Way Too Early Look At The Playoff Picture (2018 Season) (1 Viewer)

[Football Jones]

I thought it might be interesting to have a thread dedicated to ranking teams as the season goes along, playoff outlook, etc.

I don't have a good grasp on the AFC yet, but as I expected & noted before the season, the Vikings & Rams look like the class of the NFC & are definitely in a tier by themselves.

Cousins could put the Vikes over the top given their elite D. As far as the Rams, you just get the feeling they get it from an overall organizational standpoint not to mention having what looks to be a brilliant young HC & likely the next "guru" (ala Belichick).

 

[Deamon]

I thought it might be interesting to have a thread dedicated to rating teams as the season goes along, playoff outlook, etc.

I don't have a good grasp on the AFC yet, but as I expected & noted before the season, the Vikings & Rams look like the class of the NFC & are definitely in a tier by themselves.

Cousins could put the Vikes over the top given their elite D. As far as the Rams, you just get the feeling they get it from an overall organizational standpoint not to mention having what looks to be a brilliant young HC & likely the next "guru" (ala Belichick).

Don't think you can count the Packers or the Eagles out.  Both teams are right there neck and neck in Super Bowl odds with Min and LA.  "definitely in a tier by themselves" is a bit aggressive there.  But yes, those 4 teams are likely in a tier by themselves unless an nfc south team emerges soon.

 

[Football Jones]

As I’ve mentioned before, each season is its own entity. What happened last year is essentially irrelevant once the season gets underway.

I think there’s several teams bunched in the 2nd tier, but I believe the Vikings & Rams are clear co-favorites as things stand right now.

Could that change? Sure it could & we can revisit it each week. The NFL is a 21-chapter book with ups & downs as teams fight to stay on top, battle injuries, etc.

 

[santo71]

I'm in agreement with Jones about the nfc, but I would make the tier 3 large with the Eagles. The Packers are a good team, but tier 2 nonetheless.

As for the AFC- I see the Patriots as the only tier 1 team. It feels like they are head and shoulders better than everyone right now. Tier 2 is three deep. Steelers, Chiefs, Jaguars. Then basically everyone else. 

 

[Aerial Assault]

Green Bay's defense, long an Achilles heel, seems to be better.  But we need to see how hobbled Rodgers is.  I wouldn't put them up with the Rams and Vikings when, if Kyle Fuller could catch, they'd be 0-1 and looking pretty questionable at multiple positions.  

 

[Herb]

I'm going to go out on a bit of a limb and declare the Ravens and Jags as the class of the AFC.  Even disregarding the demolition Bal put on Buf in week 1, I feel like the pieces are there for a deep run.  I know it's foolish to disregard the Pats, but I think this is the year they lose before the AFCCG which has seemingly been their birthright for the past 15 seasons.

Not sure I'm on board with the Eagles being on the same level as Min and LA yet.  Want to see how losing 2 excellent offensive minds in Reich and DiFillippo affects them before I believe they'll be the same force they were last year.  Both the Vikings and Rams seemingly got better,  I don't think Philly did.

 

[Deamon]

I'm in agreement with Jones about the nfc, but I would make the tier 3 large with the Eagles. The Packers are a good team, but tier 2 nonetheless.

As for the AFC- I see the Patriots as the only tier 1 team. It feels like they are head and shoulders better than everyone right now. Tier 2 is three deep. Steelers, Chiefs, Jaguars. Then basically everyone else. 

He's a cowboys fan, he wouldn't even put the eagles in the top 5 tiers.

I agree with you that the pack might be a tad below the rest though.  But if Aaron is healthy I wouldn't doubt the guy to be able to knock any of those teams off in a single elimination game.  But as of now Minny, Philly, Rams are all tied with superbowl odds and seem really close.

 

[Deamon]

I'm going to go out on a bit of a limb and declare the Ravens and Jags as the class of the AFC.  Even disregarding the demolition Bal put on Buf in week 1, I feel like the pieces are there for a deep run.  I know it's foolish to disregard the Pats, but I think this is the year they lose before the AFCCG which has seemingly been their birthright for the past 15 seasons.

Not sure I'm on board with the Eagles being on the same level as Min and LA yet.  Want to see how losing 2 excellent offensive minds in Reich and DiFillippo affects them before I believe they'll be the same force they were last year.  Both the Vikings and Rams seemingly got better,  I don't think Philly did.

Agree to an extent.  I don't think as of today the eagles are as good as minny and la, but we are missing a lot on our offense.  I don't think losing Reich and Difillippo is going to hurt that much, but not having Carson and Alshon certainly does.  They'll get there though, and the defense is even better than it was last year.

