Who’s Still in the Playoffs?

The NFL playoffs are in full swing and there are only a few teams left vying for the Lombardi Trophy. Who’s still in the running?

American Football Conference

As we enter the final weeks of the NFL season, only four teams in the American Football Conference are still in the running for the playoffs. These teams are the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Let’s take a look at each team’s chances.

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 located 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 1934, the team relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began play at Forbes Field. The club claimed its first NFL title in 1940 under former head coach Walt Kiesling and future hall of famer Marion Motley. Under Kiesling’s leadership and long-time owner Art Rooney’s guidance, the team would win four more division titles during World War II as well as 1945 NFL ChampionshipGame before facing their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles for the title in 1947; a game which they lost 21–0. Though they would win a sixth divisional crown in 1947 below legendary head coach John McNally’s stewardship, it would be their final playoff appearance until 1972; a span of 25 years whereupon they only had five winning seasons, two of them being strike-shortened 8-game seasons in 1982 and 1987 respectively while failing to reach .500 overall.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional football franchise based in Jacksonville, Florida. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The Jaguars have played their home games at TIAA Bank Field since their inception in 1995.

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.

National Football Conference

The National Football Conference (NFC) is the one of two conferences of the National Football League (NFL). This conference consists of 16 teams divided into 4 divisions.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that competes 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 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 franchise has won three NFL championships, and is the only one to win championships while representing three different cities (Cleveland in 1945, Los Angeles in 1951, and St. Louis in 1999). The Rams are the only NFL team to win a championship game and Super Bowl while based in the same city. They are also one of only two teams (the other being the New Orleans Saints) to win a Super Bowl following a losing season, as well as being one of only three teams (along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots) to appear in more than one Super Bowl without ever losing.

The Rams have made 18 trips to the playoffs, tied for 13th most among all NFL franchises,[5] but have not won a playoff game since January 20, 2002, when they defeated the Tennessee Titans 29–17 at home during Wild Card Weekend. They reached Super Bowl LIII where they lost to the New England Patriots 13–3 on February 3, 2019.[6]

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 of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966, the Saints joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1967. The name “Saints” is an allusion to November 1 being All Saints Day in the Catholic faith, or more specifically and historically, to the Feast of All Saints (also called All Hallows or Hallowmas).

The franchise was founded on November 1, 1966. The team’s primary colors are old gold and black; their logo is a simplified sketch of a Fleur-de-lis. They played their home games in Tulane Stadium through the 1974 NFL season. The following year, they moved to the new Louisiana Superdome (now named the Mercedes-Benz Superdome). For most of their first 20 years, the Saints were barely competitive, only qualifying for two winning seasons and three playoff appearances. In 1987, they finished 12–3—their first-ever winning season—and qualified for the NFC playoffs for only the second time in franchise history, only to lose to their intrastate rivals and eventual Super Bowl champions,[14] the Minnesota Vikings 44–10 at Tulane Stadium during run up to Super Bowl XXII.

Philadelphia Eagles

As the NFC East champions, the Eagles have clinched a playoff berth. They will host a wild-card game on January 4 or 5.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings play in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the NFL. As of 2019, they have appeared in 27 playoff games, winning 14 of them. They won the NFC Championship in 1969, 1973, and 1976, but lost each time in the Super Bowl. The Vikings have played in four NFC conference title games since 1998 but lost all four. They made it back to the playoffs in 2017 after a two-year absence and beat the Saints in a thrilling last-second victory in the Wild Card round. But they lost to eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles in the divisional round.