Six playoff games have been recorded.
Seven games and eight teams remain on the road to Super Bowl LIX.
How has the wild card round affected our thinking when it comes to which of the eight teams most likely to win the Lombardi Trophy will survive?As with last week, staff writers I'm here. SB Nation Each will rank the remaining teams and create an updated ranking based on the voting results.
Here are the eight teams remaining for Super Bowl LIX, ranked by odds of winning it all.
8. Houston Texans
Throughout the history of soccer, one thing has remained true. That means a pass rush can take you far. Just ask the 2007 and 2011 Giants. of houston texans They have some flaws, especially on the offensive side, but what they do have is a defense that definitely makes opponents suffer. With a huge 31-12 victory, Los Angeles ChargersHouston pressured Chargers QB Justin Herbert on more than half of his dropbacks, forcing Herbert to throw four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. There are still questions about the offense, but if they can get the play they're getting from WR Nico Collins and RB Joe Mixon, it will make their lives a lot easier and their opponents a lot harder.
7. Commander Washington
with jayden daniels commander of washington They advanced to the divisional round thanks to the efficient performance of their rookie QB and the longevity of kicker Zane Gonzalez. In his first playoff game, Daniels completed 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns, showing significant improvement compared to the same game in Week 1. tampa bay buccaneers. Daniels relied more on his legs in the face of pressure, but on Sunday night, when the Buccaneers brought in five or more rushers, Daniels completed 9 of 14 passes for 140 yards in that situation, helping the Buccaneers punished.
Things will get even tougher for Washington, which heads to Detroit to take on a rested Lions team. While the Commanders may have the proverbial “puncher's chance,” they are also a team that is 9-4 in one-score games this season, and have found ways to win all year. Is that enough for a Saturday night?
6. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are a dark horse that will be talked about in this playoffs. After being under the radar for much of the season, this balanced unit picked up steam after Puka Nacua returned from injury and Cooper Kupp also gave his full effort.
Los Angeles has the deepest receiver corps in the playoffs by a wide margin, and the offense is strong with breakout running back Kyren Williams. This is a very different Rams team than the organization that won the Super Bowl. Obviously they don't have Aaron Donald to anchor their defense and that hurts them a little bit, but the team showed they're good enough to slow down the best teams in the league and let the offense take over.
The Rams went from a team that seemed lucky to make the playoffs to a team to be feared in the blink of an eye. If they can surprise and prove themselves with further wins, the sky is the limit.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
NFL+'s “Know it All” reminded us this weekend that defense still wins championships in the NFL.
As a side note, we should have a long discussion about that ad campaign once this season is over, but I digress…
However, the fact is that philadelphia eagles.
Vic Fangio's defense led the Eagles to a 22-10 victory. green bay packers He intercepted Jordan Love three times on Sunday afternoon and pressured him throughout the contest. The Packers QB finished the game with an NFL passer rating of just 41.5, the second-lowest of his career and the second-lowest ever for a Packers QB in the playoffs.
After losing Nakobe Dean to a serious knee injury in the win, Philadelphia's depth at linebacker will be tested, but Philadelphia's defense looks very formidable. The Eagles' rushing attack is also a problem for opponents, although the offensive line was a little disorganized in Jalen Hurts' first game back from his concussion. Adding one of the best offensive lines in football will make for a tough playoff run.
4. Detroit Lions
It may seem ridiculous for the Lions to be this low considering how well they performed in 2024, but placing them in fourth place is a product of two factors. It's hard to say because they are still battling a lot of injuries and the AFC simply looks very good this season. Any NFC teams are ahead at this point.
We also know now that stopping Sam Darnold and the Vikings in Week 18 wasn't all that impressive after being easily dispatched to the Rams in the wild-card playoffs.
Don't get me wrong. The Lions are still our favorite to make it out of the NFC to the Super Bowl, and honestly, it looks like a pretty easy path at this point — but with so many injuries, how do they get there? It's hard to imagine how they'll go up against the big three in the AFC.
3. Buffalo Bills
Halftime of Sunday's wild card game buffalo bills and denver broncosthe visiting team lost just 10-7. The Broncos made a big shot on their first possession of the game — an extra-base hit from rookie Bo Nix to former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin — and Tony Romo, who was in the booth, worried Bills fans. I warned you that you should.
The game ended with a final score of 31-7.
That halftime score failed to capture what was happening on the field. Buffalo held the football for nearly 20 minutes in the first half behind a formidable rushing attack and gained 128 yards on the ground. Those who believe in football's “body blow” theory rejoiced in the second half as the Bills exploded for 21 unanswered points en route to a rout.
What's next? A long-awaited rematch with the team we lost in Week 4 baltimore ravens. The Ravens' rushing attack also looks formidable, so Bills fans might be right to be really worried this time around, but as we saw late Sunday, when Josh Allen gets his chance, he quickly He can take over the game. eye.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
We have reached a point in the season. kansas city chiefs Sit on a gaming chair. With the No. 1 overall seed and home-field advantage throughout the conference, they are perfectly poised to do what everyone wants to do: win it all again. I think what's keeping them so high this season is that they're finally getting healthy. RB Isaiah Pacheco and WR Marquise Brown return, making the offense even more dynamic. With Brown returning to action, steelers The Chiefs' EPA per play was 0.214, much higher than their season-long EPA per play of 0.068. Brown will greatly improve his quickness to explore short areas of the field, giving quarterback Patrick Mahomes another goal to take his play to another level in the playoffs. Add in a defense led by DT Chris Jones, one of the best playoff performers in modern NFL history, and you have the formula for a three-peat.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Saturday night's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers provided the latest example of the old football adage, “It's not X's and O's, it's Jimmy's and Joe's.”
The Steelers entered Saturday night's game against the Ravens with a clear plan to slow down Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Baltimore's vaunted rushing attack. They “scraped” the design of Baltimore's read options, with defensive ends colliding with Henry and forcing Jackson to pull the ball and keep it for himself, with second-level defenders looping around the edge and finding the elusive He tried to contain a QB who wasn't there.
This scheme works well on the whiteboard, but when you play it on the field against the two best players at their position, it loses some of its luster.
Now, the Ravens will have a rematch with the Buffalo Bills, which Baltimore won in a landslide in Week 4. If the team we saw Saturday night shows up this weekend, the Ravens could be headed to their second straight AFC Championship Game.
