A Fantastic AFC Finish!

[1960Pats]

Oakland and KC end up finishing 12-4 or 11-5 and take the West and one WC spot. I have checked the schedules and it's possible.

We go to the last game of the year in Miami and have the top seed in the AFC clinched and have the Dolphins sitting at 9-6. We drop that game and it leaves Denver tied with Miami at 10-6 and Denver loses the tiebreaker to Miami. I looked at the schedules and that's very possible too.

Meanwhile in the South and North, there will be two champions with worse records and possibly losses to Denver. Pittsburgh, Tennessee or Houston would be my choices.

That would leave the playoffs as;
1 - NE 13-3
2 - KC 12-4
3 - Pitt 9-7 (better conf record)
4 - Hou 9-7
5 - Oak 11-5
6 - Mia 10-6 (better conf record)

Out:
Den - 10-6 (out on conf record)
Buff - 9-7 (out on conf record)
Bal, Indy, Tenn all at 8-8

 

[Minitron]

Would love the Broncos to miss the Playoffs but that defense still carries them to victories somehow. So i would go with the playoffs like this:

Denvers Remaining Scedule:
vs. Kansas City (W)
@Jacksonville (W)
@Tennessee (W)
vs. New England (L)
@Kansas City (L)
vs. Oakland (W)
Leaves them with a 11-5 Record

Raiders Remaining Schedule
vs Carolina (L)
vs.Buffalo (W)
@Kansas City (L)
@San Diego (L)
vs Indianapolis (W)
@Denver (L)
Leaves them with a 10-6 record

KCs remaining schedule
@Denver (L)
@Atlanta (L)
vs Oakland (W)
vs Tennessee (W)
vs Denver (W)
vs @San Diego (W)
Leaves them with a 11-5

AFC North: AFC East: AFC South:
Pitt at 10-6 Pats at 13-3 Texans at 9-7
Bal at 9-6 MIA at 10-6 Colts at 8-8

So then the Playoffs would look like this:
1. Pats 13-3
2. KC 11-5
3. Denver 11-5
4. Pitt 10-6
5. Oak at 10-6
6. MIA at 10-6

 

[Ring 6]

Oakland and KC end up finishing 12-4 or 11-5 and take the West and one WC spot. I have checked the schedules and it's possible.

We go to the last game of the year in Miami and have the top seed in the AFC clinched and have the Dolphins sitting at 9-6. We drop that game and it leaves Denver tied with Miami at 10-6 and Denver loses the tiebreaker to Miami. I looked at the schedules and that's very possible too.

Meanwhile in the South and North, there will be two champions with worse records and possibly losses to Denver. Pittsburgh, Tennessee or Houston would be my choices.

That would leave the playoffs as;
1 - NE 13-3
2 - KC 12-4
3 - Pitt 9-7 (better conf record)
4 - Hou 9-7
5 - Oak 11-5
6 - Mia 10-6 (better conf record)

Out:
Den - 10-6 (out on conf record)
Buff - 9-7 (out on conf record)
Bal, Indy, Tenn all at 8-8

I would rather beat Miami.
FYI I don't think you can have that many teams 8-8 or better.

 

[1960Pats]

I would rather beat Miami.
FYI I don't think you can have that many teams 8-8 or better.

If it actually worked out that way I'd rather see Denver out.

I have the inclination I'll go crunch the numbers for the rest of the season, just to see exactly how it could work out. The one I posted was more like a dream sequence.

 

[Ring 6]

If it actually worked out that way I'd rather see Denver out.

I have the inclination I'll go crunch the numbers for the rest of the season, just to see exactly how it could work out. The one I posted was more like a dream sequence.

I think you never want a team to beat you to get in over another team getting in. I'd rather see Denver come here after the bye that Miami who would then have just beaten us to get in and won on the road vs a division champ.
In your scenario though we wouldn't see either because they would be one and done.

 

[1960Pats]

After discussing the possibility of how many teams could go 8-8, I decided to pick winners in every game the rest of the season and see what that brings. The records in parenthesis are the conference records.

