What Are The Teams Left In The NFL Playoffs?

As the NFL regular season comes to a close, we take a look at the teams still in the running for the playoffs. Who will make it to the Super Bowl?

The NFC

The NFC is down to four teams: the Saints, Rams, Bears, and Cowboys. All four teams have a chance to make it to the Super Bowl, but only two will make it out of the divisional round. Who will make it to the conference championship?

The Green Bay Packers

The Packers are the only team from Wisconsin in the NFL, and are also the oldest team in the league. Founded in 1919, they are also the only publicly owned team in the NFL. Lambeau Field, their home stadium, is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers have won 13 NFL championships, the most of any team in the league. They have also won four Super Bowls, more than any other team except for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints currently compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The team was founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966. The Saints began play in Tulane Stadium in 1967.

The name “Saints” is an allusion to November 1, 1950, when the original NFL franchise in New Orleans, then known as the Dallas Texans, was given that name by owner George Halas after his team’s 24–17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Halloween night. By coincidence, the team’s first home game in New Orleans was against its expansion cousins, the new San Francisco 49ers.

The team’s primary colors are old gold and black; their mascot is Gumbo the Jazz Cat. They are currently coached by Sean Payton and play their home games at Mercedes-Benz Superdome (formerly Louisiana Superdome).

The Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are the defending NFC champions, having defeated the Green Bay Packers in 2014. They defeated the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 playoffs and will face the Arizona Cardinals in the divisional round. The Seahawks are led by quarterback Russell Wilson, who is one of the most 5 talented young quarterbacks in the NFL. The team also has a strong defense, which is led by safety Earl Thomas.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The club joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Seattle Seahawks.

Through the 2018 season, they have played 43 seasons and compiled a win-loss record of 274–402–1, with a winning % of .404. They have appeared in the playoffs ten times, winning six NFC West titles and one Super Bowl championship in their only appearance, which was their first franchise playoff win since 1979 (and their only playoff win since then). The Bucs have not had back-to-back winning seasons since 2006–07; and they currently own the NFL’s longest active streak of thirteen consecutive seasons without finishing above .500 (their last such season being 2007). Since the formation of the NFC South in 2002, they’ve played each team at least twice per season: four times for every team in their own division; three times for every other team. They are also one of four teams to finish last place or joint-last place in their division or conference three years or more straight – joining other perennial doormats such as Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions who did it four years straight between 2015–16 and 2018–19 respectively – to not make a head coaching change during that span despite struggling on field.

The AFC

There are four teams left in the AFC playoffs: the New England Patriots, the Denver Broncos, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The Ravens were established in 1996, when Art Modell, who was then the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to relocate the franchise to Baltimore in order to accommodate a proposed stadium on Cleveland’s waterfront. As part of a settlement between Modell, the city of Cleveland, and the other NFL owners reached prior to relocation, an expansion team would be placed in Baltimore no later than 1999. The Ravens’ name was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven”.

Seeking a name other than that of former owner Bob Irsay’s Indianapolis Colts – which Modell took with him to Baltimore – fans in Baltimore were offered the opportunity to submit ideas for the new team name. Among those suggestions were “the Marauders” and “the Bombers”. These suggestions were combined into one entry: “the Baltimore Bombers”, a nod to World War II-era bombers based at nearby Coastal Division Air Base Dundalk. In response to fan support for this entry, Team President Dick Cass stated that “Bombers is not one of [the finalists], but it is an option.” On March 29, 1996,modell announced that he had selected Ravens as his team’s new name; an announcement that was not warmly welcomed by some fans of Poe. The announcement was met with criticism from those who believed it carried too many negative connotations (e.g., mobsters and murderers), especially given Baltimore’s history with organized crime.

The Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays their home games at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays its home games in the state of New York. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, an eastern suburb of Rochester.

The Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team was founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans by businessman Lamar Hunt and was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City and assumed their current name. The Chiefs joined the NFL as a result of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team is valued at over $2 billion. Forbes also ranked the Kansas City Chiefs as the 28th-most valuable sports franchise in 2019, making them the highest valued franchise in the NFL at that time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC.