All regular season games are over and the playoff spots are officially settled.
The six seeds in the AFC belong to the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers.
Among them, the San Diego Lightning faced the rival Kansas Chiefs in the last week of the game. In the end, they experienced the test of overtime and defeated their opponent with a score of "27:24" and a free kick advantage. And narrowly won a playoff spot.
The San Diego Chargers' final season record was nine wins and seven losses, and there were as many as four teams in the American League with eight wins and eight losses, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The fans of the five teams experienced a roller coaster ride of ups and downs as they climbed ashore on the wire rope at the last minute.
But apart from that, the advantages of the other five teams within the division can be said to be very obvious. The team with the worst record is also the team with 11 wins in the season. It can be seen that the strength gap in the American League is still relatively obvious, so the teams that finally made it to the playoffs are all old faces, lacking new ideas and even less bright spots.
Comparing the playoff lineups of the past three years is clear.
In the 2011 season, the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.
In the 2012 season, the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals. The only difference is that the Indianapolis Colts took the spot of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who ranked seventh and eighth in the American League respectively.
In the 2013 season, the list is as above. The only difference is that the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers entered the playoffs, while the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans fell behind; it is worth mentioning that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens ranked seventh in the American League respectively. And eighth, only the Houston Texans' entire season was completely muddled.
Strictly speaking, only the Kansas Chiefs can be considered a brand-new face to be shortlisted for "upset". Since 2003, the team has only been shortlisted for the playoffs once in the 2010 season - after that, it was at the bottom of the division for two consecutive years, and last season. It was the second time in ten years that the Kansas City Chiefs made their playoff appearance after "winning" the title of vice squad leader.
Similarly, only the upstart Houston Texans have suffered a complete collapse. After reaching the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, their record this season is only two wins and 14 losses - exactly the same as the Kansas Chiefs' record last season. Unfortunately, they won the playoffs. After losing the title of deputy squad leader, we have to enter a difficult period of strategic adjustment.
In other words, in the past three years, only the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans have slightly disrupted the situation in the American League. The main competition among other teams has always been concentrated among the relatively fixed seven teams, which has never left the side. The American League's regular season matchups and playoff contentions are always lackluster, which is really disappointing.
How to find new ideas among routines?
Can the Cincinnati Bengals win a playoff game? Can the San Diego Chargers break free and reach the next level? Do the Kansas Chiefs, who have started the season with nine consecutive wins, lack stamina? Will this affect their playoff campaign? How will the love-hate relationship between the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts end in the playoffs? Also, can the fifteenth meeting between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady be staged?
The last point - and the most important point - is that five of the six playoff teams have reached 11 wins in the regular season. Does this mean there will be more strong matchups in the playoffs? Starting from the wild card round, is the excitement of each match worth more expectations?
The answers to these mysteries will be revealed when the playoffs officially begin next week.
Next is the League of Nations.
The top seed, the NFC West champion, the Seattle Seahawks, have thirteen wins and three losses.
The second seed, NFC South champion, Carolina Panthers, 12 wins and 4 losses.
The third seed, NFC East champion, Philadelphia Eagles, 10 wins and 6 losses.
The fourth seed, NFC North champion, Green Bay Packers, eight wins, seven losses and one tie.
Next up are the wild card spots.
The fifth seed, NFC West runner-up, San Francisco 49ers, 12 wins and 4 losses.
Sixth seed, NFC South runner-up, New Orleans Saints, 11 wins and 5 losses.
As mentioned before, the overall pattern of the National League is very chaotic and very close. The outcome of one game can change the situation of the entire federation.
In the end, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the St. Louis Rams and firmly secured the top seed in the National League. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals and successfully entered the playoffs; the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints both defeated their respective teams. rivals in the same conference, while joining forces to enter the playoffs, they also evolved differently due to the result of the Carolina Panthers defeating the New Orleans Saints in the 16th week of the regular season.
Also, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys with a score of "24:22", and the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears with a score of "33:28". Both winners stepped on the corpses of their rivals in the same division to advance to the playoffs. game, joining the ranks of the San Francisco 49ers and taking their destiny firmly into their own hands.
