Welcome to week 15! The next few weeks will firm up the playoff picture and there will be some deserving teams that get left out of the playoffs. Today we will take a look at JLD’s week 15 power rankings and what that will mean as the remaining schedule plays out.
Week 15 Power Rankings
You will notice that these rankings don’t necessarily reflect how good a team is overall, but how good a team is playing right now. These rankings will determine our remaining schedule outcomes and thus, our playoff bracket.
Week 15 Predictions
One Major Upset: Lions over Jets will have HUGE impact on the NFC playoff bracket. The Lions are scoring on a whopping 43% of possessions vs. the Jets 33%. Plus, they are on a roll and biting kneecaps all over the place. The Lions are healthy and on the verge of breaking into the playoffs…which means they are VERY motivated.
Next, we’ll use the JLD rankings to predict the outcome of the next 4 games and thus, the playoffs seedings. You can do this for yourself on ESPN on their “Playoff Machine”. It’s a fun tool and what I used to get these seedings. NFL Playoff Machine
AFC Playoffs
Here’s how the AFC playoffs will look if JLD’s rankings are used to pick the winners for the next 4 weeks.
Surprises
Jacksonville will sneak in by winning the AFC South at 7-10. They won’t be the only team to win a division at less than .500, stay tuned. The Chargers will finish a strong 11-6 and grab the 5th seed.
Disappointments
The Titans (7-10) and the Dolphins (9-8) will just miss out in this scenario. That will be quite a shock considering the starts that both of those teams had.
NFC Playoffs
Here’s how the NFC playoffs will look if JLD’s rankings are used to pick the winners for the next 4 weeks.
Surprises
The Panthers (8-9) will win the division and jump into the playoffs as the second team to be under .500 and make the playoffs. Other surprises will include Detroit (10-7) and Washington (9-7-1) as the sixth and seventh seeds respectively.
Disappointments
Tom Brady will break more than an Ipad when the Buccaneers get bounced by the lowly, multi-QB starting, and McCaffery-less Panthers. Seattle (9-8) and the Giants (8-8-1) will just miss out as well.
Use the comments section to share your playoff picks and thoughts on the remainder of the season. As always, thanks for reading and have a great weekend!