The regular season is over. The playoffs begin this weekend. Here's how they will finish.
Super Bowl winner: Seahawks (10-6, No. 6 seed, 6-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
The advanced stats love them: Among the top three teams in DVOA, only the Seahawks finished strong. Bludgeoning the Cardinals on the road was the proof that the loss to the Rams was a blip. Seattle has the defense, the quarterback and the championship pedigree to win three road games to make the Super Bowl. Oh, and Marshawn Lynch is back after missing seven weeks. The Seahawks will win it all again.
Super Bowl loser: Patriots (12-4, No. 2 seed, 9-to-2 odds to win Super Bowl)
They lost four of six to end the season. Tom Brady's bum ankle is the most worrisome of their many injuries. None other than ex-Pats star Rodney Harrison declared: "Teams are no longer afraid to play the Patriots." Maybe so, but who is going to topple New England in the AFC? I might have said the Bengals if Andy Dalton were healthy. I still can't say it will be the Chiefs, either. So make it the Pats in the AFC.
NFC championship game loser: Cardinals (15-1, No. 1 seed, 5-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
They will spend the week leading up to this game downplaying that home beat down they took from the Seahawks on Sunday. Don't believe them. It was a preview of what was to come. The Cardinals are legit but this is the worst possible matchup for them.
AFC championship game loser: Broncos (12-4, No. 1 seed, 6-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
Are they really back? They rallied to beat the Chargers behind Peyton Manning, who says he's healthy now. They get the Patriots at home. But over the last half of the season their defense showed signs of finally cracking under the stress of carrying the offense. And Manning wasn't looking great even before he got injured. They lose to the Pats in a low-scoring game.
NFC divisional game loser: Panthers (13-3, No. 2 seed, 9-to-2 odds to win Super Bowl)
Notice that they are the third betting choice in spite of boasting the best record. No doubt that loss to the Falcons added to the skepticism about their legitimacy. Their two offensive tackles are suspect and it's hard to hide them against a coordinated pass rush like Seattle's. The secondary is lackluster, too, and Seahawks QB Russel Wilson will buy time and expose it.
NFC divisional game loser: Redskins (11-5, No. 3 seed, 35-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
Winning the NFC East and beating the Packers will create the illusion that they are good. The Cardinals will put and end to that.
AFC divisional game loser: Chiefs (11-5, No. 5 seed, 24-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
They've won 10 in a row to make the playoffs after a 1-5 start, only the second team to do so. But they have the worst passing game by far among playoff teams with leaky protection, and that will be their undoing against the Patriots.
AFC divisional game loser: Steelers (10-6, No. 6 seed, 7-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
Certainly they will be a tough out for the Broncos and the offense has been rolling with Ben Roethlisberger back at QB. But it's still hard to trust that defense to go into Denver and stop Manning.
NFC wild card loser: Vikings (9-7, No. 4 seed, 38-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
Love Teddy Brigewater (Go Cards) but he's not ready to win this kind of game yet, even with Adrian Peterson and a very good defense.
NFC wild card loser: Packers (10-6, No. 5 seed, 35-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
I would have never thought I'd pick the Packers to be one-and-done in the playoffs as long as Aaron Rodgers is their quarterback. But then I watched the Packers lose at home to the Vikings with the NFC South tile on the line, and not even they looked as if they believe.
AFC wild card loser: Texans (9-7, No. 4 seed, 75-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
They beat one playoff team all season but got in by winning the awful AFC South.
AFC wild card loser: Bengals (12-4, No. 3 seed, 25-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl)
They ended up with the worst possible draw--the division rival who regularly wins in their stadium--as they seek to win their first playoff game under Marvin Lewis.
Ranking the also-rans
13. Jets (10-6)
14. Bills (8-8)
15. Falcons (8-8)
16. Colts (8-8)
17. Raiders (7-9)
18. Lions (7-9)
19. Saints (7-9)
20. Rams (7-9)
21. Eagles (7-9)
22. Bears (6-10)
23. Giants (6-10)
24. Dolphins (6-10)
25. Buccaneers (6-10)
26. Ravens (5-11)
27. Jaguars (5-11)
28. 49ers (5-11)
29. Chargers (4-12)
30. Cowboys (4-12)
31. Browns (3-13)
32. Titans (3-13)
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