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Official Xbox 360 Madden '12 Online Franchise Thread: Dream Team Edition

LiveWire

Member
levious said:
no one should trade out of round one, at least not in the first season.

Fellow owners, please ignore this man he's crazy.

IraqiInformationMinister.jpg



There is no cause for concern about trading 1st round picks, in fact, it is encouraged to bring about prosperity for your great team.
 

LukeSmith

Member
Wellington said:
Yup exactly, I was very lucky to win. Either way, like you said last week - for me it's fighting for my playoff life, for you it's just another game.

If I hang on to make the playoffs at this point, I'm pretty sure I'll get bounced in the first round. All three of Smokey, Ram, and Luke are mad at me for our previous games and will run up the score lol

As it stands the playoff picture is shaping up in the AFC. Luke is obviously top dog at this but it's basically a race between me, nightz, and Crow for the last spot.

Elites guaranteed to make the playoffs:

Rors
Smokey
Ram
Luke

Regular Dudes on the outside looking in:

Nightz
Crow

Lucky to be in that division:
Ferny
Mik

Stage Coach about to turn into a pumpkin:
Well

If I make it I get Gresham back. :-0

Let's take an objective, Eeyore-free look at the AFC Playoff picture:

AFC Playoff Picture

If they started today...
1. Rors (12-0)
2. Smokey (10-3)
3. Ramirez (9-4)
4. AFC East Winner
5. Welie (9-4)
6. Colts (9-4)

AFC Wildcard Spectacular
  • Smokey (10-3) games left: CAR, IND, TEN
  • Ramirez (9-4) games left: SF, STL, CLE
  • Wellie (9-4) games left: STL, ARI, BAL
  • Colts (9-4) games left: , TEN, HOU, JAX
  • Nightz (8-5) games left: BAL, DET, OAK

The playoff picture looks more interesting than it actually is. Nightz still has a potential loss pending to Rors, which slinks him down to 10-6 and means that all of the 9-4 teams have a loss to play with. Wellie, Ramirez and the Colts are all in line to snap up 2 of the three Wild Card slots, with one of them ending up with the division and a home game.

A Ramirez loss to FMT means he finishes at 11-5, Wellie finishes at 12-4 and would then host Ramirez at home in Wildcard weekend. That'd put me in the 5 (at either 11-5 or 12-4) facing the AFC East winner on their turf.

A Ramirez win in FMT land puts him at 12-4 with the tiebreakers over Wellie, which puts Wellie at the 5 spot - since he holds the H2H tiebreaker over the Colts who would then be the six seed.

Smokey and Rors watch comfortably from their Bye weeks.
 

Nightz

Member
levious said:
who would get in betwen Nightz and Welli? Did they play each other?
We didn't play against each other, so I guess the next tiebreaker would be conference record. In that case Wellie would take it easily because all of my losses were in conference.

But again, as Luke pointed out, I have a guaranteed loss against Rors, so it won't have to come down to that.
 

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
I'll still go all out wellie!


Wellington said:
You'll more than get a chance to, I'm already banking it as an L. I'll be 0-4 against you.


missed this pre-coffee, you're already 0-4 against me, bulletin board material!
 

Wellington

BAAAALLLINNN'
I want you to go all out.

I really want the Colts/Texans game to mean something, and for Smokey to broadcast it. Would be a shame if either guy just played their backups.
 

LukeSmith

Member
Wellington said:
I want you to go all out.

I really want the Colts/Texans game to mean something, and for Smokey to broadcast it. Would be a shame if either guy just played their backups.

It doesn't really mean anything though. CP7 and Matt Leinart are warming up.

Freeney and Mathis will play though, gotta try and catch Dunlap!

Plus, I may have to play Smokey a THIRD time in the playoffs. No reason to tip a hand (ball is going to a Tight End)!
 

bluemax

Banned
Ramirez said:
Sim these last 4 meaningless games and get it over with!!

Meaningless? Story and I have an epic rivalry game that will help determine the #2, possibly #1 overall draft pick!

Also we are playing at like 10 est.
 
By the way, I don't know if you guys know much about the "created rookies" but in my experience in another OF, it's all a ton of WR and CB (and a lot of bad ones). Not much else everywhere.
 

DCX

DCX
ph33nix said:
By the way, I don't know if you guys know much about the "created rookies" but in my experience in another OF, it's all a ton of WR and CB (and a lot of bad ones). Not much else everywhere.
I scouted the entire draft class. Test league is stuck on predraft just for this reason :)

DCX
 
The AFC East Race

Team/Record/Divisional Record/Games Remaining

Bills (6-7) (2-2) Dolphins, Broncos, @Patriots
Dolphins (5-8) (2-1) @Bills, @Patriots, Jets
Jets (6-6) (2-3) Chiefs, @Eagles, @Giants, Dolphins
Patriots (5-8) (2-2) @Broncos, Dolphins, Bills

It is currently the Jets division to lose. Jets are also the only team with 3 divisional losses, so with one more loss the Jets will be in terrible shape currently holding no tiebreakers but they're also the only team capable of reaching 10 wins. He knows it and his once 2-6 team has rallied behind the young coach to be leading the division with a quarter of the season left. With 3 of the 4 remaining games against teams playing for their divisions as well, it's going to be a tough road.

Now if the Jets lose it's actually the Fins, Bills, and Patriots at #1. If either one of those teams is able to win out their remaining games they will be the East representative.

