Ranking the Eight Remaining Playoff Teams

Happy to be Here

No. 8 Houston Texans

Good, but Flawed

No. 7 Tennessee Titans

You may as well call this team the Tennessee Derrick Henry’s. Henry won this year’s rushing title, and totaled 204 scrimmage yards Saturday in New England. The Titans got off to a lackluster start, but Ryan Tannehil is now 8-3 since being named the QB in place of Marcus Mariota. Rookie wideout AJ Brown went for 1,051 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in his first year as a pro. What may be even more impressive is that Brown managed to do this on only 52 receptions! The Titans’ defense doesn’t scare you to the extent of other playoff teams. However, their defense may not be on the field very often if Henry continues running through defenders and burning the clock. This team looked ready to wave the white flag back in September. Now, they’re a team that will be a tough out even for Baltimore next weekend.

No. 6 Minnesota Vikings

KIRK COUSINS WON THE BIG GAME!! The Vikings pulled off a stunner in the Superdome by upending the New Orleans Saints. Cousins saved his lone touchdown pass for overtime, but also managed to play a turnover free game on the road. Dalvin Cook is the NFC’s Derrick Henry after compiling 1,135 rushing yards and 13 rushing scores this season. Adam Thielan and Stefon Diggs are one of the NFL’s top receiving duos, despite Minnesota being a run heavy team. Their defense is nothing to sneeze at either. Mike Zimmer’s defense allowed the sixth fewest points per game of any team in the league. In fact, Baltimore is now the only playoff team remaining who allowed less points than Minnesota. Kirk Cousins is still the Vikings biggest question mark, but he’s already proved many doubters wrong.

No. 5 Seattle Seahawks

Russel Wilson would likely be your MVP if not for Lamar Jackson. Nonetheless, Russ threw for 31 touchdowns, and over 4,000 yards behind a pedestrian offensive line. The major concern for Seattle is that they may be too Russel Wilson dependent. Pete Carrol loves to establish the run, but he’s had to alter his game plan in recent weeks. Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and CJ Prosise all dropped like flies in the backfield over the past month. The rushing attack is once again lead by Marshawn Lynch in what has been an ironic turn of events. Not surprisingly, the Seahawks defense contained backup QB Josh McCown on Sunday night. Though, it’s still the worst defense left amongst the NFC playoff teams. Russel Wilson makes up for a lot of shortcomings on the roster, but can he win a playoff game in Lambeau Field? That remains to be seen.

No. 4 Green Bay Packers

“A win is a win”. This should be the slogan for the Packers 2019 season. Aaron Rodgers didn’t play poorly. (26 TD’s/ 4 INT’s) Although, he didn’t always pass the eye test, even against weaker competition. Aaron Jones is the catalyst for the Green Bay offense. He finished 12^th in rushing yards this season, but his 19 total touchdowns put him atop the NFL in that category. Green Bay’s biggest area of concern is that their defense doesn’t measure up to other Super Bowl contenders. Furthermore, they don’t have a legitimate threat in the receiving game beyond Davante Adams. Their second leading receiver is Allen Lazard, who totaled an unimpressive 477 yards across 16 games. Luckily for Green Bay, they somehow clinched the NFC’s #2 seed and will play this weekend at Lambeau Field.

The Contenders

No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs

Maybe Patrick Mahomes wasn’t quite as good this year, as he was his rookie year. Yet, he was still extremely efficient. In 14 games, Mahomes hurled 26 touchdowns, paired with only five interceptions. Kansas City’s biggest flaw may be that they’ve struggled to establish the run game consistently. The Chiefs had several injuries at the position, and their leading rusher Damien Williams finished with under 500 rushing yards overall. On the bright side, the Chiefs heavily criticized defense seems to be turning things completely around. KC held opponents to 11.5 points per contest in their last six games of the year. Just like Baltimore and San Francisco, the Chiefs have one of the few excellent tight ends in the league. Travis Kelce went for 1,229 yards this season and five touchdowns. Kansas City secured a first-round playoff bye for a second straight year.

No. 2 San Francisco 49ers

Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t been Lamar Jackson this season, but he’s made big plays in big spots. His big play target in the passing game is tight end George Kittle. Kittle was one of just three tight ends to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark, and he also hauled in 85 passes from Jimmy G. The 49ers have a trio in the backfield consisting of Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, and Tevin Coleman. All three guys contributed in big ways this year. Like Baltimore, San Francisco prides themselves on having a stingy defensive unit. The 49ers allowed a mere 19.3 points per game this season, led by veteran corner Richard Sherman, and young pass rusher Nick Bosa. San Francisco won 13 games this season, and are making their first playoff appearance since 2013.

No. 1 Baltimore Ravens

 Does anyone else get 2015 Carolina Panthers vibes from this team? That team couldn’t finish the deal, but Baltimore has a great opportunity to do so. Lamar Jackson will be named league MVP in just his second NFL season. His new running back Mark Ingram ran for over 1,000 yards and 10 TD’s in his first year as a Raven. Baltimore strung together 12 consecutive victories after a week 4 defeat, and own a season +/- differential of +249. Lamar Jackson is tremendous, but he’s just one of TWELVE Ravens who received Pro Bowl honors. John Harbaugh’s team can score points in a flash, though you shouldn’t sleep on their defense either. Baltimore surrendered the third lowest points per game average across the league. The Ravens had and NFL best 14-2 record this year, and are a team nobody will want to face.

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