Rooting guide – Syndication Server

Commanders Week 15 rooting guide

Who should the Commanders be rooting for in Week 15?

The Washington Commanders (8-5) return to action in Week 15 after some much-needed time off. After a 42-19 win over the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago, the Commanders finally had a bye.

The Commanders are on the road in New Orleans, where they’ll face the 5-8 Saints. While New Orleans doesn’t have the greatest record, it has won three of the last four games since firing head coach Dennis Allen and replacing him with Darren Rizzi.

Washington enters this weekend’s slate of games in an excellent position in the NFC playoff picture. The Commanders continue to hold the No. 7 seed and are only one game out of the No. 6 spot. However, keep an eye on the red-hot Los Angeles Rams. After Thursday’s win over the 49ers, Los Angeles improved to 8-6 and is only a half-game behind the Commanders for the seventh and final NFC playoff spot.

Here’s a current look at the NFC playoff field:

Detroit Lions
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Washington Commanders

We recently explained why the Commanders may want to avoid the No. 7 seed. Whoever becomes the seventh seed must travel to Detroit or Philadelphia in January. The Lions and Eagles look like the NFC’s clear frontrunners ahead of the rest of the pack. Washington and Philadelphia have met once, with the Eagles winning a competitive game back in Week 11. The two NFC East rivals meet again in Week 16.

So, how do the Commanders avoid a trip to Detroit or Philly in January? By moving up to the No. 6 seed. The Packers currently hold the sixth seed and are one game ahead of Washington.

While the Commanders remain alive in the NFC East race, their chances of winning the division are become slimmer by the week.

Which teams should Washington fans be rooting for in Week 15?

49ers over Rams

This game was played on Thursday, and, unfortunately for Washington, the Rams held off the Niners and are now just a half-game behind the Commanders. L.A. looks like a serious contender to overtake Seattle for the NFC West.

Steelers over Eagles

A Pittsburgh win and a Washington win would put the Commanders only two games behind the Eagles ahead of their Week 16 showdown in Landover. Plus, Washington fans will always root for the Eagles to lose.

Patriots over Cardinals

The Commanders hold the tie-breaker advantage over Arizona and are currently two games ahead of them for the final spot. A New England win over the Cardinals would widen the gap for the Commanders.

Seahawks over Packers

The Seahawks are in a battle for the NFC West with the Rams. They must keep winning, or they’ll take LA’s spot behind Washington. So, while Seattle could be a potential threat to the Commanders, Washington badly needs the Seahawks to win here. A Commanders’ win and a Packers’ loss mean things would mean they’d both be 9-5 with three games remaining.

Bears over Vikings

The Commanders are three games behind the Vikings for the No. 5 seed in the NFC. However, if Washington keeps winning, it’s still mathematically possible to catch them. So, as long as this possibility exists, fans should want to see the Vikings lose.

Raiders over Falcons

The Falcons are sliding badly. At 6-7, another loss would severely damage their Wild Card hopes, meaning they’d need to win the division. The Commanders should hope that every team close to them loses. Washington and Atlanta meet in two weeks.

Broncos playoff rooting guide: Back these teams in Week 14

No game for the Broncos today, but these three games could impact Denver’s playoff chances.

The Denver Broncos (8-5) have a bye in Week 14, but there’s plenty of action to keep fans entertained this weekend.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7), Houston Texans (8-5) and Baltimore Ravens (8-5) also have byes this week, but three other teams have games that could impact Denver’s playoff push. Here’s a quick rooting guide for Broncos fans in Week 14.

1. New York Jets (3-9) at Miami Dolphins (5-7): Root for the Jets. If Denver beats the Colts next week, the Broncos will need just one more win and one Dolphins loss to clinch a playoff berth.

2. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-1): Root for the Chargers. Pulling for KC will be hard for fans in Denver to stomach, but the Broncos are extremely unlikely to catch up to the Chiefs in the AFC West. Denver might be able to gain ground on L.A. in the Wild Card race.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) at Dallas Cowboys (5-7): Root for the Cowboys. The Dolphins, Colts and Bengals seem to be the biggest threats to steal the No. 7 seed away from the Broncos, so root against those teams to close out the season.

