The Wild Card

[patmoran2006]

We're half way through the season. Despite an 0-3 start and a pair of games we lost on the last play of the game, the Buffalo Bills stand at 4-4 and very much are at least on the fringes of a wild card battle.

Right now Tennesee looks like a wild card lock. They're at 6-2, and with a totally dominant front seven they should get to 10-11 wins with no problem.'

This is where it can get fun. At 5-3, both Cleveland and Jacksonville are a game ahead of the Bills for the second spot. We play both these teams later in the year, though both games are on the road. Balitmore is a half-game ahead of us at 4-3, but they play and will hopefully lose at Pittsburgh tommorow night to drop to .500. Obviously, we also beat them heads-up and will have a tiebreaker on them.

In the AFC West, both SD and KC are tied at the top with a 4-4 record. The non division winner is certainly in the hunt, though my gut tells me KC will be lucky to finish with 8-9 wins this year and SD will win the division with 9-10 wins.

Assuming we beat Miami and lose to New England. We'll be sitting at 5-5 going into the final six weeks. Though the schedule is tough with only one game that should be an "easy" win (Miami at home) essentially we could end up controlling our own destiny by playing at Jags and Brownies.

Any way you cut it, if nothing else we're at least on the fence of a wild card race. Exciting for now. We CANNOT afford to lose at Miami next week, that's truly a "must win" game.

[HHURRICANE]

I looked at the schedule and I still see us at 8-8. We should beat Miami twice but other than that there are absolutely no gimme games. I think we win 2 of the other 6.

[patmoran2006]

I dont know. This team is getting better, especially defensively.

I'm starting to see little signs of this defense turning into the Colts defense.

[Don't Panic]

10 wins will likely be what it takes to get in. If its 9 wins, it will be a multi-team tie breaker and we'll be in need of some key wins... beating Miami twice as well as Jax and the Browns is essential in that situation. To be honest, the NFC East games become a lot less meaningful, but a win is a win. We would need two out of those three plus NE (on top of the four mentioned) to guarantee a spot. To get in at 9, we need one of the NFC East/NE games. Not impossible, but it'll take the type of football we played today to get it.

[Don't Panic]

I dont know. This team is getting better, especially defensively.

I'm starting to see little signs of this defense turning into the Colts defense.

Me too... a healthy Poz and another year in the system and we might just be there.

[Mad Bomber]

I looked at the schedule and I still see us at 8-8. We should beat Miami twice but other than that there are absolutely no gimme games. I think we win 2 of the other 6.
I have to agree with that. I said before the season started, and I'm sticking with it, that we'd win 7-9 games this season.

I'm pissed that we lost those two last-second games. :mad:

[Oaf]

KC should not be a factor IMO, and the Browns lost today didn't they? Aren't they 4-4 now too?

[HHURRICANE]

KC should not be a factor IMO, and the Browns lost today didn't they? Aren't they 4-4 now too?

Browns won.

[HHURRICANE]

Pats, Jags, Browns, Giants, Eagles, Redskins. Assuming we beat the Dolphins twice which teams are definate wins? I'm not seeing any.

Maybe Eagles, maybe Redskins, maybe Browns. Nine wins doesn't get us in the playoffs. Sorry. And that's a stretch.

[colin]

i personally don't think we'll be that close, but we could win 10 or even 11 games and not get a wc spot.

to get to the tourney, we have to win the division. i think we can start doing that next year, but we need consistent qb play and a lot of luck

[Mitchy moo]

i personally don't think we'll be that close, but we could win 10 or even 11 games and not get a wc spot.

to get to the tourney, we have to win the division. i think we can start doing that next year, but we need consistent qb play and a lot of luck

Brady falls down, maybe.

[Easy E-Lass]

I was talking about this with my friends the other day. (one of which is a Chiefs fan, the other is a Browns fan) We basically all agreed that the final WC spot was going to be between our 3 teams. Personally, I think Cleveland is all O no D, so with our improved D, we can beat them when we play. We don't play KC, but they play a cheesecake schedule with games against the Jets, Raiders, and two against the Broncos. So that's 3 or 4 wins right there, plus they can beat SD again, or even Detroit or Tenessee. They should win the West if this is the case, and that would leave it between us, SD, and Cleveland.

It will be an exciting end to the season for sure.

