the process while they themselves advance to the Divisional Round.

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey told the media after Sunday’s bout that the Ravens are treating this most recent loss as a scrimmage of sorts, and that Baltimore’s familiarity with the Bengals’ offense could pay dividends when it matters most. The two teams will match up for the third time this year, with plenty being picked up by both sides on their opponents.

“It’s kind of exciting,” Humphrey explained of the rematch. “We kind of just studied them, so as Chuck [Clark] said, ‘We just had a scrimmage.’ It was a scrimmage we wish we would have won, obviously, but to play them again, they’re pretty familiar with us, [and] we’re pretty familiar with them. So, it’s just going to be who’s a better team. I think when you play a team three times, the better team should usually show.”

While the Ravens surely could have used momentum from a win as a wind at their back heading into the playoff elimination games, the team seems determined to prove they won’t be an easy out when their chips are down. With their season on the line, Baltimore will look to upset the Bengals on the road this weekend in what should prove to be one of the more compelling games on the AFC Wild Card schedule.

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Chargers’ causes for concern vs. Broncos

Reasons why the Broncos might snap the Chargers’ four-game winning streak.

The Chargers will likely know by kickoff on Sunday whether they’ve secured the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

If they do, Los Angeles will likely rest its starters and attempt to get healthier for the Wild Card round. If they don’t, the Chargers can still win and jump up a spot, making Sunday’s game against Denver much more valuable.

Here are some reasons to be worried about LA’s chances.

Resting starters

If the Bengals beat the Ravens in the early window, the Chargers simply won’t have anything to play for on Sunday. Given Brandon Staley’s rest tendencies in the preseason, that’d likely mean that nearly every veteran starter will sit in favor of younger depth players. The exception to this might be Joey Bosa, who’s still working his way back from groin surgery and food poisoning. Denver has been bad this season, there’s no doubt about that. But NFL starters are usually starters for a reason, no matter what team they’re on, and trotting out Chase Daniel and a ragtag group of receivers against this vaunted Broncos secondary seems like a recipe for disaster from a single-game perspective.

Something to prove

People often say that teams eliminated from the playoffs have nothing to play for, but that’s not true. It’s especially not true for the Broncos, whose players will be out to prove to ownership and general manager George Paton that they’re worth keeping around for the new coaching regime following the firing of Nathaniel Hackett. For pending free agents, this is their last audition for Denver or a potential new team. Players on the fringes have to prove they’re not replaceable. Everyone is fighting to keep their NFL career afloat. For the Chargers, on the other hand, there’s less at stake. Their season doesn’t end when the final whistle blows on Sunday. Nobody’s jobs are at risk depending solely on the outcome of this game. Those different states of being could result in a flat game from LA as they look to cruise into the playoffs, while Denver’s players look to put out good tape against a playoff team.

Offensive improvement

Denver’s offense has improved dramatically over the last four games, scoring 28, 24, 14, and 24 points, which looks more like the statline of an average offense than a historically awful one. In all four of these contests, the Broncos have rushed for at least 100 yards. LA, meanwhile, has allowed teams to rush for at least 100 yards in 11 of their 16 games, which seems to suggest that Denver can continue their streak on Sunday. The first time these teams met, the Chargers needed overtime to win with only 19 points because the Broncos could only muster 16. Of course, LA also lacked some offensive talent because of early-season injuries. But with this Denver team averaging 22.5 points per game over their last 4, the Chargers will have to keep pace, likely to the tune of 31-ish points as they did last week versus the Rams.

Third down defense

Denver is the second-best team in the league at preventing third down conversions, giving up a first down just 33.01% of the time. The only team better this season has been Washington. The Chargers, meanwhile, love to work themselves into difficult third-down situations and ask Justin Herbert to bail them out. LA leads the league in third down conversions per game with 6.6 on a similarly league-leading 15.2 chances per game this season, a conversion rate of 43.21%, 8th best in the NFL. But again, remember that Herbert may not play in this one depending on earlier outcomes. If that’s the case, can you trust Chase Daniel to make the same plays to keep LA’s conversion percentage hovering around that 43% mark?

College Football Playoff Matchups Announced

Semifinals are set! Who do you have winning it?

The 2022 College Football Playoff is officially set.  Despite the best efforts by Nick Saban and the four-letter network that holds the CFP’s exclusive rights, the four teams that were selected came without much drama.

Anyone who has paid attention this season knew it’d be Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and Ohio State entering Sunday.  Which order would TCU and Ohio State check in though and what would the first-round matchups be was the question.

Here are the final College Football Playoff top-four rankings for the 2022 season.