1 - Oakland 13-3 (10-2, wins tiebreaker)
2 - Patriots 13-3 (10-2)
3 - Steelers 9-7 (9-3)
4 - Houston 9-7 (7-5)
5 - KC 12-4 (9-3)
6 - Miami 10-6 (8-4)

Out:

Denver 10-6 (7-5)
Buffalo 9-7 (6-6)
Ravens 8-8 (7-5)
Indy 8-8 (5-7)
Tenn 8-8 (5-7)

 

[1960Pats]

I think you never want a team to beat you to get in over another team getting in. I'd rather see Denver come here after the bye that Miami who would then have just beaten us to get in and won on the road vs a division champ.
In your scenario though we wouldn't see either because they would be one and done.

Throwing a game is what some people accused Belichick of against Miami in 2005 and it's definitely what Indy did in 2009 to let the Jets in to avoid Pittsburgh, the team that Polian was so afraid of that he dumped a chance at a perfect season to avoid. It almost worked too. They ended up getting the Jets in the playoffs instead of Pitt but then PEDton reverted to form in the SB.

I'd like to see Denver out for two reasons. They're a better team than Miami and I would rather they didn't get any chance at back to back SBs.

 

[Ring 6]

Throwing a game is what some people accused Belichick of against Miami in 2005 and it's definitely what Indy did in 2009 to let the Jets in to avoid Pittsburgh, the team that Polian was so afraid of that he dumped a chance at a perfect season to avoid. It almost worked too. They ended up getting the Jets in the playoffs instead of Pitt but then PEDton reverted to form in the SB.

I'd like to see Denver out for two reasons. They're a better team than Miami and I would rather they didn't get any chance at back to back SBs.

I do not believe either of those teams threw games. I do believe they didnt have anything to gain by winning so they tested players and that affected the outcome but that's a very different thing.

 

[deroc5050]

After discussing the possibility of how many teams could go 8-8, I decided to pick winners in every game the rest of the season and see what that brings. The records in parenthesis are the conference records.

1 - Oakland 13-3 (10-2, wins tiebreaker)
2 - Patriots 13-3 (10-2)
3 - Steelers 9-7 (9-3)
4 - Houston 9-7 (7-5)
5 - KC 12-4 (9-3)
6 - Miami 10-6 (8-4)

Out:

Denver 10-6 (7-5)
Buffalo 9-7 (6-6)
Ravens 8-8 (7-5)
Indy 8-8 (5-7)
Tenn 8-8 (5-7)

I think Oakland has 2 losses left. They certainly were not that impressive against what I think is a terrible Texans team.

In the AFC I am still most cautious of is Denver, just because they have shown the ability to make Brady's day miserable in the pocket. And at this point I am not convinced our defense can stop anybody.

 

[1960Pats]

I do not believe either of those teams threw games. I do believe they didnt have anything to gain by winning so they tested players and that affected the outcome but that's a very different thing.

I don't believe that Belichick did vs Miami. I remember defending Belichick then and later. Some of the fans wanted to say that he called timeout at the end to instruct Cassell to throw the tying two pointer away.

The Jets vs Indy game was a classic thrown game. I can still see the looks on the faces of the players when they found at that the GM was pulling everybody and they wouldn't get the chance to go for the perfect season. Indy had been having trouble with the Steelers and that win hurt them and helped the Jets. Indy played the Jets at home in the AFCCG and smoked them.

 

[NEFAN]

I am sure that BB will disagree.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I would rather beat Miami.
FYI I don't think you can have that many teams 8-8 or better.

It's possible, especially when you figure in
estimated
Clev 0-16
NYJ 5-11
Cin 6-9-1
JAX 4-12
SD 6-10

collectively 37 games under .500. His scenario has 11 teams at 38 games over .500.. That's assuming they go .500 against the NFC.........(now AFC -s 22-25-1 vs NFC)

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Would love the Broncos to miss the Playoffs but that defense still carries them to victories somehow. So i would go with the playoffs like this:

Denvers Remaining Scedule:
vs. Kansas City (W)
@Jacksonville (W)
@Tennessee (W)
vs. New England (L)
@Kansas City (L)
vs. Oakland (W)
Leaves them with a 11-5 Record

