Who Can Still Make The Nfl Playoffs?
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Who can still make the NFL playoffs? We take a look at the contenders and discuss who has the best chance of making a run at the Lombardi Trophy.
AFC
The Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs have all clinched a spot in the AFC playoffs. The Ravens have clinched the AFC North, the Texans have clinched the AFC South, the Patriots have clinched the AFC East, and the Chiefs have clinched the AFC West. The Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills have clinched a spot in the Wild Card round.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its home games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills.
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. As part of a settlement between Modell and the city of Cleveland, the Browns’IQ information was divided between the new franchise and the former Browns franchise, now known as the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens have qualified for the NFL playoffs eleven times since 2000, with two Super Bowl victories (Super Bowl XXXV and XLVII), two AFC Championship titles (2000 and 2012), 15 playoff victories, four divisional titles (2003, 2006, 2011, 2018), six AFC North divisional titles (2003, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019), and are currently the only team in NFL history to hold a perfect record in multiple Super Bowl appearances.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have clinched the AFC South for the fourth consecutive season. They are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, but they can still improve their seeding. The Texans will clinch the #3 seed with a win or tie against the Jaguars in Week 17, or a loss or tie by the Titans. The Texans will clinch the #2 seed with a win and a loss or tie by the Patriots.
Kansas City Chiefs
As the AFC’s top seed, the Chiefs own homefield advantage throughout the conference playoffs. They will host the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round. Should they win that game, they would then host either the Patriots, Chargers, Steelers or Texans in the AFC Championship Game.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have clinched the AFC East for the 11th consecutive season and the 16th time in franchise history. They also own the tiebreaker over the Kansas City Chiefs, meaning they will be the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The Steelers have won more Super Bowl titles and hosted more conference championship games than any other AFC or NFC team. They are the third oldest franchise in the NFL, and founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8, 1933, in response to the Great Depression. The ownership of the Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since its founding. Art Rooney Sr., bought the franchise for $2,500. After his death in 1988, his son Dan took over ownership for 33 years until he sold control of the team to his son Artie in 2019.
NFC
The NFC playoff race is heating up as we enter the final stretch of the season. There are a few teams that have already clinched a spot, but there are still plenty of teams fighting for a spot. Let’s take a look at the teams that still have a chance to make the playoffs.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have clinched the NFC East title and a spot in the playoffs. They will be the No. 4 seed and will host a wild-card game next weekend.
Green Bay Packers
As we inch closer to the end of the 2020 NFL season, the playoff picture is becoming clearer. But there are still a few teams fighting for their lives. One of those teams is the Green Bay Packers, who sit at 8-3 and hold the second wild card spot in the NFC.
The Packers have a tough road ahead, with games against the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But if they can win out, they will almost certainly be headed to the playoffs.
So who else can make the NFC playoffs? The Seattle Seahawks, who sit at 9-2, are in good shape to make it as a wild card team. The Los Angeles Rams (7-4) and Arizona Cardinals (6-5) are also in contention for a wild card spot.
The San Francisco 49ers (5-6) and Dallas Cowboys (3-8) are still alive in the NFC East, but their chances are slim. The NFC East winner will most likely be either the Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) or New York Giants (5-6).
So there you have it. The Packers, Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, 49ers, Cowboys, Eagles and Giants are all still in contention for a spot in the 2020 NFC playoffs. It should be an exciting finish to the season!
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that compete in the National Football League (NFL). The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League (AFL) 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 Anaheim. The team continued to play their home games at Anaheim Stadium through 2019. Since their return to Los Angeles in 2016, the Rams have been playing their home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Rams have appeared in Super Bowl LIII, where they lost to the New England Patriots 13–3 on February 3, 2019. This was their first appearance in a Super Bowl since XVII following their win during Super Bowl XIV 31 years earlier. They are also one of only two teams to lose a Super Bowl after having won it, with the other team being the Kansas City Chiefs.
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, as New Orleans has a large Catholic population. The franchise was founded on November 1, 1966.[9][10] The team’s primary colors are old gold and black; their logo is a simplified fleur-de-lis.[11] They played their home games in Tulane Stadium through the 1974 NFL season. The following year, they began playing their home games in the new Louisiana Superdome (nowMercedes-Benz Superdome).
The team was nearly bankrupt following 1980 due to some ill-advised free agent signings and trading away several high draft picks,[12]including first overall pick George Rogers (in order to obtain Buck Buchanan),[13] but rallied under head coach Bum Phillips and made the playoffs three times during the 1981–83 seasons behind future Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. They joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
