Projections for the NFL playoffs in 2018: Redskins wins the NFC East; Eagles, Vikings and Packers left out



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With the 9th week, that means we're officially in the second half of the NFL season, which means it's time to do one of our favorite things at CBS Sports: Determining Who Will Participate in the playoffs.

The beauty of the NFL playoff race is that all 32 teams are still alive. That's right, Raiders fans, Jon Gruden still has time to change all that and sneak into the playoffs. Of course, this will probably not happen, but it could happen, that's all that matters.

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To help you know who will make the playoffs this year, we'll be releasing a screening each week for the rest of the season. These projections will be based on data from Stephen Oh from SportsLine.com. Each week, Oh will connect numbers to his SportsLine computer and simulate the rest of the NFL season. With these numbers, we will screen the 12 teams expected for the playoffs.

According to current projections by Oh, fans in New England, Los Angeles and Kansas City will be able to reserve their posts for the playoffs, as these three teams have a 99% chance to play in the playoffs. That does not mean that they've landed a place, it just means that SportsLine does not really think it's mathematically possible for these three teams to miss the playoffs at this point.

Below, you'll find our 12 playoff screenings with the total expected wins of each team. We will also indicate whether or not we expect a team to play in the playoffs as a wild card or division winner.

Okay, with all that in mind, let's move on to the screenings for this week's playoffs.

Projection of AFC series

Projected Victories in parentheses

1. Kansas City Chiefs: (12.6 wins) AFC West Champs

We have good news and bad news for chefs. The good: they should finish the season with the best record of the AFC. The bad news: even the computer thinks that Andy Reid is going to choke in the playoffs. Although Kansas City should finish with a better record in the regular season than the Patriots, the computer gives the Patriots a better chance of winning the AFC title (40.4% for New England at 29. , 6% for the Chiefs).

2. New England Patriots: (12.0) AFC East Fields

It's possible that the Patriots are supposed to finish second in the AFC, but the computer still loves them. According to SportsLine, New England is the best team in the NFL and also has the best chance of winning the Super Bowl (New England's chances are 24%) The next best team is the Rams, who have 17 4% chance to win everything).

3. Houston Texans: (9.2) AFC South Fields

The most important story in the AFC South region may not be the fact that the Texans should win the division, but that should be the last. The Jaguars finish the season in fourth place behind the Texans, Colts and Titans. It would be a big fall for a team that played a game before going to the Super Bowl in 2017.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers: (9.0) AFC North Fields

If there is a division of the AFC that the computer projects hard, it is the North. Although the Steelers should win the division, the computer only finishes them with 0.3 more victory than the Ravens and 0.4 more wins than the Bengals. The good news for the Steelers is that their connection to Cleveland could be a good thing. If Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati all finish the season with nine wins, the Steelers will win the AFC North as 9-6-1 is better than 9-7.

Los Angeles Chargers: (10.2) Wild Card

The Chargers may be in the most interesting area of ​​any NFL team currently, and that's because the computer is essentially considering them as a way to lock the playoffs. SportsLine has 84% ​​chances in the post-season for the Chargers, making it the third highest score in the AFC. Unfortunately for L.A, they are basically stuck in a generic location because the computer only gives them a 10.6% chance of winning the AFC West.

Baltimore Ravens: (8.7) Wild Card

After 10,000 simulations, the race to last place in the playoffs in the AFC is almost too tight to be followed. The computer gives a VERY slight advantage to the Ravens on the Bengals by projecting them to win 0.1 more victory. Since you can not really win 0.1, consider it a layman: the Ravens are right, because SportsLine gives them a 48.8% chance to play in the playoffs, while the Bengals only have 42, 8%. The computer basically considers things like two horses for the final match of the AFC playoffs, no other teams participating in the conference even having a chance to qualify for the playoffs.

Just missed: Bengals (8.6)

Teams that have not been officially eliminated, but the computer has dropped them: Raiders, Browns, Bills.

Projection of NFC series

Los Angeles Rams: (13.3 wins) NFC West Champs

The computer loves the Rams, which makes sense because they are the only undefeated team in the NFL. SportsLine sees the Rams as a convenient way to win the NFC West and finish with the best record in the NFC. The Rams also have a 35.2% chance of going to the Super Bowl, a ridiculously high figure considering that only one other NFC team has a chance to exceed 10% (the Saints are 29, 1%). luck).

Saints of New Orleans: (11.6) NFC South Champs

The saints could be No. 2 in this projection, but that could change at this time next week. Do not be surprised if New Orleans rises to first place if it can beat the Rams at home on Sunday. Although the Saints only have a game ahead of the Panthers in the division standings, the computer does not think that there will be a lot of running for the title NFC South. The Saints have a 83.6% chance of winning the division, while the Panthers only have 15%.

Washington Redskins: (9.8) NFC East Champs

According to the computer, the race for the NFC East is practically over. SportsLine gives the Redskins a 65.1% chance of winning the division, which is more than double the odds offered to any other team in the division. The Eagles (24.2%) and Cowboys (10.7%) are still alive, but the computer appreciates the chances of the Redskins to win their second division title in four years.

Chicago Bears: (9.0) NFC North Champs

This is the only division of the NFL where no team still has a 50% chance of winning the division. Basically, there is still so much in the air that the computer can not project with confidence. While there are nine weeks left in the NFL, the Bears have a 40% chance of winning the division, the Vikings (24.8%), the Packers (22.1%) and the Lions (13.0) also in contention. The computer actually considers the Vikings to be the best team in the division, but Minnesota are not expected to win, which is probably due to the fact that the Vikings have a rough schedule, with consecutive games against the Packers. Patriots and Seahawks from week 12.

Seattle Seahawks: (9.6) Wild Card

The Seahawks (4-3) may sit behind the Panthers 5-2 in the standings for the 9th week, but the computer still appreciates the chances of Seattle to finish in front of Carolina. In fact, the computer loves the Seahawks and ranks them fifth among the top NFL teams behind the Patriots, Chiefs, Rams and Saints.

Carolina Panthers: (9.5) Wild Card

Basically, the computer sees this place coming to the Panthers and Eagles, though nothing is presumed to be too close. The Eagles are expected to win only 8.4 games, a complete game behind Carolina's showing. The Panthers have a 58.2% chance to play in the playoffs while the Eagles only have 32.2%.

Just missed: Eagles (8.4), Cowboys (8.0), Vikings (7.9), Packers (7.8)

Teams that have not been officially eliminated, but the computer has dropped them: 49ers, cardinals, giants.

Projection of generic cards

AFC

(6) Ravens at (3) Texans

(5) chargers at (4) Steelers

Goodbye: Chiefs, patriots

NFC

(6) Panthers at (3) Redskins

(5) Seahawks at (4) bears

Goodbye: Aries, saints

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