Ranking NFL teams under .500 by likelihood to make playoffs: Giants and Tommy DeVito have tough road ahead

I’ve got some good news and bad news for the 14 remaining teams with losing records that haven’t been eliminated from playoff contention.

The good news. There are six 6-7 teams in the NFC so two or three of you could sneak in. The AFC, not gonna happen. 

The bad news. No team has ever made the Super Bowl with a losing record this deep into a season. 

However, could a couple make the playoffs and win a game or two? Absolutely. I’ve provided SportsLine projections on playoff chances and strength of schedule below along with my assessment on the most likely under .500 teams to make the playoffs:

1. Rams (6-7)

Need to know

29.9% chance to make playoffs14th-easiest remaining schedule  (vs WSH, vs NO, at NYG, at SF)Matthew Stafford has 10 Pass TD in last three games

I’m riding the hot hand of Matthew Stafford and the Rams easy schedule in the next three games. Stafford leads the NFL with 10 touchdown passes in the last three weeks and the Rams have three straight 30-point games in that span, including back-to-back against the Browns and Ravens defenses. They account for the two best offensive performances this season against the Browns and Ravens in terms of EPA per play. Not bad as Cleveland had the No. 1 total defense and Baltimore had the No. 1 scoring defense entering those games. 

Los Angeles’ key has been health. They average 6.72 yards per play with Stafford, Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua on the field this season. For reference, that’d rank third in the league this year behind the 49ers and Dolphins, who are having historic years on offense. The point is, the Rams are dangerous when healthy and they can ride this offense to wins against the Commanders, Saints and Giants in the next three games, getting them to nine wins and a trip to the playoffs. 

Need to know

45.6% chance to make playoffsSeventh-easiest remaining schedule (vs. TB, at CAR, at MIN, vs. CHI)Youngest team…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-nfl-teams-under-500-by-likelihood-to-make-playoffs-giants-and-tommy-devito-have-tough-road-ahead/

Author : Douglas Clawson

Publish date : 2023-12-14 15:00:51

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