"The seeding within and particularly at the top of those AFC and NFC brackets, though, is chaotic. The Broncos and Rams came into Week 16 as the top seeds in their respective conferences. They both left the week with losses. The Broncos are still narrowly atop the AFC, but their grip on a potential top seed and sense of invincibility have both weakened after losing their 11-game win streak Sunday."
"I'm going to focus on the four teams who have already played this week and have at least a 20% chance of landing the top seed, per ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) projections. While teams like the 49ers (20.7%, pending Monday's result), Bears (11.4%) and Jaguars (13.6%) could have everything go their way over the final two weeks of the season, our four favorites are the Broncos and Patriots in the AFC and the Seahawks and Rams in the NFC."
"I'll start by taking a look at the impact of that Rams-Seahawks game from Thursday night and what it told us about where these teams might be heading if they have another rematch come January. Then, it all changed. Rashid Shaheed won the Percy Harvin award for justifying a trade without catching a pass, as the former Saints receiver returned a punt for a touchdown to get Seattle back in the game. After the Rams went three-and-out"
Seeding at the top of both AFC and NFC playoff brackets is chaotic after Week 16, with several teams losing key games and moving in and out of contention. The Broncos and Rams entered Week 16 as top seeds but both lost, diminishing the Broncos' long win streak and reducing their perceived invincibility. ESPN's Football Power Index shows four teams with at least a 20% chance of landing the top seed among teams that have already played this week: the Broncos, Patriots, Seahawks and Rams. Other teams such as the 49ers, Bears and Jaguars still hold smaller but realistic paths to the top seed if results go their way in the final two weeks.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]