As for your AFC stuff, I guess we'll find out sunday how good jax is vs the pats.  Gonna be a great game.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Good, another thread for Eagle and Cowboy fans to crap all over.

 

[Football Jones]

I'm going to go out on a bit of a limb and declare the Ravens and Jags as the class of the AFC.  Even disregarding the demolition Bal put on Buf in week 1, I feel like the pieces are there for a deep run.  I know it's foolish to disregard the Pats, but I think this is the year they lose before the AFCCG which has seemingly been their birthright for the past 15 seasons.

Not sure I'm on board with the Eagles being on the same level as Min and LA yet.  Want to see how losing 2 excellent offensive minds in Reich and DiFillippo affects them before I believe they'll be the same force they were last year.  Both the Vikings and Rams seemingly got better,  I don't think Philly did.

Like I said, I don't have a good feel for the AFC yet, but I might be in agreement with you about not putting the Pats in the top tier yet (we'll know soon enough).

I also agree with you about Philly relative to Minnesota & LA. The Vikings & Rams simply look better. No way Philly deserves to be in the top tier with Minny & LA right now.

BTW, it's a shame we can't have a thread without people like @Deamon pissing in it. Disagree if you want, state your case if you like, but when your narrative is you think a Cowboys fan didn't put your team in the top tier on purpose, it makes you look childish. I got news for you...the Eagles don't belong in the top tier. If & when they do, I'll put them there.

Let's not ruin this thread with garbage. 

 

[Football Jones]

Green Bay's defense, long an Achilles heel, seems to be better.  But we need to see how hobbled Rodgers is.  I wouldn't put them up with the Rams and Vikings when, if Kyle Fuller could catch, they'd be 0-1 and looking pretty questionable at multiple positions.  

Yeah, the Packers have a chance at tier 1 if their D comes through.

 

[Elevencents]

Eagles fan - I certainly see more of a struggle this year. Could end up with comparable W-L record but they will have to play their asses off with a sprinkle of luck to achieve it. 

 

[Football Jones]

Eagles fan - I certainly see more of a struggle this year. Could end up with comparable W-L record but they will have to play their asses off with a sprinkle of luck to achieve it. 

The Vikings & Rams look really strong. The elephant in the room for Philly is how Wentz performs coming off the injury.

If Wentz plays as well as he did last season, you guys have a MUCH better chance.

 

[Gawain]

Well, if the season ended today:

AFC East: Fins/Pats (Coin Flip)
AFC North: Ravens
AFC South: Jaguars
AFC West: Chiefs
WC: Bengals, Fins/Pats

Jets/Broncos outside looking in based on conference record if I follow the tie-breakers at all.

NFC East: Redskins
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Bucs
NFC West: Rams
WC: Vikes/Panthers

Eagles out on combined ranking of PF/PA.

 

[Godsbrother]

Well, if the season ended today:

AFC East: Fins/Pats (Coin Flip)
AFC North: Ravens
AFC South: Jaguars
AFC West: Chiefs
WC: Bengals, Fins/Pats

Jets/Broncos outside looking in based on conference record if I follow the tie-breakers at all.

NFC East: Redskins
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Bucs
NFC West: Rams
WC: Vikes/Panthers

Eagles out on combined ranking of PF/PA.

It would be interesting to look back at this after week 17. 

 

[need2know]

the cowboys wont make the playoffs and they will have a top pick in next years draft!

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Don't think you can count the Packers or the Eagles out.  Both teams are right there neck and neck in Super Bowl odds with Min and LA.  "definitely in a tier by themselves" is a bit aggressive there.  But yes, those 4 teams are likely in a tier by themselves unless an nfc south team emerges soon.

He's a cowboys fan, he wouldn't even put the eagles in the top 5 tiers.

I agree with you that the pack might be a tad below the rest though.  But if Aaron is healthy I wouldn't doubt the guy to be able to knock any of those teams off in a single elimination game.  But as of now Minny, Philly, Rams are all tied with superbowl odds and seem really close.

the cowboys wont make the playoffs and they will have a top pick in next years draft!

Never saw a group of fans so worried about what everyone else thinks of their team.     

 

[Football Jones]

Well, if the season ended today:

AFC East: Fins/Pats (Coin Flip)
AFC North: Ravens
AFC South: Jaguars
AFC West: Chiefs
WC: Bengals, Fins/Pats

Jets/Broncos outside looking in based on conference record if I follow the tie-breakers at all.

NFC East: Redskins
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Bucs
NFC West: Rams
WC: Vikes/Panthers

Eagles out on combined ranking of PF/PA.

The AFC could very well end up really close to that.

