The weather is changing, and the Christmas jingles fill the air. Division races are heating up in the NFL but so are the Wild Card races.
In the AFC, only the Patriots have been eliminated and essentially seven teams are fighting for three playoff spots. With how difficult it will be to predict how those final three winners line up, you’ll be asking how do slot machines work. With a wide-open the postseason is looking; NFL fans have hit the jackpot this year and it’ll be the equivalent of hitting all 7’s seeing the hometown team making it to the playoffs.
There are a few teams who have taken advantage in the recent weeks to make Wild Card races that much more interesting. Slow starts aren’t the end of the world in the NFL, but they did make things significantly more difficult. At the same time, without those slow starts, we wouldn’t get to see the final month with as much meaningful football.
3 Teams On the Rise in Wild Card Races
Cincinnati Bengals
Remaining schedule: vs Vikings, at Steelers, at Chiefs, vs Browns
As usual with the Zac Taylor era, the Bengals started off slow. Once again, Joe Burrow started off the year with some kind of injury. This year, it was a freak calf injury. Through their first four games, the Bengals looked nothing like the Super Bowl contenders they were expected to be.
Burrow got healthy-ish and Cincinnati rattled off four straight and beat the likes of the 49ers, Seahawks, and Bills. Then, after a disappointing loss to the Texans where rookie C.J. Stroud carved up the defense, Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in a loss to the Ravens.
At this point after a three-game skid (including a Steelers loss), Bengals fans were firing up the Mock Draft machines and were already looking forward to 2024 with no regard to the remaining 2023 games. Then Jake Browning stepped up.
Cincinnati is coming off of a pair of wins over the Jaguars and Colts, two playoff-contending teams in the AFC South. The defense is starting to look more like the defense Lou Anarumo is used to coaching. Tee Higgins is back and healthy and Ja’Marr Chase is setting his sights on the Bengals’ single-season records.
The most impressive part is the fact that the offensive line allowed zero sacks against the NFL’s second-best pass-rushing team. They have four games left and they should be favored in two.
Denver Broncos
Remaining schedule: at Lions, vs Patriots, vs Chargers, at Raiders
How can a team that started off 1-5 and was thoroughly destroyed by allowing 70 points be anywhere close to the playoffs? The Denver Broncos have done just that and, through Week 14, are just a game out of the division lead.
The confounding part of the Broncos early-season struggles was the fact that their awful start could have been very different with those first two losses coming by a combined three points. Then the dam broke, and they lost 70-20 to the Dolphins.
After a 19-8 moral victory-type of loss to the Chiefs, the Broncos kicked it into gear. Through Week 14, they’ve won six of seven with that lone loss to the surprising Texans team. They’ve taken down the Packers, Chiefs, Bills, and Browns in that stretch, all playoff-worthy teams.
It seems like s is finally kicking it into gear. On the year, the Broncos have allowed 23.8 points per game. That number falls to 19.9 points per game against non-Dolphins teams. Over this seven-game span, Denver has only allowed 15.6 points per game and considering the offenses they faced, that’s impressive.
With an incredibly favorable schedule remaining with just one playoff team on the docket, the Broncos could very well end up 10-7 after that disastrous start. They’re definitely in the running in wild card races.
Green Bay Packers
Remaining schedule: vs Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Vikings, vs Bears
In the first season without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers started off slow, winning just two of their first seven games and had many fans wondering if Jordan Love was really going to be the guy. They struggled on offense, overall, but have started to find their footing.
The emergence of the run game has actually helped Love. In those first seven games, the Packers managed over 100 rushing yards twice. In the five games following, the Packers have averaged 128. That has, in turn, allowed Love to play to the best of his ability.
Three of the team’s last four wins prior to Week 14 were against playoff-contending teams including the Rams and two division leaders in the Lions and Chiefs.
Down the stretch Green Bay gets to face off against the NFC South-leading (sort of) Buccaneers who currently have a losing record, the worst team in the NFL in the Panthers, the Vikings who are oft-injured, and the Bears.
Realistically, the most difficult matchup will be the Bears. Chicago did not have Montez Sweat in the Week 1 matchup where the Packers came out on top. The defense, which has been playing well, will have to continue to contain Justin Fields who has been playing much better of late.
The Packers are the youngest team in the NFL. That can cause some serious dips. But, at the same time, it can be a fun catalyst where they get the best out of their young playmakers. Keeping an eye on the Packers in a surprisingly loaded NFC will be worth it. Consider them as a potential in your Wild Card races.
