NFL Playoff Teams Tier List

It is time for the NFL Playoffs. An event that we did not think was possible 6 months ago. Every year, there are teams that we know are the best of the best, and every year we know about the teams that don’t really feel big enough for the big stage. Come playoff time, we all know how teams stack up against each other and how far they can go in the playoffs. Right now, I am going to show you how teams stack up against each other and what is their Ceiling. You can decide how far a team can go in the playoffs by many factors including how significant is every team’s weakness

The Tiers are…

Just Happy to Be Here: These are teams that don’t really feel like playoff teams and only got in because of a weak division, weak conference or all of the above.

Not Real Threats: These are teams that do feel like playoff teams, but their flaws are too big to be considered real contenders. Probably won’t win a playoff game.

Make Some Noise: These are teams that can win multiple playoff games. But in order to win the Superbowl, they need things to go right

Super Bowl Contenders: These are teams that I think are the favorites to win the Superbowl

Just happy to be here: Bears, Washington Football team

I can just end it right here, both of these teams are .500 or worse. Not every team can win a playoff game, but they at least feel like playoff teams and feel like they can at least make playoff games competitive. I don’t think these 2 teams are capable of making it close in a playoff game. These 2 teams stick out in the wrong way because I feel like they are so far behind the other teams in the NFL.

The Washington Football team have a really good defense and that was enough to win the worst defense in NFL history, but now they have to play playoff teams and not NFC East pushovers. Their offense is one of the worst in the NFL and they have been terrible against playoff teams. When you stack them up against the rest of the NFL, they just seem small. They don’t feel like they belong in the playoffs. You don’t have to have one of the top offenses in the NFL, but you at least have to have a competent one that is capable of scoring points. They are completely unbalanced as all of their talent is on defense and they offer you almost nothing offensively. Alex Smith is a nice story and should win comeback player of the year, but they are just so limited on the offensive side of the ball that they just cannot score enough points to keep up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who they are matched up with in the first round of the postseason.)

It is pretty much the same deal with the Chicago Bears. They are such a limited team and the only reason they made the postseason is because of the self -destruction of the other NFC teams that were vying for a playoff spot. The Offense did look decent in some of the last few games but that was against terrible teams and they were thoroughly exposed against the Packers. Their offense is just mostly dink and dunk and when you match them up against some of the best teams in the NFL, they just looked overmatched. They were near the bottom in most offensive categories and they force the defense to carry too much of the load. Their defense is a talented unit, but it is inconsistent and is forced to carry the offense. You need to be at least somewhat dynamic to have success in the postseason and I don’t think the bears are that team.

Not Real Contenders: Titans, Colts, Browns, Rams

All of these teams are good teams and do deserve to make the playoffs, but their flaws are way too big to be ignored. All of their games should be somewhat competitive, but they are way too flawed to advance further into the playoffs.

The Titans started the season off 5–0 and looked like one of the best teams in football in the beginning, but have finished the season 6–5 which is barely over .500 so they are not trending in the right direction. Part of their average finish was because their flaws have been somewhat exposed. They can score points that is never a question, but their main flaw has been their defense. The Titans the worst defense out of all the playoff teams as they are 27th in total defense out of every team in the NFL. They are also 29th in the NFL in sacks so they do not pressure the quarterback. As a result, their secondary constantly gets exposed. They are also bottom 5 in the NFL in third-down defense which means that they don’t get teams off the field. One of the most important things in the playoffs is that you have to be good on third down on defense so you can get more possessions for your offense and the Titans just don’t do that. It is really easy to get a lead on them and once you get a lead, you have to bail on the run a little and that has been the Titans bread and butter.

The Browns have been a surprise this year and have made the playoffs, but they have several holes in their roster that does not bode well for the playoffs. First of all, they cannot defend the pass. They have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL and that will be a massive issue in the playoffs. Also, Baker Mayfield is not the same Quarterback when he is under duress. Baker Mayfield has the lowest passer rating out of any NFL QB when he gets pressured. That is a massive issue in this particular playoff matchup because they have to face the Steelers. The Steelers lead the NFL in sacks and pressures so Baker will be under constant duress. Big Ben also likes to throw the ball deep a lot so having a bad secondary does not fare well for the browns.

There is a lot to like about the Colts. They have a great offensive line, a terrific running back in Jonathan Taylor, and a solid defense. However, they are limited which means that they have a low ceiling. They are not dynamic offensively with Philip Rivers and he cannot do stuff off-script. Many times in the second half this year. We have seen the colts stall offensively because he just can’t make plays when the play breaks down. The colts also have a below-average receiving unit. Outside of TY Hilton and Jack Doyle, there are really not that many playmakers. They are also not a good outside team as that is when Philip Rivers’ limitations get exposed. The defense is solid but it is way too reliant on Darius Leonard. This season, the defense has gotten gashed when Darius Leonard does not play. This team wins when they don’t make mistakes but they don’t have the ability to overcome mistakes which is crucial in the playoffs. Philip Rivers does have a tendency to turn the ball over in his biggest games so you can’t rely on the Colts to play clean football the whole game.

