The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

NFL Midseason Report

NFL+Midseason+Report

Midseason Power Rankings

  1. Denver Broncos

  2. Arizona Cardinals

  3. Dallas Cowboys

  4. New England Patriots

  5. Detroit Lions

  6. Philadelphia Eagles

  7. Green Bay Packers

  8. San Diego Chargers

  9. Indianapolis Colts

  10. Baltimore Ravens

  11. Seattle Seahawks

  12. Pittsburgh Steelers

  13. San Francisco 49ers

  14. Buffalo Bills

  15. Kansas City Chiefs

  16. Cincinnati Bengals

  17. New Orleans Saints

  18. Carolina Panthers

  19. Miami Dolphins

  20. Cleveland Browns

  21. New York Giants

  22. Houston Texans

  23. Chicago Bears

  24. Washington Redskins

  25. Minnesota Vikings

  26. St. Louis Rams

  27. Atlanta Falcons

  28. Tennessee Titans

  29. New York Jets

  30. Jacksonville Jaguars

  31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  32. Oakland Raiders

Playoff Predictions

NFC

  1. Dallas Cowboys: With the way the Cowboys have performed thus far, Dallas is showing no signs of slowing down. So long as they can stay healthy, they have the offensive tools to secure the NFC’s top seed. Despite a minor back injury to Tony Romo, the Cowboys have been very effective both on the ground, relying almost exclusively on Murray’s impressive chase of the record books, and through the air to a maturing Dez Bryant.

  1. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals look impressive on both sides of the ball, and proved they can beat some of the NFL’s best teams. They silenced critics with convincing wins over both San Francisco and Philadelphia.

  1. Green Bay Packers: After a slow start, Green Bay’s offense, following Rodgers’s advice for fans of the franchise to “relax” and to “not worry,” has begun to work as a cohesive unit. The team looks to have formed into a Super Bowl contender over the past few weeks.

  1. New Orleans Saints: Although they have been at best average into this point of the season, I believe that New Orleans can beat out its contenders in the weak NFC South.

  1. Seattle Seahawks: Although the first half of the season has been disappointing for Seattle, I believe that the defending Super Bowl champions will build momentum in the second half of the season and heat up at the right time, as long as interior team turmoil is extinguished quickly.

  1. Philadelphia Eagles: With an extremely high-powered offense, Philadelphia may continue to win tough games like they have done all year. Although I would have had them much higher a week or so ago, much of the team’s possible future success now falls to Mark Sanchez, a quarterback that was essentially run out of New York. If it were any other team (outside of the Cardinals), losing a starting quarterback would spell disaster. Chip Kelly’s offensive schemes may be able to work well, despite the one at the helm.

Notable teams left out:

*Detroit Lions: Although Detroit has started the season well, the Lions have a penchant for collapsing in the second half of the season. I fully expect that to continue. Detroit consistently allows poor teams to give them a challenge, and this leads me to believe they do not have what it takes to make the playoffs.

*San Francisco 49ers: San Francisco is not the same team they were in recent years. Without Navarro Bowman, it seems that there is something missing from the defense. If San Francisco wants to make the playoffs, they need to repair these holes and rediscover last season’s form. Beating a lowly Giants’ squad 16-10 will not be enough against elite teams.

*Carolina Panthers: I have not liked what I’ve been seeing from the Panthers lately. They look like they have reverted back to their losing ways and have trouble finding a way to win. If this continues, Cam Newton will find himself watching the playoffs from the couch.

AFC

  1. Denver Broncos:  Denver is the best team in the NFL, despite a recent shocking loss. Most teams cannot handle its offense, and if its defense can improve steadily in the upcoming weeks, Denver could have the makings of a second-year Super Bowl contender.

  1. New England Patriots: In September, the sky was falling in New England and Patriots’ fans felt that Brady’s best years were behind him. In October and continuing into November, the Patriots seem just fine. Tom Brady’s team has played remarkable football since the embarrassment at Kansas City, the nationally-televised spectacle on Monday Night Football.  Once again, it seems that New England has returned to the NFL’s elite.

  1. Indianapolis Colts: In only his third NFL season, Andrew Luck has assumed the role of seasoned veteran; his natural ability and feel for the game may allow him to make a push for the MVP award. If he keeps up his remarkable play, the Colts will go much further than just the wild card round.

  2. Baltimore Ravens: After missing the playoffs for the first time in his career last season, it looks like Joe Flacco is back. The Baltimore quarterback has led his team to a 6-4 record with the Ravens primed to win the division.

  1. San Diego Chargers: Even though they suffered a bad loss in Denver, I believe San Diego, at 6-4, is one of the NFL’s best under-performing teams. In the last two years, they have beaten Seattle, Denver, and Indianapolis. Not that past seasons account for much, but these wins are not flukes. There is a key to the Chargers success: clock management and control. Any team that can hold the ball for 42 minutes in a game has a chance to do great things.

  1. Cincinnati Bengals: The season is slightly more than halfway over, but I still do not know what to make of Cincinnati. I cannot tell whether they are a legitimate threat to make a playoff run or an average team unable to consistently win games. However, because of the Bengals’ performance in recent years, I believe that Cincinnati is a team that can be trusted to make the playoffs.

Notable teams left out:

* Kansas City Chiefs: Leaving the Chiefs out of the playoffs has nothing to do with skill level. Kansas City is a very good football team; however, I do not think that they can continue to beat teams without establishing a successful and, more importantly, a reliable air-game that gets receivers involved.

* Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers, despite a 7-4 record, are too inconsistent for my liking. They beat Indianapolis, but also lost to Tampa Bay. It does not add up. Playoff teams do not lose to bad competition, and that is why the Steelers have not made the cut.

WILD CARD

NFC

Philadelphia @ Green Bay:

WINNER: Green Bay

Seattle @ New Orleans:

WINNER: Seattle

AFC

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis:

WINNER: Indianapolis

San Diego @ Baltimore:

WINNER: San Diego

DIVISIONAL

NFC

Seattle @ Dallas:

WINNER: Seattle

Green Bay @ Arizona:

WINNER: Green Bay

AFC

San Diego @ Denver:

WINNER: San Diego

Indianapolis @ New England:

WINNER: Indianapolis

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

NFC

Seattle @ Green Bay:

WINNER: Seattle

AFC

San Diego @ Indianapolis:

WINNER: San Diego

SUPER BOWL

San Diego vs. Seattle:

WINNER: San Diego