Give Me Your New Playoff Five

[Hawk-Lock]

There are usually 5 new teams that make the playoffs each year. Last year was an exception, as it fell short of that number. Who are your new 5? And on the reverse side, who are the 5 who won't make it.

I haven't come up with mine yet, but I feel confident about these:

1. NFC East will have a new team, as they do almost every year. That division is so bad, anyone can come out. I think the Cowboys reclaim the NFC East.

2. I think the Raiders find a way to make it in. They are on the upswing and the Broncos look like they could be in for a down year.

3. Like the NFC East, the AFC South is up for grabs. While I think the Texans did improve, that division is wide open. I can honestly see any team from that division winning it.

4. I wouldn't count the Ravens out two years in a row. On the reverse side, I think the Bengals could miss the playoffs, they lost some good WR's behind AJ Green this offseason.

5. The AFC East should get at least one wildcard team. The Jets, Bills and Dolphins are all quality teams. Which one steps up though? I'm not quite sure on that yet.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Respectfully disagree with the Cowboys making it.

Even in that crap division I don't see them winning it. Romo is one hit away from retirement and they have no capable back up, Dez is a mental midget and headcase who's career is a lot closer to circling the drain than most think, Witten is just about done. The "great O-line" might be good at run blocking but couldn't keep Romo upright, they will ruin Zeke by running him into the ground. Crazy Uncle Jerruh is the GM.


More likely the Giants or deadskins will win that division IMHO.

 

[Maulbert]

Cowboys, Falcons, Ravens, Colts, Raiders in.
Redskins, Vikings, Steelers, Texans, Broncos out.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

Cowboys, Falcons, Ravens, Colts, Raiders in.
Redskins, Vikings, Steelers, Texans, Broncos out.

Stealers? Really? As much as I hope you're rightI don't see it.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

I'm only fairly confident of two. Baltimore and Oakland. The AFC East could easily have Buffalo or the Jets make it. AFC South is a scrum just like the NFC East. The NFC North, South and West look clear cut to me. AFC West should be Kansas City and Oakland slugging it out.

 

[907Hawk]

In
New York Giants
New York Jets
Oakland Raiders
Jacksonville Jaguars
Atlanta Falcons
Out
Washington Redskins
Kansas City Chiefs
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Green Bay Packers

 

[Fade]

I have the same playoff teams for the NFC.

FYI the NFC North gets the AFC South, and NFC East this year. So expect Minn, GB, even DET, & CHI to have padded records.

Wildcards will be SEA -or- AZ & GB -or- Minn which were all in the playoffs last year. Carolina plays in an easy division pencil them in.

Leaving the NFC East. Redskins -or- Cowboys. I will go with the Redskins because allas has no D, and Romo will probably get hurt again.

Seattle
Arizona
Green Bay
Minnesota
Carolina
Washington
---------------------
NEW NFC PLAYOFF Contenders.

Dallas - They benefit from being in a bad division 7-9 puts you in the playoff hunt.

Detroit - May be a sleeper team. They went 6-2 down the stretch, after firing their OC. Now this year they play an easy out of division schedule.

Atlanta - Need Carolina to stumble.

NYG - They benefit from being in a bad division 7-9 puts you in the playoff hunt.

Cincinnati
New England
Kansas City
Pittsburgh

Are locks in the AFC.

NEW AFC PLAYOFF Contenders

JAX - They benefit from being in a bad division 7-9 puts you in the playoff hunt.

Indy - They benefit from being in a bad division 7-9 puts you in the playoff hunt.

Oakland - Derek Carr must play better down the stretch this year if they want to make the playoffs.

Baltimore - Pittsburgh & Cincy in the same division makes it tough for them. They will be competing with Oakland for the final Wild Card.

Denver - Mark Sanchez ruins any chance they got, but they can still run the ball, and play Defense that will keep them in the mix.

Buffalo - They need New England to go 1-3, or 0-4 to start, while they get off to a fast start. Then try to hang on for dear life.

 

[kearly]

Predicted that less than five would change last year, might as well double down on that prediction.

I think Dallas makes it, probably at the expense of Washington. That's not a shot at Washington, I just think that Dallas offense is going to roll if Romo stays healthy.

I think Baltimore has a real shot as a wildcard but I think they will just miss to Denver for the 2nd wildcard spot.

I think Carolina and Minnesota will decline, but still make the playoffs anyway. Minnesota showed last year that they can rack up wins against bad teams, and their 2016 schedule is one of the easiest in the NFL. They aren't as good a team as people think but they could still easily get to 11 wins with a .500 caliber team. Carolina is going to experience their SB hangover but they still play a manageable schedule in a terrible division.

It wouldn't shock me at all if the same 12 teams make it, though I do expect a few division crowns to change hands.

I don't think Oakland is a real contender yet, I think they compare well with San Diego and both of those teams are a far distance behind Denver and KC.

Jacksonville is the NFL's most improved team on paper, but the Texans are just better. The Wildcard teams are WAY better. The Colts might bounce back too.

The Jets were the best team to miss the playoffs last year, but they needed career years from Fitzmagic, Marshall, and Ivory to do it. Hard to say if they can replicate that kind of season again, but if they do then I'd expect them to be alive for the playoffs in week 17.

 

[Hasselbeck]

In:
Ravens (wild card) -- In 2015 they got the unfortunate "season derailed by injury" baton. They'll be healthier this year and get into the playoffs.

Cowboys (division champ) -- Their schedule is a joke and Romo is healthy. Dallas might compete for a Top 2 seed this year. No really.