After the bye, Denver will host Indianapolis in Week 15.

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Commanders Week 14 rooting guide

Who should the Commanders be rooting for in Week 14?

The Washington Commanders are off this week. After playing 13 consecutive weeks, Washington will have its bye week. At 8-5, the Commanders’ first 13 weeks could not have gone much better.

Despite a recent three-game losing streak in which Washington blew two games, the Commanders remain in an excellent position to make the NFC playoffs. It’s a remarkable accomplishment, considering Washington won four games last season.

Here’s a current look at the NFC playoff field:

Detroit Lions
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Atlanta Falcons
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Washington Commanders

We explained why Washington may want to avoid the No. 7 seed. Whoever becomes the seventh seed must travel to Detroit or Philadelphia in January. The Lions and Eagles look like the NFC’s clear frontrunners ahead of the rest of the pack.

So, how can the Commanders move out of the No. 7 spot and into a higher seed? Well, things got off to a good start on Thursday night when the Lions defeated the Packers. The loss dropped Green Bay to 9-4 — only one game ahead of Washington.

First, the Commanders need their closest competitors for the seventh seed to lose, but they could use some help from the teams in front of them. Washington is currently 2.5 games behind Philadelphia in the NFC East. While they have a head-to-head meeting remaining, it’s difficult to see the Eagles losing enough games for the Commanders to catch them.

Which teams should Washington fans be rooting for in Week 14?

Here is the Commanders’ Week 14 rooting guide:

Lions over Packers

Mission accomplished, as Detroit defeated Green Bay 34-31 on Thursday.

Falcons over Vikings

Atlanta is a game-and-a-half behind the Commanders in the Wild Card picture but currently is atop the NFC South, ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So, yeah, while you’d like to see the Falcons lose, Washington plays them in a few weeks. Meanwhile, a Minnesota loss would put the Commanders only two games out of the No. 5 seed.

Panthers over Eagles

Yeah, it’s not happening, but Washington fans will always root against the Eagles.

Raiders over Buccaneers

The Bucs defeated the Commanders in Week 1. Since then, much has changed, and Tampa could end up as the NFC South champions. The Buccaneers are playing better football than the Falcons right now. However, the Commanders would love to see the Bucs fall further down the NFC pecking order.

Seahawks over Cardinals

This one is tough. These teams are battling for the NFC West. Washington destroyed Arizona this season. Someone has to win the division, so the Commanders should hope for the Cardinals to fall further back in the Wild Card race.

Bills over Rams

The Rams (6-6) are also battling the Cardinals and Seahawks for the NFC West title. Washington should want the AFC powerhouse Bills to push Los Angeles further down the playoff picture.

Bears over 49ers

Washington is 2.5 games ahead of the Niners (5-7), while the Bears are 4-8. Another loss for the 49ers would all but end their season, which was not what anyone expected in July.

NFL Week 4 Rooting Guide, Predictions, Results: Make Cowboys fans happy again

A look at the Week 4 slate, who could help Dallas and who will most likely win. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are already back at home, resting up on a Week 4 minibye before getting back to work on Tuesday. In the meantime, there are 15 games on the NFL schedule for this weekend, including another Monday Night Football double-header to keep fans entertained. The slow start to the season, a 2-2 record courtesy of wins over two teams widely considered in the bottom third of the league, now dives into an extremely difficult stretch of games. Facing Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco and Philadelphia with just a bye week and Kirk Cousin’s Falcons sprinkled in, is daunting.

It means that Dallas is likely going to need some help to get into prime playoff positioning. From here until the end of the season, we’ll go through the contests and weigh in on which victor would benefit Dallas the most, and who we actually think is going to win. Later on in the year, the rooting guide will be centered around more specific impacts to playoff chances but for now several allegiances will be based on super-scientific vibes.

