After my AFC playoff assessment, let’s look at the rival NFC for this year’s NFL playoffs. We have five potent attacking teams and one unlikely division winner with a stingy defence. Who’s going to win out?
One Seed – Green Bay Packers
There’s not a lot to say about the Packers – bar that blemish at Kansas City in Week 15, they were untouchable. What’s more frightening is how they looked last week with their backups on the field, as Matt Flynn tossed six touchdown passes in a victory over a full-strength Detroit Lions, who are also a playoff contender.
I could sit here and talk about their offence, the brilliance of Aaron Rodgers and the ease with which they march down the field when they have the ball, but that’s pretty clear to everyone.
But like any team, there are problems, and Green Bay’s begin and end with their defence.
Despite leading the league in interceptions with 31 (though this may be more to do with the fact that teams fall behind early against them and have to throw), they have leaked 22.4 points per game, worse than any division champion aside from Denver, and ninth of the 12 playoff teams.
Granted, they did have to play the Saints, the Lions twice and Carolina, but nevertheless, if they run into a team like San Francisco, Baltimore or a Pittsburgh side that could contain Rodgers and co., winning a low-scoring game might prove difficult.
Playoff outlook: Thankfully for them, they avoid New Orleans regardless of how the wildcard weekend goes. Lambeau will play host to either the Lions if they upset the Saints, or the winner of Atlanta and New York.
Two Seed – San Francisco 49ers
What a difference a season makes. The 2010 49ers were a complete basket case, winning just five games and parting ways with Coach Mike Singletary.
Despite their poor record, this was largely in part to an awful offence which ranked in the bottom ten in points scored – their defence was not the impenetrable wall it has proved to be in the current season, but it would have been good enough to complement even an average offence.
But in came Jim Harbaugh (brother of Ravens’ coach John), and with him, a mistake-free, low-risk offensive system that shielded the weaknesses of their quarterback, Alex Smith.
And given the marked improvement in their attack (they scored 75 points more this year than last), it’s clear to see that the changes implemented by the younger Harbaugh have proved successful.
Along with a stronger offence and stingier defensive unit comes a 13-3 record and a first-round bye.
Until they faced Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks in week 16, they didn’t allow a rushing touchdown for the entire season, and even then, the drive which Lynch scored off started just four yards out from the goal-line.
With Harbaugh almost a lock to win coach of the year, he’ll be keen to add to that award with a couple of play-off victories. And perhaps, a rematch in the Super Bowl with his brother, whose Ravens bested the 49ers on Thanksgiving Day in Baltimore.
Playoff outlook: A huge test looms, with potential back-to-back games against the league’s two most potent attacking units.
The Saints will come to Candlestick Park if they can beat the Lions, and if not, it will be the winner of the Giants-Falcons game.
After that, it will more than likely be a trip to Green Bay to take on the defending champions unless a huge upset occurs in the second round.
Three Seed – New Orleans Saints
If you’re a newcomer to the NFL, it’s hard to understand just how brilliant Drew Brees’ season has been: 46 touchdowns, 5476 yards, and a quarterback rating of 110.6. He threw the most yards ever in a season, and had the highest completion percentage.
Aside from Brees, the performances of former Chargers RB Darren Sproles and rookie TE Jimmy Graham have been outstanding, particularly the rookie Graham, who in just one season has made himself one of the top five tight ends in the league.
The Saints’ offence is every bit as amazing as the Packers’, and they have all the same defensive deficiencies as the team from Wisconsin.
That said, they have won their last eight games, and their three losses this season all came on the road, including a Week 1 loss at Green Bay.
If any team could upset the 49ers and Packers in back to back weeks (provided they beat the Lions of course), it’s New Orleans.
Factor in that they are virtually unbeatable in games played inside a dome and you realise that they’re a massive chance to win the whole thing, especially with the Super Bowl being indoors this year.
Playoff outlook: The Saints hosted the Detroit Lions in the Superdome and beat QB Matthew Stafford’s team with blistering offence to continue their unbeaten streak at home. It’s on to San Francisco for the Saints, and if they win that, it’s more than likely a trip to Green Bay. Arguably the toughest road trip any team could endure this year on the way to Indianapolis.
Four Seed – New York Giants
The Giants were the last team to clinch their playoff berth, defeating the Cowboys on Sunday night to claim the NFC East crown in a comfortable 31-14 victory.
Full credit to Big Blue for topping their usually tricky division, with a tough schedule that featured games against the 49ers, Patriots, Packers, and Saints along the way. A 9-7 finish was more than credible given the difficulty of their fixtures.