I believe the Steelers will find a way with or without Bell, so maybe them instead of the Fins or Bengals & it's very realistic.

 

[Deamon]

Never saw a group of fans so worried about what everyone else thinks of their team.     

Except maybe cowboy fans in their thread.  You all seem to hunt out eagles posts to comment on too.  Jeez, not sure how mentioning the Eagles are likely in the same tier as the rams and vikings is "worried what everyone thinks" though.  I can understand your frustrations this week but c'mon man. 

 

[Steeler]

Well, if the season ended today:

AFC East: Fins/Pats (Coin Flip)
AFC North: Ravens
AFC South: Jaguars
AFC West: Chiefs
WC: Bengals, Fins/Pats

Jets/Broncos outside looking in based on conference record if I follow the tie-breakers at all.

NFC East: Redskins
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Bucs
NFC West: Rams
WC: Vikes/Panthers

Eagles out on combined ranking of PF/PA.

It would be great to post this each week.

 

[Football Jones]

It would be great to post this each week.

Agreed.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Except maybe cowboy fans in their thread.  You all seem to hunt out eagles posts to comment on too.  Jeez, not sure how mentioning the Eagles are likely in the same tier as the rams and vikings is "worried what everyone thinks" though.  I can understand your frustrations this week but c'mon man. 

Death, taxes and fbg Eagles fans whining when someone suggests their team is not the best.

And, no frustrations here ?

 

[Deamon]

Regardless of what happens tomorrow.

AFC East: Fins
AFC North: Bengals
AFC South: Titans
AFC West: Chiefs
WC: Ravens/Jags (Broncos just out)

NFC East: Redskins
NFC North: Bears
NFC South: Bucs
NFC West: Rams
WC: Saints/Eagles (Panthers just out)

 

[barackdhouse]

Regardless of what happens tomorrow.

AFC East: Fins
AFC North: Bengals
AFC South: Titans
AFC West: Chiefs
WC: Ravens/Jags (Broncos just out)

NFC East: Redskins
NFC North: Bears
NFC South: Bucs
NFC West: Rams
WC: Saints/Eagles (Panthers just out)

How on Earth did the Titans beat the Jags today?

 

[Deamon]

How on Earth did the Titans beat the Jags today?

Not sure.  And it wasn't even the biggest upset of the day.  Four 6+ point favourites lost.  Crazy week.

 

[Football Jones]

Well, the NFC is easy. The Rams are in tier 1 by themselves. I'm going to give the Vikings the benefit of the doubt for now & put them in tier 2 by themselves because they're simply better than everyone else on paper. 

The next group is quite a ways back which will include the Vikes if they keep faltering. The NFC might not be as strong as I initially feared. The Saints could possibly join the big boy(s) if they get their D figured out, but that doesn't seem likely.

Nobody else is even close & I don't see that changing right now. I can't see it happening for Philly even with Wentz. Not from the data we have so far. The Rams just might be that much better than everyone else.

Really have no idea yet on the AFC (still), but I'll try to put a tier or two together after next week which will be the quarter-season mark.

 

[Deamon]

Well, the NFC is easy. The Rams are in tier 1 by themselves. I'm going to give the Vikings the benefit of the doubt for now & put them in tier 2 by themselves because they're simply better than everyone else on paper. 

The next group is quite a ways back which will include the Vikes if they keep faltering. The NFC might not be as strong as I initially feared. The Saints could possibly join the big boy(s) if they get their D figured out, but that doesn't seem likely.

Nobody else is even close & I don't see that changing right now. I can't see it happening for Philly even with Wentz. Not from the data we have so far. The Rams just might be that much better than everyone else.

Really have no idea yet on the AFC (still), but I'll try to put a tier or two together after next week which will be the quarter-season mark.

I agree the Rams are in a tier above Philly right now, but to call Philly "not even close to being in the 2nd tier" is wild.  Would a win this week put them even in tier 2 for you?

Super Bowl Odds:

Los Angeles Rams: 4-1
New England Patriots: 8-1
Kansas City Chiefs: 9-1
Philadelphia Eagles: 11-1
Minnesota Vikings: 12-1
Jacksonville Jaguars: 12-1
New Orleans Saints: 14-1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 16-1
Green Bay Packers: 18-1

Also crazy that 3 weeks in, we only have 3 undefeated teams.  Not sure the last time that's happened.

 

[Football Jones]

I agree the Rams are in a tier above Philly right now, but to call Philly "not even close to being in the 2nd tier" is wild.  Would a win this week put them even in tier 2 for you?

