Many of the NFL’s playoff spots already seem sewn up…
…but that doesn’t mean Week 12 holds no intrigue.
Let’s Peep The Playoff Picture
What Happened: The NFL playoff picture is starting to take shape, and it’s a pretty clear one in the AFC.
The league’s own projections give six teams in that conference a 92% or better chance of qualifying for the postseason: the Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, Texans, Chargers, and Ravens appear safe.
Denver currently sits in the last spot, and even its odds are 60%. In this case, we need to look to the NFC for some playoff intrigue.
Why It Matters: The NFC West remains the most open division in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals sit atop it at 6-4 and are currently the conference’s third seed, but they also are sub-60% playoff odds.
The Seahawks, 49ers, and Rams are all 5-5; the Rams hold the edge in divisional record at the moment, while the 49ers actually have the best point differential in the entire division, hinting that they might be the best team here.
Elsewhere, the Packers can make a massive jump with a win over San Francisco in Week 12. NFL.com thinks Green Bay’s playoff chances are a strong 79% today. A win would boost those up to an even 90%.
What we’re saying here is, for those “Make/Miss The Playoffs” bettors out there, you might want to skip the AFC entirely, and if there is one particular market to laser in on, going West presents opportunities.
What We’re Watching Today
#5 Indiana at #2 Ohio State (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET) – The Hoosiers certainly can put up points on not-good defenses, that we know. But they are coming off a 20-point performance (to be clear, good enough for the win) against Michigan, and they haven’t faced a defense of Ohio State’s caliber.
#19 Army at #6 Notre Dame (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET) – This game is taking place at Yankee Stadium, and presents West Point with a ton of opportunities. The Black Knights haven’t beaten a top-10 team since 1963, and haven’t bested the Fighting Irish since 1958! ND has won eight straight, so it’s probably do for a stumble.
The Look Ahead
Derrick White POINTS – White’s line is 17.5 tonight, and with the increasing role he’s playing in Boston’s offense, against an abysmal Washington defense, we like him to go over. The Celtics guard has topped this number in three of last four games and was good for 19 points when he last faced the Wizards in October.
