In college football, everyone’s obsessed about the schedule and determining who makes the major schools’ first playoffs. In the NFL, this kind of thing has always warranted a great deal of attention.
Twenty-six teams still have a real shot at the playoffs halfway through the 2014 season. Some of them will get rolling and get in during the second half, while many more will fade away with what’s ahead in November and December.
As for those teams who already should be thinking about 2015, there’s also a clear-cut favorite to lose enough to earn the No. 1 overall draft pick. Hint: It’s Oakland.
1. Carolina Panthers
Record of remaining opponents: 23-36
Toughest games: Saints (twice), at Eagles. Given how awful the NFC South is, Carolina should repeat in the division just by sweeping Atlanta and Tampa Bay and splitting with New Orleans. It won’t be easy, but it’s very doable.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Record of remaining opponents: 25-33-2
Toughest games: vs. Ravens, at Bengals. They’re getting hot at the right time, because their competition gets cold in November and December. Five more wins to get to 10-6 is modest and it’s more set up for them to steal the division.
3. New Orleans Saints
Record of remaining opponents: 30-37-2
Toughest games: vs. 49ers, at Steelers. With their slow start and creep back up to 2-4, they pretty much need to win their remaining five home games, despite facing San Francisco, Cincinnati and Baltimore in a row there starting in Week 10. The good news, just sweeping the Panthers and getting to 9-7 might be enough.
4. Denver Broncos
Record of remaining opponents: 30-35-1
Toughest games: at Patriots, at Chargers. There’s not much keeping them from earning the No. 1 AFC seed playoff seed. The rest of the matchups all favor Peyton Manning and their offense, and in a not fair scenario, they still get the Raiders twice.
5. San Francisco 49ers
Record of remaining opponents: 30-35
Toughest games: Seahawks (twice), at Saints. They can breathe a little easier for a while coming off the bye, until they finish with at Seattle, vs. San Diego, vs. Arizona. They have had a rough early go, but they will be a much better team as they get healthier.
6. Indianapolis Colts
Record of remaining opponents: 29-33
Toughest games: vs. Patriots, at Cowboys. The Colts cooled off after surging out of their 0-2 start, losing a shootout in Pittsburgh. Andrew Luck, however, still hasn’t. They’ll need him to outduel Tom Brady at home and they can roll to AFC No. 2.
7. Green Bay Packers
Record of remaining opponents: 31-31
Toughest games: vs. Patriots, vs. Lions. Five of the final eight are in Lambeau, which also happens to include all their hardest challenges, too. The road foes are the Vikings, Bills and Buccaneers. They should really get rolling from 5-3 after the bye.
8. Houston Texans
Record of remaining opponents: 27-33-1
Toughest games: vs. Eagles, at Colts. They’re back at .500 again, but what’s left will have them teetering below that until two late Jaguars games get them back above. Still, from 4-4 to 8-8 would be a six-game improvement from 2013.
9. Minnesota Vikings
Record of remaining opponents: 28-34-1
Toughest games: vs. Packers, at Lions. Their playoff chances are slim at 3-5 and in a loaded NFC, but they have a shot to finish .500 and build up Teddy Bridgewater’s confidence for Year 2.
10. Baltimore Ravens
Record of remaining opponents: 28-33
Toughest games: at Steelers, at Saints. Their inconsistent gene is showing up again at 5-3, setting up a playoff scenario eerily similar to 2013. They can do a better job of controlling their wild-card fate with the Chargers and Dolphins in Weeks 13 and 14.
11. New York Giants
Record of remaining opponents: 32-36
Toughest games: at Seahawks, vs. 49ers. With those games sandwiched between the Colts and Cowboys, New York faces a brutal month coming off the bye. Their much easier month after figures to be too late for their wild-card chances.
12. Tennessee Titans
Record of remaining opponents: 29-33
Toughest games: at Ravens, at Eagles. Giving up on Jake Locker and playing Zach Mettenberger is a sign they’ve given up on the season. It’s hard to see them getting their third win until Jets and Jaguars back-to-back in Weeks 15 and 16.
13. Kansas City Chiefs
Record of remaining opponents: 32-35
Toughest games: vs. Broncos, at Steelers. The good news is they draw the Jets next and Raiders twice. Otherwise, it’s stacked with all five or more win teams and the Seahawks. They’re staring down 9-7, not good enough for another wild card.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record of remaining opponents: 33-34-2
Toughest games: at Lions, vs. Packers. They are not very good themselves. With only one win, they’ll be very lucky to match last season’s 4-12 mark.
15. Washington Redskins
Record of remaining opponents: 29-30
Toughest games: at 49ers, at Colts. The good news, after their best performance of the season, is there’s a good chance for three more wins soon with the Vikings, Buccaneers and Rams left. That’s about it, however.
16. Dallas Cowboys
Record of remaining opponents: 31-29
Toughest games: Eagles (twice), vs. Cardinals. If they can handle Arizona at home in Week 9, they will sit pretty with Jacksonville next before their Week 11 bye. The key is beating Washington and New York in the NFC East and splitting with Philadelphia. The NFC No. 1 seed still is in their control.