Super Bowl Odds:

Los Angeles Rams: 4-1
New England Patriots: 8-1
Kansas City Chiefs: 9-1
Philadelphia Eagles: 11-1
Minnesota Vikings: 12-1
Jacksonville Jaguars: 12-1
New Orleans Saints: 14-1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 16-1
Green Bay Packers: 18-1

Also crazy that 3 weeks in, we only have 3 undefeated teams.  Not sure the last time that's happened.

I didn't say Philly wasn't close to tier 2. I didn't comment on how close they were. All I said was nobody is close to the Rams.

The Vikings are hanging on by a thread to tier 2. If they keep faltering, they'll go to tier 3 with the next group. The Eagles are in that tier. The Rams might be far enough ahead where there's no tier 2. 

 

[Deamon]

I didn't say Philly wasn't close to tier 2. I didn't comment on how close they were. All I said was nobody is close to the Rams.

The Vikings are hanging on by a thread to tier 2. If they keep faltering, they'll go to tier 3 with the next group. The Eagles are in that tier. The Rams might be far enough ahead where there's no tier 2. 

lol that doesn't even make sense.  There's always a tier 2... even if it's way behind.

 

[Football Jones]

lol that doesn't even make sense.  There's always a tier 2... even if it's way behind.

Strictly speaking, yes, but no tier tier 2 would be a practical way of showing how far everyone else is behind the Rams (if that ends up being the case).

 

[Deamon]

Strictly speaking, yes, but no tier tier 2 would be a practical way of showing how far everyone else is behind the Rams (if that ends up being the case).

That's like giving one runner the gold, and because he beat everyone else so bad, just skipping the silver and giving the next best guy the bronze.

 

 

[Football Jones]

That's like giving one runner the gold, and because he beat everyone else so bad, just skipping the silver and giving the next best guy the bronze.

 

Feel free to do your tiers however you like. 

 

[Arodin]

Depends if you are doing rankings or giving grades.  When ranking, yes, someone has to be second-best.  But in grading, it is quite possible for someone to have an A and the next best to only earn a C.

Both approaches have merit.  The grades are actually more quantitative than the ranking.  I see no problem with the idea of “having no one in tier 2” if tiers are determined by fixed grading intervals rather than ordinal rank.

 

[Deamon]

Depends if you are doing rankings or giving grades.  When ranking, yes, someone has to be second-best.  But in grading, it is quite possible for someone to have an A and the next best to only earn a C.

Both approaches have merit.  The grades are actually more quantitative than the ranking.  I see no problem with the idea of “having no one in tier 2” if tiers are determined by fixed grading intervals rather than ordinal rank.

Tiers are just that though... ranking by saying "one group of teams together and then a gap".... then "the 2nd group of teams together"

 

 

[Deamon]

The way Vegas and most non biased people would see it, it looks like right now The Rams are the clear favourites in the NFC, and I don't disagree with that.

Tier 1:
Rams- Solid all around

Tier 2:
Vikings, Eagles, Saints, Packers, Panthers, Falcons.  All have shown inconsistency and some big holes that need to be fixed right now.  Also all have the talent to make a SB run. 

Tier 3:
Bears, Redskins, Tampa, Seattle.  - Shown some flashes, but not enough talent to make a playoff run.

 

[Football Jones]

The Rams are much, much more than solid.

I'd feel confident if the playoffs were next week, they'd beat the piss out of anybody in the NFC.

 

[Football Jones]

Non-biased fans could see the Rams coming a mile away after last season as well as their offseason moves.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

 

[Deamon]

Non-biased fans could see the Rams coming a mile away after last season as well as their offseason moves.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

Never said it was a surprise. I picked them to win 12 games and be the #1 seed in the NFC pre-season.  Only you could find a way to turn my "They're solid all around" into some negative comment about them.  They are very good. 

There's also 6 other teams that are quite good and can make a playoff run.  Not sure I'd crown them after week 3, but they're definitely in the lead right now based on how they're playing.  Most would say Philly is in the conversation for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best in the conference but they could win a bunch more games and you'd still go back to "but they're so far behind the rams so it doesn't matter".   There's more to football than being right dude.  But yes, I agree fully that right now the Rams are the best team in the NFC.  Could also say right now there's no one close to the Chiefs in the AFC. 

 

[Football Jones]

Man, I don't know what to do with the AFC other than to say the Chiefs have to be in tier 1, but who else (if anyone)?

Anybody with an opinion on the AFC?

 

[Bossman]

Pats just 1/2 game behind the Brown in the hunt for a wild card birth

 

[IHEARTFF]

chiefs

jags

Ravens bengals Steelers pats broncos titans dolphins browns chargers colts

jets 

raiders texans

bills

 

[Skeletore Eh]

Interested to see what impact the Talib and Peters injuries have on the rams defense

 

[Steeler]

How on Earth did the Titans beat the Jags today?

