After all the games on the fourteenth day of the regular season were over, the San Francisco 49ers undoubtedly became the focus of attention because they handed their rivals in the same district the Seattle Seahawks their second defeat of the season, and because they showed great strength and officially Returned to the ranks of championship contending teams.
With the regular season coming to an end in three weeks, the strong return of the defending champion has undoubtedly added more uncertainties to the 2013 season.
Looking at the current overall situation of the league, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks lead the American League and National League respectively. They are currently the only two teams with two losses in the season. The former is the league's first offensive team, and the latter is the league's first defensive team. It truly interprets the ultimate in football on both ends of the offense and defense from different angles. However, both teams were unable to lock in the top four seeds in the playoffs in advance because of the excellent record of their rivals in the same district. From the side, it can be seen that the competition pattern this season is even more intense. Opening up is also more complex.
Outside of these two teams, teams with three wins out of ten include the New England Patriots of the American League, the Kansas Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints of the National League. Due to the special rules of the NFL playoff berths, currently only the New England Patriots have taken the lead in locking in the division championship due to the weakness of their opponents in the same division, becoming the first team in the league to determine the top four seeds in the playoffs, while Kansas Both the Chiefs and New Orleans Saints still have to look at the faces of their opponents in the same conference.
Teams with nine wins and four losses include the Cincinnati Bengals of the American League and the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers of the National League.
Among the teams with eight wins and five losses can be seen the Indianapolis Colts of the American League and the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals of the National League.
From the overall record, we can see the difference in the competition pattern and situation between the American League and the National League.
The first is the American League. The entire playoff pattern has basically been settled. Although there are still variables, the chance of a comeback is too small.
In the American League East, the New England Patriots secured the division championship in advance.
In the American League North, the rivals Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have both collapsed this season. The former has only five wins and eight losses, while the latter has seven wins and six losses. In addition, the division record in the civil war is not superior. The Cincinnati Bengals are one win away from clinching the division title.
In the American League South, the Indianapolis Colts are still in an unstable state. They just lost to the Cincinnati Bengals this week. However, because all their opponents in the same division have stalled, the Tennessee Titans, who have the best record, only have five wins and eight losses. Therefore, Indiana The Polis Colts also need just one more win to clinch the division title.
It is true that there are always upsets and surprises in competitive sports. Until the last moment, the "theoretical possibility" always has the chance of becoming a reality; but considering the overall state trend of this season, the chance of an unexpected comeback is indeed too low. , this also means that the three division champions have been basically determined, and three of the six playoff seats have been basically determined.
The American League West is the only variable.
The current American League West is composed of the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. With three weeks left in the season, what they need to decide is the division champion and the second place in the division. Judging from the current record of both of them exceeding ten wins, Entry into the playoffs is basically guaranteed, but the only difference is the seeding. The division champion enters the top four seed rounds, and the second in the division enters the wild card round.
In other words, the five positions of the American League playoff seats have been basically determined, with only one seat left open for competition. Currently, the Baltimore Ravens, with seven wins and six losses, are slightly ahead, but because there are still three weeks left in the regular season, There are as many as six teams that are theoretically possible.
Although there are still six teams in the wild card competition, the sparks and suspense of competition between each other are still far from intense enough. Overall, the American League's competition pattern is still a bit... boring. The main reason is that the contrast between the strong team and the weak team is too obvious, and the gap widens immediately, so that there is a lack of suspense and sparks, and the confrontation cannot be truly extended to the last moment.
Next is the National League. The general trend of the entire playoff pattern has a clear direction, but there are many more variables. Either the strong teams gather in one division, or all the teams in the division collectively decline. The competitive situation of strong and weak players has kept the suspense of the playoffs alive, and there are still countless possibilities.
The League of Nations can be divided into two parts, the National League South and the National League West, which collectively break out, and then the National League East and National League North, which collectively fight against trafficking.
In the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles currently lead the division championship with eight wins and five losses, followed by the Dallas Cowboys with seven wins and six losses, the New York Giants with five wins and eight losses, and the Washington Redskins with three wins and ten losses, except for Washington, which has basically been canceled for the season. Apart from the Redskins, even the New York Giants still have the possibility of qualifying for the playoffs, and the strength gap between the top three teams is not big. It's basically rookies pecking each other, and there are countless possibilities in every game.
