data-mm-id=”_3cqxvkdz0″>The best time of year has arrived: the NFL playoffs. It's an extremely competitive field this season, top-to-bottom with quality teams. But not all are made equal. Here are your official NFL playoff power rankings. 12. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7)Philadelphia Eagles v New York Giants / Steven Ryan/Getty ImagesThe Eagles are the kings of the steaming pile of garbage that is the 2019 NFC East. Carson Wentz is playing extremely well, but the Eagles are so depleted from injuries they're starting practice-squad guys at nearly every skill position offensively. The fact that they're even playing in January is an accomplishment itself, but it would be astonishing if they got to play more than one game. 11. Tennessee Titans (9-7)Jacksonville Jaguars v Tennessee Titans / Frederick Breedon/Getty ImagesThe Titans turned things around after they inserted Ryan Tannehill in place of Marcus Mariota. Derrick Henry is the 2019 rushing leader and can consistently make things happen. The defense is stingy. But ultimately, it's hard to take the combination of Tannehill and Mike Vrabel over Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, much less the gauntlet they'd face should they topple the Patriots in Foxboro on Wild Card Weekend. 10. Buffalo Bills (10-6)Buffalo Bills v New England Patriots / Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesThe Bills are a very well-coached team with a fantastic defense. Josh Allen has made strides this season. Are those strides big enough to trust him when every down matters? I don't think so. They're going up against a flawed team in Houston, but a deep playoff run may still be a few years away. 9. Houston Texans (10-6)Houston Texans v Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Julio Aguilar/Getty ImagesBill O'Brien has well-noted shortcomings as a head coach that only become more apparent in playoff football. The secondary is inconsistent, although a potential JJ Watt return seems likely at this point, which would be huge. It's hard to bet against Deshaun Watson and his cadre of wideouts. But Watson looked banged-up near the end of the year, and if he's not fully healthy, Houston is done. 8. Seattle Seahawks (11-5)San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks / Alika Jenner/Getty ImagesI'll probably regret doubting Russell Wilson, but the problems with Seattle, as always, lie with his supporting cast. The run game is extremely important to the Seahawks' offense; it keeps the defense guessing and opens up the play action, but without their top three running backs, the opposing team will sell out to make sure Wilson can't make his magic. They shouldn't have a problem taking down the Eagles in the wild card round, but after that, Wilson can only do so much. 7. Minnesota Vikings (10-6)Atlanta Falcons v Minnesota Vikings / Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesIt's risky business to trust Kirk Cousins when the lights are brightest, but Dalvin Cook is the key to this offense, and he should be ready to go after resting the past two weeks with his shoulder injury. They drew a tough matchup against the Saints in New Orleans, but between Cook, their top-end pair of receivers, and a defense as stingy as expected from a Mike Zimmer squad, they're a tough out. 6. New England Patriots (12-4)Miami Dolphins v New England Patriots / Adam Glanzman/Getty ImagesThe Patriots look as vulnerable as they ever have. The offense is stagnant and their "historic" defense was just torn to pieces by Ryan Fitzpatrick, DeVante Parker, and a bunch of guys off the street with a playoff bye and homefield advantage on the line. It's still Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, and the Titans will have their work cut out for them, but it's very hard to believe this New England squad is built for a deep postseason run. 5. Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)Los Angeles Chargers v Kansas City Chiefs / Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesThe Chiefs have rounded into form at just the right time. Everyone important is healthy on offense, and the defense is much-improved from last season. They have homefield for whoever comes out of the wild card round. They aren't as well-rounded as the teams above them, but a Super Bowl run is in the cards. 