1976 playoff preview
AFC:#1 seed San Diego Chargers: jgcruz has led his Chargers to their 3rd straight division crown. The AFC West had a huge comeback year after a disappointing 1975. Last season SD won the division with an 11-5 record, this season KC finished 11-5 and finished last in the division. The Chargers have lost 2 games this season both against playoff teams on the road. They have a 10-game win streak going and are hoping to make it 13. San Diego thrives on turnovers with Daniel Keller leading the league with 10 INTs. They have a very good balanced offense which is good for 13th in YPG. The defense is great against the pass but can be vulnerable against the run.
#2 seed Cincinnati Bengals: Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals in their 7th season have won the AFC North. Cincinnati has never been worse the .500, but they’ve always been overshadowed by Cleveland. QB Joseph Carr has been on fire this season throwing for 53 TD’s a league leading 62.7 completion percentage and 121.19 QBR. He has 4 WR’s with over 800 yards. He also gets help on the ground by 3 different RB’s that have contributed to 134 YPG good for 5th best on the ground. The defense is great against the run but can struggle at times against the pass. They may have a harder time rushing the passer with RDE Aaron Lee 14 sacks out for the playoffs.
#3 seed Miami Dolphins: Miami has won their 2nd division title, and they looked very good doing it. They have a balanced attack that has them 6th best YPG this season. The defense is shutdown arguably the best in the league. They have a couple of DE’s who can rack up the sacks which seems to help that secondary as they are 2nd in pass defense. This might not be the most talented roster, but they make for one tough team.
#4 seed Jacksonville Jaguars: mwd65 took over as GM this season and led the jags to 8-8. The AFC South can’t seem to get out of a slump and it’s seemingly always the Jaguars who take advantage of a weak division. In 4 trips to the playoffs Jacksonville has only gotten 1 win. Jacksonville and mwd65 hope to turn around their playoff luck this season. RB Christopher Blankenship has been great for this offense averaging 6 YPC this season. The offense has been good, but you can only get so far on offense. The defense will have to get better if they are going to have a chance this postseason.
#5 seed Oakland Raiders: The Raiders lost 5 games this season and were very lucky to get in. They had a 1-point win over KC in week 14 that got them a spot in the playoffs. It’s hard to see Oakland making much of a run this postseason as they have a good but not great offense and a suspect defense. Their leading rusher Bill Kibbe is out for the playoffs as well. RB Clarence Davis missed most of the season with a knee injury they will need him now if they are going to make some noise.
#6 seed Denver Broncos: For the first time in franchise history Denver is going to play in the playoffs. Denver has never had a winning season until now. These Broncos don’t stand out, but they do everything well. Nobody has been able to say that the Broncos do anything well until this season. It has been a great season for Denver no matter what happens in the playoffs.
NFC#1 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa makes it back to the post season for the first time since 1971 and they do it without taking a loss. It wasn’t all perfect with a week 9 tie against Washington. The Bucs have a potent offense that can rack up the points on any defense. The defense is pretty good too. Can the defense be exposed in the playoffs? The pass defense has been ok while the run defense has been great. It looks like the only reason the run defense has been great is because teams get down and abandon the run. Maybe that defense will get tested in the playoffs if anyone can slow down the offense.
#2 seed Seattle Seahawks: Seattle finishes a half game behind Tampa with just one loss to the Packers in week 8. This is Seattle’s 4th division crown. The Seahawks have a great rushing attack and a pretty good passing game as well. The defense can shutdown the run and they get after the passer. It’s still to be seen how good this team really is as they have only played 3 playoff teams. Could the stats just be a beneficiary of an easy schedule?
#3 seed Green Bay Packers: GrandadB has led the packers to win the division 4 years in a row. This season he did it with an offense that airs it out. This looks like the best passing offense in the league. They aren’t bad at running either, but it would seem GrandadB prefers to pass. There have been times when turnovers have hurt the Packers which you can’t have in the playoffs. Their rushing defense has been great. They are ok against the pass.
#4 seed Washington Redskins: Washington has never lost the NFC East. They will face a Carolina team in the wild card round which they lost to 36-0 in week 14. They have lost 3 in a row to finish the season. They will need to fix whatever went wrong in week 14 if they are to have any shot. The Redskins passing game has been impressive, but they have struggled to get things going on the ground. The defense has been decent but will need to be better if they want to make a run in the playoffs.
#5 seed Carolina Panthers: Carolina loves to run the rock with 2 great backs. Franks and Strickland have been double trouble for defenses. They run 34 times a game and average 4.8 YPC. They can hurt you in the passing game too, but the panther feast on the ground. The defense is shutdown rushing and passing. They may be a wild card but look out for Carolina they are tough to beat.
#6 seed Atlanta Falcons: Like the other 6 seed this is Atlanta’s first trip to the playoffs. It wasn’t all smooth sailing this season, but they did it. Offensively they don’t scare anybody as they are slightly below average, and nobody really stood out on that side of the ball. On defense they don’t give up much through the air and are pretty good against the run as well. Just like the Broncos from the AFC it’s been a great season for Atlanta no matter what happens in the playoffs.
