NFL Playoff Picture

Who are the Front Runners?

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After week 14 of the NFL, the regular season is almost at an end and playoffs are nearing. The best teams are coming to the front of their divisions and proving themselves. Others have fallen off and have no chance of making playoffs. So who are the frontrunners?

There is a three way tie for best record at 11 and two, the American Football Conference West Kansas City Chiefs, the National Football Conference West Rams and NFC South New Orleans Saints. These teams also are the top three in points scored per game, Kansas in first averaging 36.2, New Orleans in Second with 34.4, and in third is the LA Rams at 32.7.

The Los Angeles Rams played the Chicago Bears, arguably the best defense in the league, in Chicago. ESPN projected the game to be 30-24 Rams victory, but it turned out very different. The Rams failed to score a single touchdown, threw four interceptions, and gave the Bears a safety.  

The LA Rams have one of the strongest offenses but couldn’t make of anything against Chicago, the game ended at 6-15, Bears victory.  Los Angeles has a great team overall but is being led through the efforts of Running back Todd Gurley and Defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Gurley leads the league with 15 rushing touchdowns on top of his five receiving.  

The New Orleans Saints played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida. The Saints looked shaky in the first half only scoring three points to Tampa Bay’s 14. But they pulled through in the second half and scored 25 and shut out the buccaneers. Beating them 28-14. The Saints have a good defense but an even better offense. The quarterback, Drew Brees, leads the league in passer rating among QB’s and their #1 receiver, Michael Thomas, leads the league in Receptions.

The best team in the AFC, at least record wise is the Kansas City Chiefs. One of their losses is to the Rams, the game between the two holds the record for most points scored by a losing team in a game, with a final score of 51-54. The sophomore quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a frontrunner for MVP, threw for 478 yards and six touchdowns.

The Chiefs faced the now 7-6 Baltimore Ravens, in week 14, winning by a small margin. After the Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt, over a few incidents with the law, their run game is weaker. But the back-up-back came in and did his job rushing for 75 yards on 15 carries. The Chiefs pulled off a 27-24 victory over Baltimore’s tough defense.

These teams have proven themselves to be at the front of the pack, but no one has a guaranteed victory. There are plenty of teams that could still beat the frontrunners and win the superbowl.