Game: New Orleans (2-1) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Falcons – lost to Saints, need better record for tiebreaker
Prediction: Saints
Winner: Falcoms

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) @ Carolina Panthers (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Panthers – Bengals have intriguing Fire Sale parts
Prediction: Panthers
Winner: Bengals

Game: Los Angeles Rams (1-2) @ Chicago Bears (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Bears – may be more likely to fade down the stretch
Prediction: Rams
Winner: Bears

Game: Minnesota Vikings (3-0) @ Green Bay Packers (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Packers.
Prediction: Vikings
Winner: Vikings

Game: Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) @ Houston Texans (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Eooting Interest: None
Prediction: Texans
Winner: Texans

Game: Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) @ Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Steelers. Rather them hot than mad they were upset in W5.
Prediction: Steelers
Winner: Colts

Game: Denver Broncos (1-2) @ New York Jets (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: None
Prediction: Jets
Winner: Broncos

Game: Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 1pm
Rooting Interest: Bucs
Prediction: Bucs
Winner: Bucs

Game: Washington Commanders (2-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 405p
Rooting Interest: Cardinals
Prediction: Cardinals
Winner: Commanders

Game: New England Patriots (1-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 405pm
Rooting Interest: Patriots
Prediction: 49ers
Winner: 49ers

Game: Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (2-1)
Kickoff: Sun 425p
Rooting Interest: None
Prediction: Chargers
Winner: Chiefs

Game: Cleveland Browns (1-2) @ Las Vegas Raiders (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 425p
Rooting Interest: None; both have spare parts Dallas can use.
Prediction: Raiders
Winner: Raiders

Game: Buffalo Bills (3-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-2)
Kickoff: Sun 820p
Rooting Interest: Ravens. Strength of Schedule tiebreaker bump.
Prediction: Ravens
Winner: Ravens

Game: Tennessee Titans (0-3) @ Miami Dolphins (1-2)
Kickoff: Mon 730p
Rooting Interest: None
Prediction: Titans
Winner: Titans

Game: Seattle Seahawks (3-0) @ Detroit Lions (1-2)
Kickoff: Mon 815p
Rooting Interest: Seahawks, want Lions to be filled with doubt.
Prediction: Lions
Winner: Lions

Commanders’ Week 18 rooting guide

Washington must lose and still may need some help hanging onto the No. 2 overall pick.

Week 18 is finally here. Fourteen NFL teams will begin preparing for the playoffs next week. The other 18 teams will get an early jump on the 2024 NFL offseason, with many teams expected to make coaching changes and others, front-office changes, too.

One of those teams is the Washington Commanders. New owner Josh Harris is expected to fire head coach Ron Rivera after Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, something Rivera has expected for a while.

Additionally, Washington will hire a new general manager since Rivera has been the organization’s top decision-maker since 2020, with current GM Martin Mayhew reporting to him.

So, what does that mean for the Week 18 finale?

While the Cowboys are playing for the NFC East title and the No. 2 overall seed, the most significant thing at stake for the Commanders is the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

That means nothing to the current staff or players. But it means everything for owner Josh Harris and Washington’s fan base. The upcoming draft has a few elite prospects, including two quarterbacks. Landing the No. 2 pick would ensure the Commanders one of those quarterbacks if they choose that route.

How can Washington clinch the No. 2 pick?

Well, it starts with losing on Sunday against the Cowboys. That should happen. However, Washington is tied with New England and Arizona with four wins. The Cardinals’ strength of schedule eliminates them from the No. 2 pick if all three teams lose on Sunday.

This likely comes down to the Commanders or Patriots. The Patriots play at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday against the New York Jets. New England is a slight favorite, having dominated the Jets over the years. Is this the week the Jets finally end that dominance?

If the Pats win, all Washington must do is lose against the Cowboys.

However, if the Patriots and Commanders lose, things get a little tricky.

The folks over at Tankathon have all the info you need on figuring out how the strength of schedule tiebreaker impacts Washington and New England.

Outside of the Commanders and Patriots, three games in particular will significantly impact the No. 2 pick. One of those games, the Saints vs. Falcons, could be the deciding factor.

The Commanders need the Saints to win. Also, the Packers and Raiders winning would also help Washington.