It can be seen from the record data that the competitive situation in the National League is complicated. The San Francisco 49ers' twelve wins and the New Orleans Saints' eleven wins could rank among the top four seeds in the American League, but they fell to the outside in the National League. The Philadelphia Eagles' ten wins and the Green Bay Packers' eight wins are far from outstanding, but they benefited from the general downturn of their opponents in the same district and finally succeeded in grabbing a playoff spot.
It is worth mentioning that the Arizona Cardinals, who ultimately ranked seventh in the National League, had a record of 10 wins and 6 losses, the same as the Philadelphia Eagles. However, because their opponents in the same district performed too well, they could only fall into the wild card competition. , but lost to the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints and missed the opportunity. Palmer's grievance is definitely not without reason.
Similarly, the Chicago Bears, who are ranked eighth in the National League, have a record of eight wins and eight losses, only half a game behind the Green Bay Packers. The failure of the last life-and-death battle truly explains "falling at the finish line." Compared to Palmer's depression, missing out on the playoffs at the last moment for two consecutive seasons, the Chicago Bears also wanted to cry without tears.
Within the division, the strong are strong together, and the weak are weak together. This also makes the entire regular season process full of unpredictable variables; what is more interesting is that the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, who seem to be weak, are also weak. With the ability to overturn any team, not to mention the two teams in the wild card seats, even the top two seeds must be careful, otherwise the boat will capsize in a matter of minutes.
Of course, in such fierce competition, the gap in strength still exists objectively. The Green Bay Packers led by Aaron Rodgers and the New Orleans Saints led by Drew Brees are undoubtedly the most stable teams in the National League. The existence of the team is the biggest guarantee for the team's victory - even if the performance of the defensive team is repeatedly delayed, this also allows the four elite quarterbacks to join hands in the playoffs again after a lapse of a year. This ability is the other team's The enviable part.
Looking at the National League playoff teams in the past three years, we can also get some clues.
In the 2011 season, the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.
In the 2012 season, the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings. Among them, three seats were exchanged, and the ratio of top to bottom reached 50% - as a reference, the New Orleans Saints fell into a dilemma without a head coach due to "Spygate", and finally ranked third in the National League. Twelve; the seventh and eighth teams in the National League are the Chicago Bears and New York Giants respectively.
In the 2013 season, the list is as above. Once again, three seats have been replaced. The Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings all fell behind. The replacement ratio once again reached 50%, except for the New Orleans Saints. In addition to familiar faces, the rise of the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers is an unexpected surprise.
In addition, the Arizona Cardinals are ranked seventh in the National League this season, and the Chicago Bears are ranked eighth.
The overall pattern is clear at a glance. Only the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers have made it to the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The two teams have become the first group in the National League, but the status of other competitors has more or less improved. Deviation, which also makes the competition situation of the entire federation extremely complicated.
Although the New Orleans Saints missed the playoffs last year, special circumstances must be taken into account. The team with Drew Brees is still considered the first group in the National League.
In the second group, the Seattle Seahawks, who have shown rapid upward momentum, are undoubtedly the leaders, and the Atlanta Falcons, who have been shortlisted in the previous two seasons, can also be regarded as one of them-but they only have four wins and 12 losses this season. , showing a cliff-like decline, and the other is the Chicago Bears, who have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons but have shown competitiveness for three consecutive seasons.
Then... there is no more.
In the National League East, four teams, the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys, are taking turns taking charge.
In the NFC North, in addition to the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears are fighting each other.
In the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints are slightly ahead, the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers are rising rapidly, and only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have yet to revive.
In the National League West, the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Arizona Cardinals have formed an iron triangle, while the temporarily lagging St. Louis Rams are the division killer.
In other words, only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the real weak team now, while all the other fifteen teams are capable of fighting. This can be seen from the results of the drastic changes in the playoff seats in the past three seasons. You see, this also means that when the playoffs come, all six teams have the ability to reach the top. It all depends on their performance on the spot. No one can say who will have the last laugh!