In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers have six wins, six losses and one tie, the Chicago Bears have seven wins and six losses, the Detroit Lions have seven wins and six losses, and the Minnesota Vikings have three wins, nine losses and one tie. Similarly, except for the Minnesota Vikings, the other three teams The gap between the teams is only half a game. There are now three weeks left in the regular season. Their fate is in their own hands. Division civil wars and conference civil wars. Each game may lead to a different pattern.
Look, this is the National League. Even if the strength declines and the state fluctuates, everyone remains on the same baseline and vividly interprets the true meaning of "brothers in need" at the same pace. The bayonet between the weak team and the weak team is red. The fight will not be weaker than the peak matchup between the top teams in the American League, because every game may be a cliff battle that determines life and death, and no one can take it lightly.
Similarly, if the strength breaks out and the state improves, the National League teams will also go hand in hand. The head-to-head competition between strong teams will never lack sparks and highlights. Every game is enough to make fans They exclaimed that it was so enjoyable that the routine of "the brave one wins when we meet on a narrow road" will never go out of style! The spectacle of a matchup between top teams easily exceeds that of an American League game.
In the National League South, the New Orleans Saints have ten wins and three losses and the Carolina Panthers have nine wins and four losses. This is the same echelon. In the fourteenth game that just ended, the Saints defeated the Panthers at home. The team defended the glory of their division championship, but in two weeks they will go to the road to face the Panthers again, which will determine the direction of the entire season; while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with four wins and nine losses and Atlanta with three wins and ten losses The Falcons are a sibling, and their seasons have been ruined.
In the National League West, the Seattle Seahawks have 11 wins and 2 losses, the San Francisco 49ers have 9 wins and 4 losses, and the Arizona Cardinals have 8 wins and 5 losses. All three teams still have hope of competing for the playoffs, and even have five wins in a row. The St. Louis Rams, who have eight losses, also benefited from the chaos in the NFC North and NFC East, and still have the ability to compete for wild cards. Not to mention that the Seattle Seahawks have not been able to secure the division championship for the time being, and even the playoff position has not been completely determined.
It is no exaggeration to say that the National League West and the American League West are the groups of death this year. The overall explosion of overall strength has made the consumption within the division extremely fierce. The fierce internal friction often makes them need to bear more pressure and pressure when facing other teams. Challenge, such a fierce competition has continued until the end of the season, and now there is still no winner, which also makes the sparks of the division civil war become more intense and hotter.
Objectively speaking, because the entire National League is in the chaotic situation of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, although the Seattle Seahawks with 11 wins and the New Orleans Saints with 10 wins have not been able to lock in the division championship in advance, if nothing else, they have both made it to the top. The difference in playoff berths is only the top four seeds or wild card berths. The difference between home and away games is particularly important for the Seattle Seahawks, and may even affect the battle for a Super Bowl berth.
At the same time, the remaining four positions of the six playoff spots have countless possible permutations. There are now as many as ten teams that can impact the seats, and it is not theoretically possible - but every game The outcome of each game will be reshuffled, and the situation of the playoffs will also be changed; in addition, the strength gap between them is also about the same, and the direction of each victory or defeat cannot be easily predicted. This means It's really too exciting.
Compared to the even-keeled American League, the National League, where a hundred schools of thought contend, is much more exciting.
Amid the chaos, the San Francisco 49ers have quietly entered the top eight of the league's official strength rankings, and are proudly ranked fifth, second only to the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots. Four teams, including the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Saints, even surpassed the Kansas Chiefs, who have a better record.
Relying on their steady and strong performance in defeating the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers showed their strength and status to the entire league. Many people in the industry said that the defending champion has returned to the championship; The situation was already in chaos, and now it is even more chaotic. Even the most senior and professional analysts and commentators now dare not easily draw conclusions as to which six teams will ultimately enter the playoffs.
The even more incredible part is that even for the four teams in the National League that have missed the playoffs - the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings, no one dares to easily assert that they will. It is impossible to have a strong rebound ability at the end of the season. You must know that among these four teams, except for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the other three teams were all playoff teams last year.
Incredible?
But this is the NFL, this is the National League. The playoff team that had great glory last season has fallen to this point this season. How many people still remember the Atlanta Falcons who fought to the last minute with the San Francisco 49ers in last year's National League finals?
