2021 Playoff Tracker Thread

[Malapropismic Depository]

From a wild card chase perspective, it was a very good weekend for us.

All these teams lost, that are potentially competing with us for a Wild Card : New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago and NYG (tho the last 2 are longshots)

And a couple of the contenders that won this weekend, we hold a tiebreaker against, anyway : Tampa, Seattle.

And Philly won too, but we still have 2 games left head to head.

[MrJL]

20 minutes ago, Malapropismic Depository said:

9 in a row, means we just won the Super Bowl

 that's only from here, doesn't count the previous wins

[Cooleyfan1993]

16 minutes ago, MrJL said:

 that's only from here, doesn't count the previous wins

I think he’s aware of that. Pretty sure he said it to mean from here on out, to say we’ll be super bowl champs (joking or not, i cant say, but my guess is he doesn’t actually think that’ll happen)

[Malapropismic Depository]

40 minutes ago, MrJL said:

 that's only from here, doesn't count the previous wins

 

I'm always living in the moment, not the past

 

[kleese]

As others have stated, today was a very good day. The Vikings and Niners both losing to teams their fanbases likely expected to beat really helps. Falcons and Saints losses help as well. Bears and Giants losing also can’t hurt. Eagles win over Jets was the only one that didn’t go our way. 
 

Results of today vault our odds to make it if we finish 3-2– should be close to 100% now. It would be stunning to me if we finished 9-8 (regardless of how we do it) and don’t make playoffs. Today’s results also increased odds of making it if we go 2-3. 
 

We have clinched the tie-breaker with the Falcons, Panthers, Niners, and Vikings. Throw in Seahawks too I guess. The only team we lose the tie-breaker against is NOLA— we’d need it to be multi-team in order to jump ahead of Saints. Eagles TBD. 
 

Will look at next week’s match-ups/rooting interests later in week. 

[method man]

Looking at the schedules for the 9ers, Eagles, Vikings and Falcons (the real threats for a wild card spot), I think it is likely an 8-9 makes it in, which is why the Raiders win was so huge for this team.

[FootballZombie]

We made it to the division stretch at 6-6. Everybody was saying we just needed to tread water and get there. We have officially done that.

 

 

[Burgundy Yoda]

I can't remember the last time we made the playoffs two years in a row. I also can't remember the last time we missed the playoffs when we get hot like this in the 2nd half of the season. 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Burgundy Yoda

[Cooleyfan1993]

24 minutes ago, Burgundy Yoda said:

I can't remember the last time we made the playoffs two years in a row. I also can't remember the last time we missed the playoffs when we get hot like this in the 2nd half of the season. 

But can you remember the last time we made the playoffs after a hot start?

 

yeah neither can i. Off of memory, there were.....3 years when we started off hot? 08, 2016 (6-3-1). 2018 (6-4). Can we PLEASE have a season where we start off good and make the playoffs?? 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

[Koolblue13]

5 hours ago, Burgundy Yoda said:

I can't remember the last time we made the playoffs two years in a row. I also can't remember the last time we missed the playoffs when we get hot like this in the 2nd half of the season. 

Last time we went to the playoffs in back to back years was 91-92. Crazy, right?

[kingdaddy]

Sorry if this has been mentioned. 

How does the NFL make a schedule where one team (WFT) has to play 3 straight opponents who are coming off of 10 days rest or more? We got the Raiders on 10 days rest, Dallas this week will be on 10 days rest and Philly in two weeks will be coming off of their bye week and 2 full weeks of rest. OBTW, we had to play the Raiders on a short week of our own coming off of the Monday night win over Seattle and had to go out west to play them. That makes yesterdays win even more impressive. 

10 hours ago, FootballZombie said:

We made it to the division stretch at 6-6. Everybody was saying we just needed to tread water and get there. We have officially done that.

 

 

Yep, we are what our record says we are. Let's get healthy and fix the offense now and who knows how far we can go?

[ILikeBilly]

9 minutes ago, kingdaddy said:

Sorry if this has been mentioned. 

How does the NFL make a schedule where one team (WFT) has to play 3 straight opponents who are coming off of 10 days rest or more? We got the Raiders on 10 days rest, Dallas this week will be on 10 days rest and Philly in two weeks will be coming off of their bye week and 2 full weeks of rest. OBTW, we had to play the Raiders on a short week of our own coming off of the Monday night win over Seattle and had to go out west to play them. That makes yesterdays win even more impressive. 

Yep, we are what our record says we are. Let's get healthy and fix the offense now and who knows how far we can go?

Not sure where I read it, but the 'Skins have the worst schedule, 32nd in the league, for number of days between games for opponents.  Someone has to be last, but why us?