Raiders Remaining Schedule
vs Carolina (L)
vs.Buffalo (W)
@Kansas City (L)
@San Diego (L)
vs Indianapolis (W)
@Denver (L)
Leaves them with a 10-6 record

KCs remaining schedule
@Denver (L)
@Atlanta (L)
vs Oakland (W)
vs Tennessee (W)
vs Denver (W)
vs @San Diego (W)
Leaves them with a 11-5

AFC North: AFC East: AFC South:
Pitt at 10-6 Pats at 13-3 Texans at 9-7
Bal at 9-6 MIA at 10-6 Colts at 8-8

So then the Playoffs would look like this:
1. Pats 13-3
2. KC 11-5
3. Denver 11-5
4. Pitt 10-6
5. Oak at 10-6
6. MIA at 10-6

Kc and den can't be 2 -3 seeds, and where is afc south?

 

[obgod3]

The Raiders, while not looking great in Mexico, seem to have a knack of winning games late. In saying that a tie record with NE gives them the tie breaker in most cases. But I think they win 4 or 5 out of the remaining 6 games putting them at no worse than 12-4. I think the Pats lose at least one more and maybe two.

Pats 13-3
Raiders 12-4
Texans 10-6
KC 12-4
Miami 10-6
Denver 10-6

Would be great if Denver went 9-7 but that defense as others have said will win them games, particularly with Talib back. If Denver isn't in it could be Buffalo...lord help us all, can you imagine the Rexy show!

 

[1960Pats]

I think Oakland has 2 losses left. They certainly were not that impressive against what I think is a terrible Texans team.

In the AFC I am still most cautious of is Denver, just because they have shown the ability to make Brady's day miserable in the pocket. And at this point I am not convinced our defense can stop anybody.

Yeah, I kind of fiddled around with the games to get Denver to 6 losses. I had them losing both games to KC, another to Oakland and our game. That probably won't happen, but it could.

 

[1960Pats]

The Raiders, while not looking great in Mexico, seem to have a knack of winning games late. In saying that a tie record with NE gives them the tie breaker in most cases. But I think they win 4 or 5 out of the remaining 6 games putting them at no worse than 12-4. I think the Pats lose at least one more and maybe two.

Pats 13-3
Raiders 12-4
Texans 10-6
KC 12-4
Miami 10-6
Denver 10-6

Would be great if Denver went 9-7 but that defense as others have said will win them games, particularly with Talib back. If Denver isn't in it could be Buffalo...lord help us all, can you imagine the Rexy show!

I think the reason the Raiders would win a tiebreaker (in my scenario only) with the Pats is because in a match-up of common opponents the Pats would lose because they split with Buffalo and Oakland beat them. This is where Goodildo's Brady suspension will hurt the Pats.

 

[jmt57]

AFC North: AFC East: AFC South:
Pitt at 10-6 Pats at 13-3 Texans at 9-7
Bal at 9-6 MIA at 10-6 Colts at 8-8

So then the Playoffs would look like this:
1. Pats 13-3
2. KC 11-5
3. Denver 11-5
4. Pitt 10-6
5. Oak at 10-6
6. MIA at 10-6

The first four seeds go to the four division winners.

In your scenario the Texans would be in and Miami would be out. The results would be:

1. 13-3 Patriots
2. 11-5 Chiefs
3. 10-6 Steelers
4. 9-7 Texans
5. 11-5 Broncos
6. 10-6 Raiders

Wild Card round would have Oakland at Pittsburgh (wouldn't the networks love that) and Denver at Houston.

Division Round the Patriots would play the Raiders if Oakland wins (another network marketing department dream game), or the Texans-Broncos winner if Pittsburgh won. If the Steelers win they would be at KC; if Oakland wins in the first round then the Chiefs host the Texans-Broncos winner.

 

[micronin127]

So then the Playoffs would look like this:
1. Pats 13-3
2. KC 11-5
3. Denver 11-5
4. Pitt 10-6
5. Oak at 10-6
6. MIA at 10-6

You left out the AFC South. Not that there's anything that wrong with that... I wish we could leave out the AFC South.

 

[XLIX]

Whenever someone says "Fantastic Finish" it makes me think of this:

 

[NewFeep]

How on Earth can you lose 2 home games and expect to be taken seriously?!?