Week 11 has come and gone, and the NFL playoff race is in full swing. Every playoff spot is still up for grabs, with the winless New York Jets being the only team eliminated from playoff contention. The final five weeks will be very entertaining, as very few teams seem to be pulling away from the pack.
Someone Has To Win The NFC East
The NFC East is not good. With all four teams combining for a grand total of 12 wins in 11 weeks. This is the worst division since the NFL/AFL merger at this point in the season. The Eagles (3-6-1) lead the division by a half-game but seem to be fading fast. Carson Wentz appears to be getting worse by the week, and the injuries continue to pile up.
Philadelphia’s woes have left the door open for Dallas, Washington, and New York. The Cowboys appear to be in the best spot to take the division as Andy Dalton is healthy again, and the team seems to be gelling after a huge road win over the Vikings this past weekend. Couple that with their very weak remaining schedule, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Dallas hosted a home playoff game on Wild Card Weekend.
Steelers Stay Perfect
The Pittsburgh Steelers won their 10th consecutive game with a victory over the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-3. Their 10-0 start has them on the cusp of an AFC North division title and a trip to the postseason. A win over division rival Baltimore this week would all but sew up the berth for the Steelers.
The bigger question at this point is, will Pittsburgh lose a game? With a rather difficult remaining schedule that includes games against Baltimore, Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Cleveland, the Steelers have their work cut out for them to get to 16-0.
Saints Take Over Top Spot In NFC
With Drew Brees on the shelf for the next few weeks with eleven rib fractures and a punctured lung, the Saints turned to gadget master Taysom Hill at quarterback. Hill was nothing short of fantastic for the Saints in a 24-9 win over division rival Atlanta, completing 18-of-23 passes for 233 yards. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
That win coupled with the Packers overtime loss in Indianapolis vaults the Saints into the No. 1 seed in the NFC at 8-2. If Hill can continue to play well, the Saints will be in prime position to have home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs once Brees returns to the gridiron.
Browns Off To Best Start Since 1994
The Cleveland Browns knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles 22-17 this past week to push their record to 7-3 on the season. This is Cleveland’s best start in more than 25 years.
As weeks go by, it is becoming more and more likely the Browns will compete in the postseason for the first time since 2002. The two-headed monster of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield lead the way for the Browns and will be a tough out with that kind of run game in January.