[Peregrine]

At this point the only thing that matters is we go 3-2 for the rest of the season.  If we do that, and take 1 of 2 from the Eagles, then statistically we have something like a 98% chance to make the playoffs.

 

We have tiebreakers on everyone except the Eagles if we dropped both to them.  Otherwise, just win 3 of the last 5 and we are in, regardless of what else is going on in the league.  Likely the other spot goes to one of San Fran, Minnesota, Philly or New Orleans.  But the reality is NO needs to win out to finish ahead of us, so does Minnesota, so does Philly, so do the outliers such as Carolina and Atlanta.  Unless those teams win every game for the rest of the season they cant finish ahead of us.  The only one who doesnt have to is San Francisco, but they do have to go 4-1 and still have 3 games left against better teams.

[Koolblue13]

The Rams are on a slide right now, with some tough games ahead for them. They should be a lock, but no reason to not have their spot in our sites as well. 

 

WE WANT DALLASS!

[Koolblue13]

There are a few a bunch of similarities from our 82 team and this team. Joey T wasn't some incredible unquestioned QB and our offense was built to smash you with the run. Defense keeps making big plays when they need to. Dallas is standing in the way of us taking the East.....again.

 

 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

39 minutes ago, Peregrine said:

At this point the only thing that matters is we go 3-2 for the rest of the season. 

 

"At least"...only thing that matters is we go at least 3-2 the rest of the season lol...

[HigSkin]

https://www.nfl.com/news/washington-football-team-emerging-in-chaotic-nfc-playoff-race?campaign=Twitter_atn

 

Washington Football Team emerging in chaotic NFC playoff race

By Jim Trotter

 

The Washington Football Team had lost four in a row and five of the six games entering a Week 9 bye. Four of the defeats were by double digits and the fifth was against a Broncos club that had lost four consecutive games itself.

 

When the team returned from the bye, coach Ron Rivera tried to paint an optimistic picture. As a cancer survivor, he understood the importance of perspective and staying in the moment, so he gathered his players and spoke of how they could find light amid the apparent darkness.

 

His words clearly resonated with the room because Washington has not lost since. On Sunday it claimed its fourth consecutive victory, beating the Raiders 17-15 to improve its position for a playoff berth and remain in the hunt for the NFC East title.

 

Washington (6-6) will play its final five games against division opponents, beginning next Sunday with the first of two remaining games versus front-running Dallas (8-4). If it wins out, something no outsider thought possible after the Halloween loss to the Broncos, Washington would claim the division title.

 

"The Monday coming out of the bye, I told our guys we have a chance," Rivera said via text Sunday night. "All we have to do is take it one game at a time. Focus all our energy on it one game at a time and let's get to the 'Divisional Round Robin' with a chance to win it and we will see! Let's just give ourselves a chance."

 

That chance started with a 10-point win over the defending Super Bowl champion Bucs, followed by one-possession victories over the Panthers, Seahawks and Raiders -- the latter two by identical 17-15 scores. The Football Team runs the ball well and generally excels at stopping the run, but outside of that, they aren't overwhelming in any statistical category.

 

However, they are resilient -- an overused word that seems wholly appropriate in this instance. Football people like to say that the two most impactful positions on the field are quarterback and edge rusher, and Washington lost veteran signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick to a hip injury in Week 1, then saw pass rusher Chase Young -- last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year and the emotional heartbeat of the team -- sustain a season-ending ACL tear on Nov. 14.

 

The team likely lost tight end Logan Thomas to a season-ending knee injury on Sunday, per my colleague Ian Rapoport. Thomas' absence would be significant, but we said the same thing about Fitzpatrick and Young. And now a season that seemed to be over five weeks ago has an opportunity to extend beyond the regular season.

 

Washington currently holds the sixth of seven NFC postseason spots, with No. 7 San Francisco sharing the same .500 record (Washington owns the conference record tiebreaker). Behind them in the standings are five teams with seven losses and three others with eight defeats. The NFC is so wild that all 16 teams remain in playoff contention, including the 1-10-1 Lions, who beat the Vikings with an 11-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game Sunday to earn their first win of the season.

 

It's as if every time you think you have a good read on the situation, chaos reigns.

 

Case 1: The 49ers, who went to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, appeared to be surging after winning three in a row and four of five, scoring at least 30 points in each of the victories. But on Sunday, they lost 30-23 to a Seahawks team that had dropped three in a row, six of seven and eight of 10. The 49ers allowed more points in four quarters than Seattle had scored in its previous three games combined.

 

Case 2: The Vikings, after a four-point loss to Dallas and a three-point defeat at Baltimore, rebounded to beat the Chargers on the road and the division-leading Packers at home. And just when everyone began speaking about them as a team no one wants to face in the playoffs, they lost at San Francisco and at Detroit in back-to-back weeks, falling out of the top seven playoff spots. Minnesota's now 5-7.