Two games on Saturday impacted the race for the No. 2 pick, but one went Washington’s way while the other went New England’s way, effectively negating both outcomes.

The Commanders need some help, but the most important factor is a Week 18 loss, which would be their eighth straight to end the season.

Colts in the playoff hunt: Week 17 rooting guide

Here is the rooting guide for Colts fans entering Week 17

The Indianapolis Colts (8-7) are still in control of their own playoff destiny with two games remaining in the 2023 regular season.

Coming off a rough loss on the road, the Colts will be looking to bounce back at home against a Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) squad that has found new life under interim head coach Antonio Pierce.

While the focus for the Colts will be solely on winning their game, we can take a look at how Indy can get some help in the playoff race through the other games on the Week 17 slate.

Here’s the rooting guide in Week 17 as the Colts make their final playoff push:

Playoff contender rooting guide for Broncos fans in Week 17

Making the playoffs is unlikely, but it’s still possible for the Broncos. Here’s a rooting guide for the best-case scenario Week 17 results.

The Denver Broncos (7-8) are technically still alive in the AFC playoff hunt, but not by much. The New York Times estimates that Denver has a 6% chance of reaching the postseason.

There are two ways the Broncos could still make the playoffs. The first way would be to win the AFC West. For that to happen, Denver would have to win out and the Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) would have to lose out.

Kansas City losing both of its remaining games seems extremely unlikely, so the second option might be more realistic (albeit still unlikely) for the Broncos. The second option would be to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. The best-case scenario would be getting in as the sixth seed.

In order to make the playoffs as in a Wild Card spot, Denver would need a lot of help from other teams. With that in mind, here is a handy Week 17 rooting guide for what results would put the Broncos in the best position to earn a Wild Card playoff berth.

Colts in the playoff hunt: Week 16 rooting guide

Here is the rooting guide for the Week 16 games as the Colts make their playoff push.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) control their own playoff destiny as they enter Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons (6-8) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 16.

Having won five of their last six games, the Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They take on a Falcons squad that has lost five of their last seven and are turning back to Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback after Desmond Ridder was benched for the second time this season.

While the focus for the Colts will be solely on winning their game, we can take a look at how Indy can get some help in the playoff race through the other games on the Week 16 slate.

Here’s the rooting guide in Week 16 as the Colts make their final playoff push:

‘The Rams are our friends,’ for now: Cowboys Week 16 rooting guide

The Cowboys can still win the division and have the longest of shots at the No. 1 seed. However, even if they fail, the Rams could play a vital role in helping Dallas realize their ultimate goals. | From @KDDrummondNFL

An interesting thing has happened in the NFC playoff race. Without taking the field since being blown out by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, ending their five-game winning streak, the Dallas Cowboys got better. Mind you, they are the exact same caliber team they were before and after kickoff in Buffalo, but the goal-post movers lost a round of ammunition on Thursday. The Rams are now winners of five of their last six games after taking out the New Orleans Saints, improving to 8-7.

For those who have claimed Dallas is unable to win games against teams .500 or better, who are outside of the NFC East (which is high comedy how specific that knock is), they mitigated that the Week 2 win over the New York Jets (1-0) and the Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) didn’t count, because they were no longer above .500. But now the Rams, who were 3-4 when Dallas roasted them 43-20, qualify and raise the tide on the Cowboys’ resume.

That’s silly, of course, but so is the original argument. Dallas is who they are, a quality team regardless of what their opponents do outside of playing them. But the Rams are a great example, and also may be of help to the Cowboys come playoff time as well. In more ways than one, the Rams are our friends.

Playoff contender rooting guide for Broncos fans in Week 16

Here is a Week 16 rooting guide for Broncos fans this weekend — we want these teams to win to help Denver’s playoff chances.

In order to make the 2023 NFL playoffs, the Denver Broncos (7-7) likely have to win out and get some help from other teams to punch a postseason ticket as a Wild Card team.

So, who should Broncos fans be rooting for this weekend? Here’s a Week 16 rooting guide for games featuring the other playoff contenders in the AFC’s Wild Card race.