Tomorrow's best and worst case scenarios

[A Defiant Goose]

IMO, the hottest team in the AFC right now is indisputably KC. They have what it takes to beat Denver in Denver, moreso than Pittsburgh does.

Here's what I think the best and worst case scenarios are for tomorrow's games (from best to worst):

1. Texans (4) and Steelers (6) win. This gives NE their best matchup and sends what would be a hot Pittsburgh team into Denver.

2. Bengals (3) and Chiefs (5) win. As I said earlier, the Chiefs would be the most likely to take out Denver in their place. They already did it this season, and did it convincingly.

3. Bengals (3) and Texans (4) win. The Bengals should not be overlooked, especially if their defense manages to hold up enough to win a game against a damn good Pittsburgh offense. Should be a winnable game, but the downside is Denver gets a rather easy opponent in Houston.

4. Chiefs (5) and Steelers (6) win. Getting the hottest team in the AFC right off the bat, with a damn good pass rush against an OL that still hasn't figured it out would be the worst draw for NE at this point. Meanwhile Manning's Broncos would have a week of rest to play a bad Pittsburgh defense while their own defense should be good enough to keep Pittsburgh at bay.

Unfortunately, scenario 4 is the one I see most likely to play out. Hey, you're gonna have to beat the best to become a champion anyway. You can't sit back and worry about who you play. But I'm a fan, so I can dissect who I'd prefer my team to play!

I'm hoping for scenario 1 but it'll be really hard to root for Pittsburgh regardless of the circumstances. Getting Houston in the divisional round would be great to get the injured players on the field to shake some rust off an hopefully, obviously, win and get in a groove for a dogfight with whomever comes out of Denver.

What are your thoughts?

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

At this point our team has to worry about
itself and not the opponent. How can they fix the line problems and execute better on offense. Run defense i hope gets better as well.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

At this point our team has to worry about
itself and not the opponent. How can they fix the line problems and execute better on offense. Run defense i hope gets better as well.

Yea yea our team has to do whatever etc but what about those of us who have no impact on the game lol

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

Yea yea our team has to do whatever etc but what about those of us who have no impact on the game lol

Well i am hoping for houston even with a
healthy J.J Watt. Their defense has been playing better. KC scares me a little. I will take houston or cincinnati

 

[Gronkowski123]

want to avoid cinci.
dunlap against cannon fodder? all pro atkins against our weak interior? no thanks...
also have a bunch of talent on offense...

houston would be ideal..but i dont see that happening!!

 

[VectorPrime]

Rooting for KC and Cincy

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

I agree with your best scenario. That is what I'm rooting for. Houston is the one team I will be over confident with if we face them. Then we can deal with our toughest challenge of the season in the AFCC game. Unfortunately I'm not sure I see Houston winning but you never know.

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

I agree with your best scenario. That is what I'm rooting for. Houston is the one team I will be over confident with if we face them. Then we can deal with our toughest challenge of the season in the AFCC game. Unfortunately I'm not sure I see Houston winning but you never know.

I feel they can win that game. The texans defense has been playing just as well.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I really don't want to play KC..but that's me. No team in the AFC scares me outside of Pitt a bit and a little from KC. But Pats healthy and clicking and as long as Goodell hasn't made the phone calls to the refs. I am okay with anything happening this weekend.

Because Manning is going 1-Done for a 10th time no matter what

 

[RobertWeathers]

I really don't want to play KC..but that's me. No team in the AFC scares me outside of Pitt a bit and a little from KC. But Pats healthy and clicking and as long as Goodell hasn't made the phone calls to the refs. I am okay with anything happening this weekend.

Because Manning is going 1-Done for a 10th time no matter what

We would destroy Pitt. They are soft as poop.

I want no part of KC at all. Secondary, pass rush. Qb that stays within himself. Tons of confidence after winning their WC game. Tons of momentum....No thanks.