 

Case 3: The Eagles seemed to be on their way to becoming a legitimate playoff candidate after winning three out of four, but then lost last week to the struggling Giants, who appeared to be in disarray after firing their offensive coordinator days earlier. On Sunday they rebounded with starting QB Jalen Hurts sidelined, defeating the Jets. They are now 6-7 and hold the eighth spot in the NFC.

 

The only places where the waters appear to be calm are at the top of the divisions, the NFC East excluded. The Packers can clinch the NFC North next week with a win and a Vikings loss. The Bucs can secure the NFC South title next week with a victory and losses by the Panthers and Saints. The Cardinals cannot clinch the NFC West next week, but can lock up a playoff spot with a win over the rival Rams.

 

The certainty up top is in stark contrast to what is taking place within the wild-card race, confirming that the more we know, the less we actually know. Let anarchy rule.

[Idaho fan]

12 hours ago, Koolblue13 said:

Last time we went to the playoffs in back to back years was 91-92. Crazy, right?

Glorious years.  Remember them well - was a freshman in college and the internet was a new thing that most people didn’t use or know about.  Most my news back then came from the few sports magazines I could find and sports center.  
 

That SB run and team will always be special to me.  I knew the Rypien family as Mark was from Spokane and I worked with his sister.  Hard to believe it’s been that long since we’ve been in the playoffs in back to back years. 

[ClaytoAli]

Fantastic Fantasy and hope for seasons end.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/playoffs/machine

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by ClaytoAli

[OMacAttack]

18 hours ago, Califan007 said:

Dude kinda looks like Heineke too haha

[88Comrade2000]

NFC Playoff race after Week 13.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/playoffs/machine 

 

ESPN: NFL Playoff Standings 2021

 

Note:  Some teams still have their bye ahead.

 

Overall Record, Conference Record

 

1. Cards: 10-2, 6-2

2. Packers: 9-3, 7-2

3. Bucs: 9-3, 6-3

4. Boys: 8-4, 6-1 =  @Team, @Giants, Team, Cards, @Eagles

5. Rams: 8-4, 5-3 = @Cards, Hawks, @Vikings, @Ravens, 49ers

 

Race for 6th and 7th Wild Card:

6. Team: 6-6, 5-2 = Boys, @Eagles, @Boys, Eagles, @Giants

7. 49ers: 6-6, 5-5 = @Bengals, Falcons, @Titans, Texans, @Rams

8. Eagles: 6-7, 4-4 = Team, Giants, @Team, Boys

9. Vikings: 5-7, 4-4 = Steelers, @Bears, Rams, @Packers, Bears

10. Panthers: 5-7, 3-5 = Falcons, @Bills, Bucs, @Saints, @Bucs

11. Falcons: 5-7, 2-6 =  @Panthers, @49ers, Lions, @Bills, Saints

12. Saints: 5-7, 4-5 =  @Jets, @Bucs, Dolphins, Panthers, @Falcons

13. Giants: 4-8, 3-5 = @Chargers, Boys, @Eagles, @Bears, Team

 

 

=============================================================================================================================================

 

Just quickly glancing at Week 14:

 

We want to beat the Boys.  Not sure the Rams-Cards game really matters to us. We want the Bengals to beat 49ers. Eagles have a Bye- we want the Bye to kick their asses. Steelers to beat Vikings. I don't think the Panthers- Falcons game matters.  We want the Jets to beat the Saints.  Chargers to beat Giants.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Rdskns2000

[Franklin60]

As an Eagles fan, I look at playoff possibilities with their interest in mind. And the problem for the Eagles -- and the advantage for WFT -- is that in all likelihood, a tiebreak between the two teams will go Washington's way. 

 

Let's for a moment disregard the scenarios with either team sweeping the other. Because in that case the tiebreak is irrelevant in that it doesn't even need to be calculated. But furthermore, whichever team wins the sweep would have a two game edge, meaning the losing team would have to make up the two game deficit in their other games, which is highly unlikely (and would probably put them at 8-9 which probably won't be good enough to make the playoffs anyway). So you really only need to look at scenarios where the two teams split their games with each other. And that's where the Eagles will end up losing.

 

WFT is already 1-0 in their division games while the Eagles are 0-2. The best the Eagles can do is 2-2 (beating the Giants and Cowboys), which if you include the split with Washington puts their final record at 9-8. If Washington were to go 1-2  in their games against those two division rivals while splitting with the Eagles (which is what the Eagles would need them to do so that they wouldn't lose the tiebreak based on divisional record), they would finish 8-9. So the Eagles would finish in second place with WFT in third. In that case there wouldn't even be a tiebreak needed. But that's precisely the point. The only way the Eagles can finish ahead of Washington if the teams split their two games is by having a better record. All "tiebreaks" go to Washington.