4. Green Bay Packers (13-3)Green Bay Packers v Detroit Lions / Rey Del Rio/Getty ImagesGreen Bay managed to steal the second seed in the NFC, but they just don't scare anybody. The defense is the best they've fielded since the early years of this decade, and Aaron Rodgers remains Aaron Rodgers, but they've had more than a few duds on both sides of the ball over the course of the year, and Rodgers hasn't turned on the jets very often. It's always tough to play at Lambeau in January, but the offense needs to show more signs of life to get very far. 3. New Orleans Saints (13-3)New Orleans Saints v Carolina Panthers / Jacob Kupferman/Getty ImagesThe Saints got the short end of the stick with the third seed despite winning 13 games. But this squad is dangerous on both sides of the ball. They have a shutdown corner (Marshon Lattimore) and an elite edge presence (Cam Jordan) on defense. They have one of the best quarterbacks ever (Drew Brees) and 2019's best receiver (Michael Thomas) on offense– and that's not even to mention Alvin Kamara or their elite offensive line. They're more than motivated after two consecutive heart-shattering playoff exits. They don't have an easy road, but they match up well with anybody on the field. 2. San Francisco 49ers (13-3)San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks / Otto Greule Jr/Getty ImagesThe Niners squeaked out a tough win in Seattle to clinch both the NFC West and the first seed on Sunday night. Their defense has remained one of the best in the league over the course of the season, and Kyle Shanahan has once again engineered an effective and dangerous offense. Jimmy Garoppolo hasn't been tested under this kind of pressure yet, though, and has had more games than you'd like where he has been flat-out bad. They aren't a perfect team, but homefield gives them a slight edge over the other elite teams in the playoff bracket. 1. Baltimore Ravens (14-2)New York Jets v Baltimore Ravens / Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesThe Ravens have played like the best team in the NFL for nearly the entire season, and there's no reason to think they won't continue to do so in the playoffs. Mark Ingram's health is paramount to the offense, but Greg Roman has masterminded an elite unit that perfectly utilizes the skillset of likely MVP Lamar Jackson. The midseason trade for Marcus Peters has already paid huge dividends for the defense. They won't have to leave Baltimore in January. Jackson hasn't been playoff-tested yet, but after the season he's had, everything is lining up for a Super Bowl run. As they have been all year, they're THE team to beat.
Related Posts
data-mm-id=”_wy16ozj78″>It will be all hands on deck when the NBA restart officially gets underway on July 30. One of the talking points around the bubble environment down in Orlando is that teams are having to make do with less personnel than they're accustomed to because they were only allowed to bring so many essential employees. This is also true for the media teams tasked with broadcasting the games. TNT announced their broadcast schedule for the NBA's "seeding games" set to take place between July 30 and August 15, when the playoffs begin. With Marv Albert choosing to sit out the restart because of safety concerns, Kevin Harlan and Ian Eagle will be the two main play-by-play callers for TNT, and they'll be pulling double-header duty, too. TNT has announce…
data-mm-id=”_ehyszrk1u”>Andrew Church, a former second round pick, was one of the 39 minor league players released by the New York Mets earlier this week. The 25-year-old pitcher had been a part of the organization since 2013. He briefly retired during the 2018 season and returned last year. At the time, he said that he was frustrated and wanted to spend more time with his wife and young son. After the Mets released him, he shared some more details about his retirement. He has choice words for the organization, especially their handling of Tim Tebow. View this post on Instagram Please read to understand my true feelings. Today I got released by the NY Mets organization. The people on the other end of the phone had nothing but good things to say and I appreciated that…
data-mm-id=”_oy53kf6fy”>The times have changed and continue to change. It took Colin Kaepernick several years to win, but he did in the end. For all his missteps and prolonged silence, he started a movement that opened the door to real change — and not just in the corners one would suspect. His story has evolved, and those who vilified him are finding him vindicated. As such, his corporate capital has more value. This is America after all, where the true measure of a man is often reflected in dollars, cents, and handshake deals. Of course, it's not all bad because to realize Kaepernick is now a net-positive for a brand and palpable to a widespread audience is to realize just how far public sentiment has shifted. This morning, the unemployed quarterback and Disney announced a cont…
data-mm-id=”_ujjrvrxyk”>It was, to state the obvious, an unusual baseball season. We were privy to a 60-game sprint after multiple bleak months in which it looked like it'd ultimately be a zero-game sprint. Major League Baseball's popularity remains fodder for actual concern and concern trolling. The 30,000-foot view would suggest we shouldn't be taking huge stock in this small sample size and Americans' desire to consume the product amid a pandemic and unprecedented sporting competition.We do have some hard data, though, on the most popular players in regards to jersey sales, which MLB released today.MLB announced the 20 most popular jerseys based on sales.11 teams represented. No Red Sox players. pic.twitter.com/A93bN0NqYs— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 25, …