Colts (division champ) -- I think the AFC South will be a complete toss up, but taking the Colts simply because I need 5 teams and they seem the most likely to bounce back in this division. I think the Jaguars are a year away from competing.

Dolphins (wild card) -- Adam Gase will get Tannehill to play the best football of his career. The defense going to a 4-3 greatly benefits that nasty DL. Miami has a lot of potential this year.

Falcons (wild card) -- The Falcons had the red hot start last season and just couldn't finish. I think they get the 2nd wild card this year.

Out:
Bengals -- Feel like they are due for a let down year. Hue Jackson leaving is huge. Think they are edged out of the playoffs by the Dolphins

Redskins -- Feel like this is the most obvious pick for 2016. Just not buying into this team.

Broncos -- Defense will not be as good as it was in 2015. Von Miller got paid. 6 starters left. And not to mention, their QB on kickoff Thursday is either Mark Sanchez, a very raw rookie or a career backup from Northwestern. Yeah I am fading the Broncos.

Texans -- Not sold on Brock Osweiler at all. They only won the South last season because every QB Indy had was battered to complete hell. I'm not sure they're even the 2nd best team in the division right now, much less the team to beat. JJ Watt's back injury adds another question mark to this team.

Vikings -- Kind of just picking these guys to hit the 5 team quota to be honest. Their defense is really good and their offense has some really nice pieces. I can see them returning to the playoffs even though I have them listed here.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

Nice list @Hasselbeck. I think you're probably right about the Jags, they are still probably a year or two away from the playoffs. I feel like they could be the same story for the Raiders, but we will see.

To me, I think the AFC see's a lot of new playoff teams, but the NFC playoff picture will probably look identical to last year with the exception to the NFC East.

 

[raisethe3]

In- Oakland, New York Giants, Atlanta, Indianapolis, New York Jets

Out- Denver, Washington, Minnesota, Houston, Cincinnati

 

[rlkats]

Browns, Colts, Eagles, Chargers and the Niners. Oh wait serious. Lol


Raiders, Jags, Atlanta, Giants, and Jets.

 

[Ramfan128]

Someone from the NFC will fall off.

Green Bay is likely to be better

Seattle is likely to be better

**Short of injuries can't see anything stopping these two

Minnesota should improve

Arizona is a big question mark - age at QB and with Larry Fitz - and typically QBs regress a bit after having outlier seasons like Palmer did

Carolina is a question mark - Cam seemed to go to another level and Benjamin will be back - but their secondary looks awful to me and their OL is average. RB might be an issue too.

Washington - not making the playoffs


In the East I think it's the Giants or Cowboys. I lean toward the Giants. In the South I'll go with the Saints beating out the Panthers for my upset.

In the AFC the Patriots, Chiefs and Steelers are a lock IMO. Beyond that...I'll go Ravens, Colts and Bills

 

[ctrcat]

^The Panthers OL is not average. Turner, Kalil, and Norwell form the best interior OL in football. Oher and Remmers are an average OT combo and were exposed by a perfect storm of factors in SB50, mostly an elite group from Denver, but even the much maligned Remmers still shut down Bennett. Daryl Williams may supplant Remmers at RT sooner than later and is a promising RT prospect.

 

[Maulbert]

^The Panthers OL is not average. Turner, Kalil, and Norwell form the best interior OL in football. Oher and Remmers are an average OT combo and were exposed by a perfect storm of factors in SB50, mostly an elite group from Denver, but even the much maligned Remmers still shut down Bennett. Daryl Williams may supplant Remmers at RT sooner than later and is a promising RT prospect.

Give it a rest.

 

[Ramfan128]

^The Panthers OL is not average. Turner, Kalil, and Norwell form the best interior OL in football. Oher and Remmers are an average OT combo and were exposed by a perfect storm of factors in SB50, mostly an elite group from Denver, but even the much maligned Remmers still shut down Bennett. Daryl Williams may supplant Remmers at RT sooner than later and is a promising RT prospect.

You're right, they did perform above average for most of last year...but they got destroyed in the super bowl.

I should have said they have average tackles, which is a concern for me if I'm a Panthers fan.

 

[kearly]

I would take the Panthers OL in a heartbeat.

 

[Hasselbeck]

I would take the Panthers OL in a heartbeat.

Compared to our OL the Panthers OL looks like the 2005 Seahawks line.

 

[ctrcat]

^The Panthers OL is not average. Turner, Kalil, and Norwell form the best interior OL in football. Oher and Remmers are an average OT combo and were exposed by a perfect storm of factors in SB50, mostly an elite group from Denver, but even the much maligned Remmers still shut down Bennett. Daryl Williams may supplant Remmers at RT sooner than later and is a promising RT prospect.

You're right, they did perform above average for most of last year...but they got destroyed in the super bowl.

I should have said they have average tackles, which is a concern for me if I'm a Panthers fan.

Yes no team is without weakness, relative or extreme, in the salary cap era. But IMO DE is more of a concern than OT. Ealy's consistency as a full time starter and Charles Johnson staying healthy.

 

[ctrcat]

I would take the Panthers OL in a heartbeat.

Compared to our OL the Panthers OL looks like the 2005 Seahawks line.

Yes the Panthers were that bad for most of 2014. Getting a first round talent as an underclassman that fell to the 3rd in Turner, getting lucky no team drafted Norwell, and taking a calculated risk in signing Oher who was reunited with his old position coach and had a good year changed it overnight.