What Teams Are Still In the NFL Playoffs?
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It’s that time of year again! The NFL playoffs are in full swing and there are only a few teams left vying for the Lombardi Trophy. So, what teams are still in the running?
AFC
The AFC playoff picture is starting to come into focus heading into Week 17. Here’s a look at the teams that have clinched a spot and what scenarios are still in play for the rest of the field.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is 28 miles (45 km) southwest of downtown Boston.
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.
In contrast with their status as perennial also-rans in the pre-merger NFL, where they were the oldest team never to win a league championship, the Steelers of the post-merger era are one of the most successful NFL franchises. The team has racked up an all-time regular season record of .612 winning percentage (comparable to that of other teams such as the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts), captured 29 division titles and 8 conference championships. They have had 10 members inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 21 inducted into The Franchise: All-TimeGreats presented by L’Oreal Paris since its inception in 1970 as one of the original 16 NFL teams.
From 1972 to 1991 they appeared in 14 AFC Championships, winning 8 of them (and appearing in an additional 2 Super Bowls during that time which they lost). In those 31 seasons they compiled an impressive record of 205–129–1 (.613), including 101 regular season shutouts and 9 postseason shutouts. Their success continued into the 1990s and 2000s; following Chairman Dan Rooney’s promise to rebuild through youth after consecutive 6–10 seasons led to head coaches Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher’s resignations, Pittsburgh reached Super Bowl XLIII after compiling a league-best 15–1 regular season record behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger; their second Super Bowl appearance under Cowher. They would go on to win that game against their cross state rivals, the Arizona Cardinals 27–23 on Santonio Holmes’ last minute touchdown reception, giving them their sixth Lombardi Trophy tying them with fellow Super Bowl VI participants Dallas for second behind only Green Bay’s thirteen total championships. This ties Dallas for second most appearances by any franchise with eight appearances apiece alongside Denver who has also appeared eight times, while Pittsburgh remains tied with Green Bay for second place with thirteen total wins trailing only San Francisco’s five Super Bowl wins since 1980 when San Francisco won XVI behind Joe Montana who was named MVP becoming one of only nine players who have won multiple MVP awards alongside Bart Starr who is one of two players to have won it three times joining Hall of Famer Steve Young; Chuck Noll would win it twice becoming one of three coaches to do so joining Mike Ditka & Tom Flores; Dallas has won it twice while Denver & Green Bay have each won it three times join 49ers head coach Bill Walsh as well as New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick each winning it four times putting him ahead of Walsh & Lombardi for second most Super Bowl wins by any head coach trailing only Belichick’s six wins (two more than any other head coach) putting him ahead of Walsh for second most appearances reaching eleven total appearances alongside Don Shula who reached six total appearances joining Tom Landry & Mike Holmgren who both reached five total appearances; Belichick is also tied with Tom Coughlin for most conference championships reaching eight apiece while Coughlin is tied with Jimmy Johnson for second most Super Bowl wins by a head coach joining Belichick & Lombardi with four apiece trailing only Walsh’s five.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional football franchise based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team plays its home games at TIAA Bank Field.
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.
NFC
As we enter week fourteen of the NFL season, there are still a few teams vying for a spot in the playoffs. In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers are still in the running. The Seahawks have a record of ten wins and two losses, while the Packers have a record of nine wins and three losses.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.
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 being All Saints Day in the Catholic faith, while the team’s logo depicts a golden fleur-de-lis, which is often associated with French Quarter architecture. The team colors are old gold and black; their home games have been played in white jerseys with old gold numbering since 1974, while their away games have been played in black jerseys since 2000 complemented with either old gold or white pants.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that compete in the National Football League (NFL). The Rams began play in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016.
The Rams have appeared in three Super Bowls, winning one in 1999 and losing two in 1980 and 2018. The Rams have won three NFL championships, and are the only former AFL team to win a Super Bowl following the merger between the AFL and NFL. They are also the first professional football team based in Los Angeles to win a Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. In the 2017 season, the Eagles won Super Bowl LII, their first Super Bowl win in franchise history and their fourth NFL title overall, after winning the Championship Game in 1948, 1949, and 1960.
The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Brian Dawkins, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen, and Norm Van Brocklin have been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