data-mm-id=”_mhthh0eq6″>How quickly New York Giants fans forget how close they were to running Eli Manning out of town for the same reasons they're now trying to run Daniel Jones out of town. That's what two Super Bowl MVPs against the greatest dynasty in NFL history will get you, though. Amnesia. It's a hell of a reaction if taken in moderation and Big Blue nation is clearly dosed up enough to forget reality.Though his first three seasons as a full-time starter, Manning was one of the most turnover-prone quarterbacks in the NFL, throwing 55 interceptions in total from 2005-07. After throwing four interceptions in his first two playoff games, many pundits and fans questioned Manning's leadership and called for his ouster leading into the 2007 season. Then he led the…
data-mm-id=”_uqogwn57a”>Julio Jones joined FS1's Undisputed via phone this morning and offered some unfiltered thoughts on his future, which sure seems as though won't be with the Atlanta Falcons. It was quite a moment, followed by a few hours now of speculation about just what the heck happened there as well as an increase in "California two-party consent" search traffic. Jones' current team is carefully monitoring the situation and using it as a springboard to its own pageviews. In a call with Shannon Sharpe, Julio Jones commented on his future in Atlanta. https://t.co/i3622KR4fp— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 24, 2021A team-operated site recapping the shiny object of the day on sports-talk television feels like newish ground. It also feels like thi…
data-mm-id=”_fr8yg2o7b”>Is there any better event to bet on than March Madness??This is the perfect time of the year to put your money on an underdog and win BIG. Thanks to awesome new-user promotions at DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks, you can do just that with an extra $400 in your pocket! New users who sign up with both of these sportsbooks will have guaranteed access to $400 in bonus money with as small of an investment as $25. All you’re asked to do is follow our instructions listed below to start winning today. DraftKings March Madness Promo DraftKings is offering its new users a low-risk promotion that’s hard to beat: bet $5 on any March Madness game, win $200 GUARANTEED. It doesn’t matter if your bet wins or loses for this promotion. Here’s how you claim your $2…
data-mm-id=”_9zhqes0jw”>Anthony Richardson's generational athletic traits were on display early on Sunday afternoon. The fourth overall pick in this year's draft scored two rushing touchdowns in the first six minutes of the Indianapolis Colts' matchup with the Houston Texans. Later in the first quarter he did something that we very rarely see from a quarterback at any level. With the ball in his own end on first-and-10, Richardson dropped back to pass and was quickly set upon by Texans defenders. He moved around in the pocket a bit before he started to scramble to his left in an attempt to make something happen. As several Houston defensive linemen closed in on Richardson, he went to throw the ball away and realized he would have trouble getting the throw off with his ri…
data-mm-id=”_swoqns18z”>The new era of Washington Commanders' football got off to a roaring start on Sunday with a thrilling 20-16 home victory over the tanking Arizona Cardinals. The Commanders outscored the Cardinals 10-0 in the fourth quarter to get the win with Sam Howell completing 19-of-31 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception. With a new owner and a 1-0 record, spirits were high in the stands despite the rain. But even that didn't keep everyone on their best behavior as the field wasn't the only location of a fight during the game.Here's video of a confrontation between a number of Washington fans. If you stick with the video a few seconds and the camera operator turns his phone sideways, you'll see a woman sucker punch another woman i…
data-mm-id=”_80y6gm7l9″>The Washington Commanders faithful were treated to an atrocity of a showing by their home team on Sunday at FedEx Field, dropping another divisional contest to the New York Giants, 31-19. Sam Howell threw a cool three interceptions and three different Commanders fumbled for a total of six turnovers on the day. Tommy DeVito, New Jersey sensation, dropped three touchdowns on their head. It was the sort of performance that would result in heads rolling, if the Commanders were a serious franchise. We'll see about that last point. Fittingly, the game ended in a Howell interception. The Commanders were somehow still in the game in the final moments of the fourth quarter, down by only five points with less than 30 seconds to go. Howell threw a pick to Isaiah Simmo…