One key reason for their success, especially late in games, was the performances of quarterback Eli Manning, who was near flawless in the fourth quarter all season long.
That said, Eli was often forced to look for touchdowns late in the game thanks to the terrible performances from their defence, who conceded more points than any other playoff team (400 across 16 games).
It’s going to be a tough slog for the G-Men to get near the Super Bowl, with their leaky defence having to possibly face three of the top seven attacking units in the league.
First Atlanta come to Metlife Stadium, followed by potential clashes with Green Bay and New Orleans.
But if any team knows how to pull out a fluky win against a much more fancied team, it’s the Giants. Who wouldn’t want to see a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, when they upset New England’s perfect season?
Playoff outlook: They host the Falcons, and assuming the Saints defeat the Lions, will head to Green Bay before taking on the winner of the New Orleans-San Francisco game.
It’s difficult to see a team navigating that stretch who has such frailty without the ball in hand, especially when they lack the potent offence of the other defensively fragile sides.
That said, Eli can move his team down the field to score points when he has to.
Five Seed – Atlanta Falcons
Easily the most underwhelming team of the NFC playoffs, the Falcons’ sole win against a playoff team came against the Detroit Lions, losing twice to the Saints (not that there’s any shame in that) and benefiting from a schedule that let them play the Panthers and Buccaneers twice each, as well as playing the teams of the awful AFC South, en route to a respectable 10-6 record.
It’s true you can only beat what’s in front of you, and Atlanta has made the playoffs, which is all that can be expected of them, especially given their division featured the Saints.
The Falcons will be grateful for Matt Flynn’s astonishing performance against Detroit last week, giving Atlanta the first wildcard rather than the second, thus avoiding a third game against the Saints for the season.
Their last trip to Louisiana saw them get beaten by 29 points.
Playoff outlook: They find themselves in the same situation as the Giants, with a trip to Lambeau Field the reward should they win in week one. From there, it will be probably be a road trip to San Francisco or New Orleans.
This is all assuming the Lions lose in week one, which would change everything. Speaking of which…
Six Seed – Detroit Lions
Few sets of sports fans are more tortured than the hardy souls that cheer for the Detroit Lions.
Without a playoff appearance this millennium, without a division championship since 1993, and having never made a Super Bowl appearance, let alone winning one, their last championship was in the pre-merger days, 54 years ago in 1957.
That’s a bigger drought than St Kilda or South Sydney.
But onto the team – it has become clear they can score points.
Calvin Johnson is arguably the best receiver in the National Football League, and the rapport he’s developed with quarterback Matthew Stafford is as effective a partnership as we’ve seen in recent years.
The Lions, led by Ndamukong Suh, have developed a reputation as the thugs of the league, and if it not for the Oakland Raiders would have had the most penalties and penalty yards against them in the league.
All these free piggy backs down the field took their toll on the defence, who were only better than the Giants in terms of NFC Playoff teams in points allowed.
No wildcard: The Lions gave the Saints trouble in their wildcard playoff, leading into the intermission 14-10. However, Drew Brees’ men overwhelmed the Lions, ending their playoff hopes.
My predictions (home team in caps):
Division
GREEN BAY d. New York
SAN FRANCISCO d. New Orleans
NFC Championship Game
San Francisco d. GREEN BAY
That’s right. I’m predicting an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl, with the Ravens taking on the 49ers. Two brothers coaching against each other in the biggest sporting event of the year? As the old cliché goes, you can’t script this.
Perhaps it’s a gutsy prediction, and feel free to tweet me (@TheMattBungard) when one of the Ravens or 49ers fails in their first playoff game and completely destroys my credibility. Regardless, it’s going to be a great postseason.
Hey, supercoach? Choose your own ultimate NFL team and compete with other players for cash prizes in daily competitions on any match. If you’re after the best odds on the NFL, PlayUp is your best bet. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The extraordinary episodes after his life as an American Football hero quite overshadowed the career of O.J. Simpson, who has died at the age…
The Kansas City Chiefs, steered brilliamtly at the end by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, downed the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to secure…
San Francisco 49ers will make their eighth appearance in the Super Bowl after a stellar season from a team stacked with real talent across the whole line-up.
The Chiefs are no longer strangers to playing matches in February. What was once a multi-generational 50-year drought has become an almost yearly tradition.
Daniel Faalele and Mitch Wishnowsky have kept their Super Bowl dreams alive, with Baltimore and San Francisco winning the divisional round playoff.
Six-time NFL champion Bill Belichick has agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots, bringing an end to his 24-year…