Titans beat the jags twice last year... some matchups are just bad for certain teams.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

This is quickly turning into the worst thread in the Shark Pool and there's the Gordon and Bell threads exisiting.

 

[-OZ-]

Man, I don't know what to do with the AFC other than to say the Chiefs have to be in tier 1, but who else (if anyone)?

Anybody with an opinion on the AFC?

Chiefs need to play defense if they want to make a serious run.

None of the AFC look really impressive right now. 

As usual, injuries, luck, and coaching will decide what teams make and succeed in the playoffs. 

Off hand, I think any of the pats, jags, chiefs, Titans, Steelers, or Ravens can make it far with the right breaks. While currently undefeated the fins really don't seem like a team that can push far. I'd almost put the browns in this group but coaching and experience matter.

Because coaching is so crucial, figure the chiefs and pats should be the favorites. But their defenses just aren't impressive. 

As "defense wins championships", the jags, Titans and Ravens should push well.

If Mariota can get and stay healthy I'm liking my Titans a lot, 10 wins is reasonable.

 

[Deamon]

Man, I don't know what to do with the AFC other than to say the Chiefs have to be in tier 1, but who else (if anyone)?

Anybody with an opinion on the AFC?

Nobody should be in tier 1.  I'd maybe say the Chiefs are in tier 7, and the rest of the good teams in the AFC around tier 16. 

 

[Deamon]

Chiefs need to play defense if they want to make a serious run.

None of the AFC look really impressive right now. 

League parity is higher than it's been in a long time.  But just because teams are close, it doesn't mean there can be no contenders.  It seems the theme of this thread is "Ok so the Rams are good, but the 2nd best team in the nfl doesn't look good nor do they have a real shot".  There's a lot of good teams that might look less than great simply because there aren't many awful teams to beat up on in the nfl right now, and its hard to look dominant when even the clear worst team can put up a great week and take out a contender.  

 

[Dr. Octopus]

We've seen the movie twice before recently where the Pats struggle in September but ultimately end up 12-4 / 13-3 and then in the Super Bowl.

I know we are taking a snap shot of what transpired in the first three weeks and basing our "tiers" off of that but let's not forget the Chiefs started off 5-0 last season and were nearly the same level of offensive juggernaut they are in 2018 - albeit in a more balanced manner. That team crawled into the playoffs at 10-6 and were eliminated by a mediocre Titans team.

We've seen a lot of bizarre stuff already this season - so while the concept of this thread is interesting the execution has been poor (especially when it's just another excuse for Cowboy and Eagle fans to measure their #####). Eagle fans, try and learn from doing the opposite of Pats fans and just enjoy your Super Bowl win instead of feeling contactly persecuted. 

From an "eyeball test" non-scientific approach I'd say the six best teams in the AFC are (in no particular order): Kansas City, Cincinnati, New England, Jacksonville, Miami and Baltimore. The six best in the NFC are (in no particular order): Minnesota, LA Rams, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and New Orleans (with Carolina and Washington having strong cases). This will likely change completely in three more weeks.

 

[Football Jones]

Interested to see what impact the Talib and Peters injuries have on the rams defense

Good point.

Any word on the severity of their injuries?

 

[Godsbrother]

We've seen the movie twice before recently where the Pats struggle in September but ultimately end up 12-4 / 13-3 and then in the Super Bowl.

I know we are taking a snap shot of what transpired in the first three weeks and basing our "tiers" off of that but let's not forget the Chiefs started off 5-0 last season and were nearly the same level of offensive juggernaut they are in 2018 - albeit in a more balanced manner. That team crawled into the playoffs at 10-6 and were eliminated by a mediocre Titans team.

We've seen a lot of bizarre stuff already this season - so while the concept of this thread is interesting the execution has been poor (especially when it's just another excuse for Cowboy and Eagle fans to measure their #####). Eagle fans, try and learn from doing the opposite of Pats fans and just enjoy your Super Bowl win instead of feeling contactly persecuted. 

From an "eyeball test" non-scientific approach I'd say the six best teams in the AFC are (in no particular order): Kansas City, Cincinnati, New England, Jacksonville, Miami and Baltimore. The six best in the NFC are (in no particular order): Minnesota, LA Rams, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and New Orleans (with Carolina and Washington having strong cases). This will likely change completely in three more weeks.

Yes we have.  The important point here is that it is a long season and teams that look unbeatable in September often stink in December and vice versa.   It is a big plus getting off to a good start but the cream rises to the top by season's end.