12-4 or 11-5 get a bye this year?

[MossWelkowski]

Anyone else feel that an 11-5 team could possibly get a bye this year?

The ravens play the steelers one more time
The patriots play the steelers, jets, and colts
The jets play the pats and steelers

Absolute beat fest

 

[VectorPrime]

In 2001 we got a bye with 11-5. So it is possible.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Absolutely.

I think 12-4 could get a #1 seed with the proper tiebreaks. Don't see any AFC teams finishing better than 12-4 to be honest.

 

[Nikolai]

As I said in another thread, I think a 13-game winner is unlikely this year. A 12-game winner might happen, but I don't think we'll see more than one or two teams that have that, and at least one of those will be in the NFC (I'm thinking the Giants).

12-4 will definitely get a bye. I think an 11-5 will get the bye depending on the tiebreakers.

 

[D-Money]

Well you need to beat those AFC teams if you gonna get a tie-breaker.

 

[Nikolai]

Well you need to beat those AFC teams if you gonna get a tie-breaker.

The Pats are currently 5-2 against the AFC.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

Well you need to beat those AFC teams if you gonna get a tie-breaker.

Exactly, which makes these games against potential division winners such as Pittsburgh, Indy, and Baltimore all the more important. Heck, even if we don't get a bye, they could still mean something down the road. In 2006 the Patriots lost to the Colts in November and that ended up costing them HFA in the AFCCG.

 

[Sciz]

Two years after 10-6 failed to make the playoffs, I think 11-5 could easily get the #2 seed.

 

[Nikolai]

Two years after 11-5 failed to make the playoffs, I think 11-5 could easily get the #2 seed.

Fixed it for ya.

 

[Sciz]

Fixed it for ya.

Crap, that. I guess when your team consistently gets double-digit wins, the records tend to get confusing

 

[jmt57]

While there does not appear to be any dominant 14-2, 15-1 type of teams at the top, at the same time it looks like it is going to take a very good record to make it as a wildcard. There are three playoff contenders in the East, two in the North and three in the South; after the division winners that's five good teams battling for two playoff spots - and that's without considering anybody from the West, Jacksonville or Cleveland. Only the Bills, Broncos and Bengals are toast this point, though the Jags and Browns are highly doubtful too.

12-4 could get a bye and at the same time 10-6 could leave you out of the playoffs. Not much margin for error even though the season is only half way over.

 

[Bledsoe11]

While there does not appear to be any dominant 14-2, 15-1 type of teams at the top, at the same time it looks like it is going to take a very good record to make it as a wildcard. There are three playoff contenders in the East, two in the North and three in the South; after the division winners that's five good teams battling for two playoff spots - and that's without considering anybody from the West, Jacksonville or Cleveland. Only the Bills, Broncos and Bengals are toast this point, though the Jags and Browns are highly doubtful too.

12-4 could get a bye and at the same time 10-6 could leave you out of the playoffs. Not much margin for error even though the season is only half way over.

Exactly. In 2008, the steelers had home field advantage at 12-4, while the patriots missed the playoffs entirely at 11-5, which makes that massacre in the rain even more painful looking back. We have beaten the Ravens already this year which was huge, but these next two games against the steelers and colts could determine our fate again this year.