NFL Football Scores - Week 15

NFL Football Scores - Week 15

The Buffalo Bills unexpectedly roughed up Aaron Rodgers, but everything else went pretty much as expected. The Packers may well be the best team in the NFC, but they could still miss the playoffs if they don't get their act together. If the season ended today, they would be clinging to the sixth and final playoff spot, and therefore permanent loss of home field advantage, which would be almost as bad as missing the post-season altogether. On the other hand, just a slight improvement could catapult them to the top of the seeding. They really need to beat the Lions in two weeks, because the Lions, with the same record as the Pack, would have the number two seed and a first round bye if the season ended today. The winner of the Packers/Lions game might even get the #1 seed in the NFC because it is not inconceivable that Arizona will drop their last two games.

This season has proven to defy the rule of NFL parity in that there are six very weak teams in the league with records of 3-11 or worse, and those teams have beaten pretty much nobody except each other, with one glaring exception: two of those teams, Tennessee and Oakland, have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs. When not being kicked around by the league's patsies, the Chiefs have been a good team, sometimes even a great one against top opponents. They have beaten both the Patriots and the Seahawks. Go figure.

Four teams have clinched post-season berths: Arizona, New England, Denver and Indy.

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Odd facts - if the season ended today:

(1) three teams from the AFC central would make the playoffs because that group would get both wild card slots.

(2) the Carolina Panthers, with a record of 5-8-1, would make the playoffs and get home field advantage over the 10-4 Seahawks in their first playoff game. The Panthers are only in first because the Saints have played one less game. I still expect the Saints to win that division, but who knows? A football bounces funny.