17. Cincinnati Bengals
Record of remaining opponents: 33-34
Toughest games: Steelers (twice), vs. Broncos. There’s nothing too easy left, considering the Saints and Texans will host them, too. After sweeping the Ravens, their best ticket to winning the tough AFC North is doing the same to the Steelers and Browns.
18. Cleveland Browns
Record of remaining opponents: 33-33-3
Toughest games: Bengals (twice), at Ravens. They need to make a lot of hay in the next month, because the final five weeks are very difficult. It’s still adding up more to 8-8, best case.
19. Detroit Lions
Record of remaining opponents: 31-30
Toughest games: at Patriots, at Packers. There’s a trip to Arizona in there, too, two weeks after their Week 9 bye. Other than that, they can’t afford to take their three “easy” NFC North games for granted (Bears twice, Vikings) after how they blew it late last season. It would be wise to wrap up first place before Week 17 in Lambeau, but at worst make that a division title game.
20. Buffalo Bills
Record of remaining opponents: 30-29
Toughest games: at Broncos, at Patriots. That doesn’t include trips to Miami and the trap of the Black Hole, plus the Packers in Buffalo. They are in position to end their playoff drought at the moment, but they’re not good enough to keep it.
21. San Diego Chargers
Record of remaining opponents: 31-27
Toughest games: vs. Patriots, vs. Broncos. So yeah, they also play the Dolphins and Ravens, 49ers and Chiefs on the road. The Raiders and Rams are their only reprieves left. Like Kansas City, a second straight San Diego playoff berth will be tough to get.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
Record of remaining opponents: 33-28
Toughest games: vs. Cowboys, at Colts. By virtue of playing in the weak AFC South, there are chances to dig out of the basement with Tennessee and Houston (twice) left. But best case, they’re looking at another No. 3 overall pick.
23. New York Jets
Record of remaining opponents: 33-28
Toughest games: vs. Steelers, vs. Patriots. With their quarterback woes, will they be able to tank enough to have their pick at their new potential franchise passer? We figure they will play hard, playing out the string for Rex Ryan, but their two most winnable games (at Vikings, at Titans) are on the road.
24. Atlanta Falcons
Record of remaining opponents: 30-28-2
Toughest games: vs. Cardinals, at Packers. They’re 2-6 and there’s talk about some firings during their bye. The Falcons’ freefall from 2013 has continued, and there’s not much to break it in the second half. Other than the chance to rout the Bucs again in Week 10, there’s little to like. They might slide down from 4-12.
25. Chicago Bears
Record of remaining opponents: 33-29
Toughest games: Lions (twice), at Packers. They’re reeling at 3-5, and still face the meat of their schedule. The Cowboys and Saints aren’t easy home games for a team that’s 0-3 at Soldier Field. Even breaking even looks like a stretch.
26. Philadelphia Eagles
Record of remaining opponents: 36-33-1
Toughest games: at Packers, Cowboys (twice). It’s disconcerting Nick Foles didn’t appear to be improved in protecting the ball after the bye. In addition to Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo, he’ll need to outduel Cam Newton and Russell Wilson. A second-half surge is key to make Chip Kelly not want to go anywhere.
27. Arizona Cardinals
Record of remaining opponents: 34-32
Toughest games: Seahawks (twice), 49ers. It will be tough to hold off two juggernauts in still what’s the NFL’s best division, the NFC West. Their key games before that are the Cowboys and Lions in the next three weeks. Their work is just beginning, and even playoffs can’t be assumed.
28. Seattle Seahawks
Record of remaining opponents: 38-29
Toughest games: 49ers (twice), Cardinals (twice). At 4-3, they already have learned how hard it is to make the playoffs three straight years, let alone repeat as Super Bowl champions. If they can shake off the Rams shocker, the division schedule would indicate they still control their path to another NFC West title.
29. Miami Dolphins
Record of remaining opponents: 38-33
Toughest games: at Broncos, at Patriots. Before they can even worry about that, they have the Chargers, Lions and Bills stacked against them. The Ravens also are lingering later. They’re headed to familiar 7-9 or 8-8 again.
30. St. Louis Rams
Record of remaining opponents: 37-28
Toughest games: at Cardinals, at Seahawks. Throw in at 49ers for good measure, too. This team is breaking bad as injuries are piling up. They won’t sniff close to 7-9 again.
31. New England Patriots
Record of remaining opponents: 37-25
Toughest games: vs. Broncos, at Packers. They get only one free space with the Jets, and that’s on the road. Everyone else has a winning record, and add the Colts, Chargers, Lions, Dolphins and Bills to that mix. They would have earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the hardest way.
32. Oakland Raiders
Record of remaining opponents: 40-25
Toughest games: All of them. It may now come down to the Los Angeles Bowl against the Rams in St. Louis to avoid 0-16, because everyone else they face is a much better, above-.500 team. Otherwise, they can start planning now for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft.