The Rams have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but over the course of the season, we saw that there is a way to beat them. Pressure and turnovers. When you don’t have a pass rush, the Rams are hard to beat. However, they look like a completely different offense. Jared Goff has become a turnover machine when he is faced with pressure. He plays scared when he is under duress which makes it hard for the rest of the offense to get it going. If Jared Goff is comfortable and doesn’t get careless with the ball, they are one of the best teams in the NFL. However, when you get a pass rush on them, they are just not a good team.

Make Some Noise: Steelers, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Saints, Ravens

These are teams that I think are capable of winning a few playoff games, but they need things to go their way if they want to win the Superbowl.

The Seahawks are one of the most confusing teams in the NFL. In the first half of the year, the offense was amazing and their defense was terrible. However, in the second half of the year, their defense was pretty good and their offense was terrible. They are balanced enough where they can win a playoff game or two, however, you don’t know which unit will show up on any given day. If Both their units play well simultaneously, they can win the Superbowl; however, they have not shown an ability to do that.

The Steelers have a lot of Superbowl aspects in their team. What they are really good in is the trenches. They lead the NFL in sacks and pressure and Big Ben has been sacked the fewest amount of times in the NFL. They protect their quarterback and they get to the other team's quarterback. So the question is, can Big Ben play consistently enough for 4 games to win the Superbowl. As we have seen in the regular season, that answer is a no. They did not finish well and that is mostly due to Big Ben’s inconsistency. When Ben is accurate and gets in a rhythm, they are tough to beat. However, when Big Ben is off, the whole offense is off. The good news is that the Steelers' defense is so good that they can singlehandedly win this team a few playoff games. However, if they want any shot at a super bowl trophy, they need the offense to be consistant. They are not a bad offense, they are just inconsistent.

The Buccaneers to me are one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. They have arguably the best wide receiving unit in the NFL, they have a breakout running back in Ronald Jones, Tom Brady is having a nice year, their offensive line is serviceable, and the defense is pretty solid. However, they have not been good in Primetime against good teams. They have been really good against the bad teams, but when put in the spotlight, they have been underwhelming to say the least. Brady is not the same under prime time as his stats look completely different.

The Saints, just like the Buccaneers, are one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. They have one of the best defenses in the NFL and plenty of scary offensive pieces. They also have a Superbowl winning head coach in Sean Payton. Drew Brees is solid, but when you need him to make a play, he can’t. That is one of the main reasons the Saints have fallen short of the Superbowl as of late. When you need him to make a play with his legs or arm late, he struggles to do that and that has been the Saints Achilles heel.

The Ravens enter the playoffs as the second hottest teams in the NFL. They are a team that nobody wants to play. They have a really good defense and the unpredictability of their running game is what makes them scary to face. What may end up being their undoing however (and I have stated this many times before), is their downfield passing game. Once you start to trail, the Running game becomes less important and you need to throw the ball over the top, not just short. That has been their undoing in the playoffs in the past and it could be again if they are not careful.

Superbowl Contenders: Packers, Chiefs, Bills

The Packers are a really complete team. Aaron Rodgers is having an MVP season, Aaron Jones is having a career year running the ball, and they have a bend don’t break defense. Right now, Aaron Rodgers is better than any quarterback in the NFL and he is having one of the best seasons of his career. Nothing strikes more fear into opposing defenses than him. There are multiple ways this team can score points on offense, and they have proved this year that they can beat physical teams. Their defense, although gives up a lot of yards, is good when the team needs it the most. They also have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs so the playoffs will go through Lambeau field, which is the coldest stadium in the USA. Aaron Rodgers has been amazing at Lambeau field and that is when he is the toughest to beat.

The Bills have taken the next step to becoming Superbowl contenders. They are right now the hottest team in the NFL, having won 8 of 9 and the one loss being on a hail mary. Josh Allen has entered the MVP conversation with a career year, proving that he can throw the ball. Outside of Aaron Rodgers, he is probably the hottest QB in the NFL. Although their defense was an issue in the beginning of the year, they have seem to have solved a lot of their issues since the bye week. Since the bye week, they are only giving up 16.8 points per game and they lead the NFL in takeaways since the bye week. They have plenty of stars on both sides of the ball and can challenge the Chiefs in the AFC.

The Chiefs, coming off a Superbowl victory, once again are one of the best teams in the NFL. It should not come as a surprise that Patrick Mahomes is in the MVP conversation, but his supporting cast has been really good as well. Clyde Edwards Helaire has been a very good back for the Chiefs, and their defense (just like the Packers) is really good when you need them the most. They have the talent and experience needed to repeat as Superbowl champs.