[TigerJ]

I dont know. This team is getting better, especially defensively.

I'm starting to see little signs of this defense turning into the Colts defense.

I agree. Buffalo has the two games versus Miami that they really should win, and the remaining game versus the Patriots that they have almost zero chance of winning. The rest of their schedule, five games, are against competitive teams. Buffalo has a shot against all of them. That doesn't Buffalo is going to win them all, nor will they be favored against all of them, but they at least have a chance. That's all we can ask for.

[Don't Panic]

Pats, Jags, Browns, Giants, Eagles, Redskins. Assuming we beat the Dolphins twice which teams are definate wins? I'm not seeing any.

Maybe Eagles, maybe Redskins, maybe Browns. Nine wins doesn't get us in the playoffs. Sorry. And that's a stretch.

I think 9 is slightly optimistic, but it may just be enough to get us in if we beat Cleveland (handing them a loss at the same time). KC is a non-factor IMO. I'll tell you one thing... if that last second field goal by Denver went wide, we'd be in really solid shape!

[madness]

Go Steelers!

[Saratoga Slim]

Me too... a healthy Poz and another year in the system and we might just be there.

I think the only major difference between us and the colts D RIGHT NOW is they have game changers on the DL and in the secondary (Freeney/Bob Sanders), and we haven't seen anybody really step up to that level yet. Whitner has the talent to be one, as does Poz, so you're possibly right that one more year and we could be VERY solid on D.

I still think we need to add one real stud to the DL if we're going to get where we want to be.

[Mr. Pink]

Tenn remaining schedule - JAX, @DEN. @CINCY, HOU, SD, @KC, NYJ, @IND.

At minimum they're probably a 10-6 team with what they have left....SD and IND are probably losses for them. JAX DEN KC can go either way, Cincy, houston, Jets are guaranteed wins.

JAX remaning schedule - @Tenn, SD, BUF, @IND, CAR, @PIT, OAK, @HOU

The jags have easily the hardest schedule of the 4 teams discussed in this thread for the wild card. I honestly see them losing the next 4 and falling out of the race. And they easily could lose the next 6 games. Best case for this team is that they go 4-4 over the rest of their schedule, highly unlikely, and finish 9-7

CLE remaining schedule, @PIT, @BAL, HOU, @ARI, @NYJ, BUF, @CIN, SF

Cleveland has the easiest schedule of these 4 teams with the biggest tests being Pittsburgh and Buffalo. I honestly think whoever wins sunday between the Browns and Stillers win the division and the other takes the wild card. Cleveland can legitimately win 6 of these games but being that they're the Browns they'll figure out how to lose a game they should win and go 5-3 to finish 10-6.

BUF has @MIA, NE, @JAC, @WAS, MIA, @CLE, NYG, @Philly

5-3 through the rest of this season is very optimistic in my opinion. NE, in washington and at Philly are real tests. Giants at home could go either way. Stopping Cleveland from scoring 28+ will be difficult as well which is what they're averaging per game even with only 7 points against the Steelers earlier in the year. At best we're 9-7 which puts us into a tie-breaker with the Jags in my scenario, being we beat the Jags in my scenario. Having to start Quinn Gray killed them this year, we'd be in as the 6th seed playing in all likehood the Browns or Steelers in round 1. NE and Indy are getting the byes without question. Unfortunately that would also mean if we beat the Browns or Steelers in RD1, we'd end up with NE in the divisional round.

[Mahdi]

Our position is simple... we win and hope Tennessee wins. Baltimore, KC, SD, JAX, CLE have to lose.

[JD]

Any given sunday. Nothing is garaunteed.

[Mitchy moo]

I dont know. This team is getting better, especially defensively.

I'm starting to see little signs of this defense turning into the Colts defense.

Homer pat, has a ring to it.

J/K.

[Mitchy moo]

we'd be in as the 6th seed playing in all likehood the Browns or Steelers in round 1. NE and Indy are getting the byes without question. Unfortunately that would also mean if we beat the Browns or Steelers in RD1, we'd end up with NE in the divisional round.

Sounds good to me!!

[Saratoga Slim]

Any way you cut it, if nothing else we're at least on the fence of a wild card race. Exciting for now. We CANNOT afford to lose at Miami next week, that's truly a "must win" game.

That's the only important thing in my book -- sundays are fun again!!