 

I suppose I should point out the obvious just to be clear. If Washington were to go 2-1 in those games with Dallas and NYG and split with the Eagles, they'd go 9-8 and would win the tiebreak because of their better divisional record.

 

So all Washington needs to do is split with the Eagles and finish with at least as many total victories and they'll finish ahead of them. Whether that will be good enough to earn a wild card spot is another matter altogether, although I suspect it would. (I think the Vikings are still very much in the hunt though.)

 

This puts me in the very disgusting position this week of having to root for the Cowboys, something I rarely ever do and always find very distasteful. I'm sure y'all can relate to that dilemma.

[88Comrade2000]

8 minutes ago, Franklin60 said:

As an Eagles fan, I look at playoff possibilities with their interest in mind. And the problem for the Eagles -- and the advantage for WFT -- is that in all likelihood, a tiebreak between the two teams will go Washington's way. 

 

Let's for a moment disregard the scenarios with either team sweeping the other. Because in that case the tiebreak is irrelevant in that it doesn't even need to be calculated. But furthermore, whichever team wins the sweep would have a two game edge, meaning the losing team would have to make up the two game deficit in their other games, which is highly unlikely (and would probably put them at 8-9 which probably won't be good enough to make the playoffs anyway). So you really only need to look at scenarios where the two teams split their games with each other. And that's where the Eagles will end up losing.

 

WFT is already 1-0 in their division games while the Eagles are 0-2. The best the Eagles can do is 2-2 (beating the Giants and Cowboys), which if you include the split with Washington puts their final record at 9-8. If Washington were to go 1-2  in their games against those two division rivals while splitting with the Eagles (which is what the Eagles would need them to do so that they wouldn't lose the tiebreak based on divisional record), they would finish 8-9. So the Eagles would finish in second place with WFT in third. In that case there wouldn't even be a tiebreak needed. But that's precisely the point. The only way the Eagles can finish ahead of Washington if the teams split their two games is by having a better record. All "tiebreaks" go to Washington.

 

I suppose I should point out the obvious just to be clear. If Washington were to go 2-1 in those games with Dallas and NYG and split with the Eagles, they'd go 9-8 and would win the tiebreak because of their better divisional record.

 

So all Washington needs to do is split with the Eagles and finish with at least as many total victories and they'll finish ahead of them. Whether that will be good enough to earn a wild card spot is another matter altogether, although I suspect it would. (I think the Vikings are still very much in the hunt though.)

 

This puts me in the very disgusting position this week of having to root for the Cowboys, something I rarely ever do and always find very distasteful. I'm sure y'all can relate to that dilemma.

The Team has a good chance of sweeping your Eagles. We are probably sweeping the Giants.

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Rdskns2000

[Peregrine]

12 minutes ago, Franklin60 said:

As an Eagles fan, I look at playoff possibilities with their interest in mind. And the problem for the Eagles -- and the advantage for WFT -- is that in all likelihood, a tiebreak between the two teams will go Washington's way. 

 

Let's for a moment disregard the scenarios with either team sweeping the other. Because in that case the tiebreak is irrelevant in that it doesn't even need to be calculated. But furthermore, whichever team wins the sweep would have a two game edge, meaning the losing team would have to make up the two game deficit in their other games, which is highly unlikely (and would probably put them at 8-9 which probably won't be good enough to make the playoffs anyway). So you really only need to look at scenarios where the two teams split their games with each other. And that's where the Eagles will end up losing.

 

WFT is already 1-0 in their division games while the Eagles are 0-2. The best the Eagles can do is 2-2 (beating the Giants and Cowboys), which if you include the split with Washington puts their final record at 9-8. If Washington were to go 1-2  in their games against those two division rivals while splitting with the Eagles (which is what the Eagles would need them to do so that they wouldn't lose the tiebreak based on divisional record), they would finish 8-9. So the Eagles would finish in second place with WFT in third. In that case there wouldn't even be a tiebreak needed. But that's precisely the point. The only way the Eagles can finish ahead of Washington if the teams split their two games is by having a better record. All "tiebreaks" go to Washington.....

Yeah, this is the case for pretty much every team in the NFC.  WFT at 9-8 wins the tiebreak against every team, and its going to take either the Eagles to sweep the series, or some 5-7 team to finish 5-0, which would be amazing.  Otherwise this is one of the simplest playoff scenarios we have had in a long time.  Go 3-2, with 1 win against the Eagles and make the playoffs, with a 98% guarantee.