 

[PatsGirl2011]

The pats are going to have to show up regardless who they play next week. Each team presents their own challenge. I'm not going to worry about who wins tomorrow. I'm happy we are not playing in wild card weekend.

 

[Tunescribe]

IMO, the hottest team in the AFC right now is indisputably KC. They have what it takes to beat Denver in Denver, moreso than Pittsburgh does.

Here's what I think the best and worst case scenarios are for tomorrow's games (from best to worst):

1. Texans (4) and Steelers (6) win. This gives NE their best matchup and sends what would be a hot Pittsburgh team into Denver.

2. Bengals (3) and Chiefs (5) win. As I said earlier, the Chiefs would be the most likely to take out Denver in their place. They already did it this season, and did it convincingly.

3. Bengals (3) and Texans (4) win. The Bengals should not be overlooked, especially if their defense manages to hold up enough to win a game against a damn good Pittsburgh offense. Should be a winnable game, but the downside is Denver gets a rather easy opponent in Houston.

4. Chiefs (5) and Steelers (6) win. Getting the hottest team in the AFC right off the bat, with a damn good pass rush against an OL that still hasn't figured it out would be the worst draw for NE at this point. Meanwhile Manning's Broncos would have a week of rest to play a bad Pittsburgh defense while their own defense should be good enough to keep Pittsburgh at bay.

Unfortunately, scenario 4 is the one I see most likely to play out. Hey, you're gonna have to beat the best to become a champion anyway. You can't sit back and worry about who you play. But I'm a fan, so I can dissect who I'd prefer my team to play!

I'm hoping for scenario 1 but it'll be really hard to root for Pittsburgh regardless of the circumstances. Getting Houston in the divisional round would be great to get the injured players on the field to shake some rust off an hopefully, obviously, win and get in a groove for a dogfight with whomever comes out of Denver.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Deus Irae]

Best case scenario:

I hit Powerball.


Worst case scenario:

Someone else hits Powerball.

 

[Deus Irae]

Now, when it comes to the AFC games, it's about the pairings:

Yes to Texans/Steelers
Yes to Chiefs/Bengals

No to Chiefs/Steelers
No to Texans/Bengals

 

[SHOWTIME15]

we take care of our own problems we can beat anyone in the afc.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Bungles win. Chefs win. Let KC beat up Manning for the Pats.

 

[VectorPrime]

Best Case: Arguable

Worst Case: Houston and Cincy win. Denver then gets a cake walk against Houston and we need to play Cincy.

 

[blackglass3]

Are we really that sure that KC doesn't blow this? I mean, Andy Reid + playoffs is usually a bad combo. I think Houston could win this one.

 

[FourierSeries]

I want whichever scenario maximizes the probability of us playing in Denver for the AFCCG. We need to beat those frauds on their home field (which we will.)

So go Texans and Cincinnati.

 

[supafly]

want to avoid cinci.
dunlap against cannon fodder? all pro atkins against our weak interior? no thanks...
also have a bunch of talent on offense...

houston would be ideal..but i dont see that happening!!

I want to avoid Cincy as well. Consider the following:

--their defense has only given up 24+ twice all year. They can cover and bring the pressure.

--McCarron has yet to throw an INT in his three starting opportunities this year, so he's been very careful. He also has a good amount of confidence and is thriving as a game manager.

--If they win today, Dalton is almost guaranteed to start next week, which seemed pretty obvious to me all along. It will mean that he missed 4 starts, which seems normal for a broken thumb that didn't even require surgery. Not sure why the majority here simply wrote him off in terms of returning? At any rate, his QB rating was 104.6 this year, as he led the NFL's 4th best offensive attack, prior to his injury.

--they have a solid rushing attack, the NFL leader in TE touchdowns with 13/Eifert, and 3 solid receiving options in Green, Jones, and Sanu.

In my opinion, CIN is the most balanced team of the 3 options, and would have a good amount of momentum from beating their rivals AND getting their star QB back.