The Fins winning out would lead to the 5-1 divisional record trumping all of the H2Hs.

If the Bills win out it is only possible for the Jets to have a tied overall record but no matter what the Jets would end with at least on more divisional loss.

If the Pats win out they will be ahead of the Dolphins. They will need the Jets to lose one game and their superior divisional record will take effect. If the Bills took care of the Fins and the Broncos then we now have a real interesting week 17 game for the division against the Bills and the Pats. If the Pats win they'll take the tiebreaker with one more win in the common games category.
 

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
ph33nix said:
By the way, I don't know if you guys know much about the "created rookies" but in my experience in another OF, it's all a ton of WR and CB (and a lot of bad ones). Not much else everywhere.


Yeah, there's a low amount of OL and high amount of CB compared to previous draft classes. Hard to say how much you can actually improve your secondary relative to the rest of the league when everyone will be able to add a 70+ OVR, 90 SPD, 75 MCV CB this year.
 

bluemax

Banned
levious said:
Yeah, there's a low amount of OL and high amount of CB compared to previous draft classes. Hard to say how much you can actually improve your secondary relative to the rest of the league when everyone will be able to add a 70+ OVR, 90 SPD, 75 MCV CB this year.

Given how starved for corners everyone seems to be (Dunte $15 million never forget) this is good news!

DCX said:
I scouted the entire draft class. Test league is stuck on predraft just for this reason :)

DCX

For offline franchise the Names, Ages, and Player #s are randomized. The attributes are not, although there's like 30 possible draft classes.
 

LiveWire

Member
bluemax said:
Given how starved for corners everyone seems to be (Dunte $15 million never forget) this is good news!

Redskins tied for #9 in the league in Passing Yards Allowed. Dunta's got 2 picks. It's a start. An expensive one but oh well. *shrug*

The advantage I have is that most of my stars are under contract for 3-5 years, which will basically be the length of this franchise. Had to make a move anyway in like week 4 or 5 of the season when my #2 corner went down for 10 weeks. :(
 
R9g8I.png


NFC Wild Card Scenario, Final Spot. Week 15

There are really five teams vying for that final playoff spot in the NFC, two of them can still win their divisions:

  1. Cardinals (7-6) GB: 0
  2. Saints (7-6) GB: 0
  3. Panthers (6-7) GB: 1.0
  4. Lions (6-7) GB: 1.0
  5. Bears (5-7): GB: 1.5

Team Missing: Vikings (7-6). The Vikings currently control their division, but they could lose their division to the Lions (6-7) or Bears (5-7).

Cardinals (7-6) Playoff Scenario
Week 15: vs. Browns (3-10)
Week 16: @ Bengals (9-4)
Week 17: vs. Seahawks (3-9)

The Cardinals hold the tie breaker over the Panthers (Cards 17, Panthers 14 in week 1), but have not had head-to-head matchups against the other teams in the hunt. This hurts the Cardinals playoff chances because they have the weakest overall record against the NFC, at 5-6, with the maximum Conference potential to only be 6-6.

For maximum playoff opportunity, the Cardinals definitely need to beat the Browns and the Seahawks, although the Seahawks beat the Cards early in the season. Presuming a loss to the 9-4 Bengals, the Cardinals most likely scenario has them going 9-7 based on record alone. The Seahawks and Browns can both play spoiler to the Cardinals playoff chances.

If the Cardinals win out (Finish 9-7), they can only miss the playoffs by the Saints winning out, as the Cardinals would hold a head-to-head tie breaker with the Panthers (If the Panthers were to win out).

Saints (7-6) Playoff Scenario
Week 15: @ Vikings (7-6)
Week 16: vs Falcons (5-8)
Week 17: vs Panthers (6-7)

The Saints are also in a difficult tie-breaker predicament, with both the Panthers and the Lions holding Tie Breakers against them, but their NFC record is 4-5, with a potential to go 7-5, which would give them an edge against the Cardinals in a tie breaker.

However, the Saints have the best chance to win out, of any of the other remaining wild card teams, as every other team in the hunt has to play at least one playoff lock, and the Saints do not (they play two playoff contenders and one playoff extremely long shot in the Falcons).

If the Saints win out, they will make the playoffs.

Panthers (6-7) Playoff Scenario
Week 15: @ Houston (10-3)
Week 16: vs Bucs (8-4)
Week 17: @ Saints (7-6)

The Panthers hold versus tie breakers with the Saints and the Lions, but the Cardinals and Bears both hold versus tie breakers over the Panthers. The panthers also have a 5-5 NFC record, with a chance to go 7-5.

However, with arguably the most difficult schedule of the remaining NFC wild card teams, the Panthers have an uphill battle. The Panthers essentially need to win out. Wins against the Saints and Bucs would propel them to the best NFC record for the final remaining teams, and they would hold the tie breaker over the Lions (which they could presumeably be tied with at 7-5 in the NFC) after their mid-season victory over the Lions 35-21.

With projected losses to Houston and the Bucs, though, even a last game win against the Saints would still be an outside shot at the playoffs, requiring the Saints and Cardinals to both lose out.

If the Panthers win out, they can still miss the playoffs by the Cardinals winning out (who hold a head-to-head tie breaker).

Lions Playoff (6-7) Scenario
Week 15: @ Raiders (13-0)
Week 16: vs Cargers (8-5)
Week 17: @ Packers (3-10)

The Lions are in a strange predicament because despite being 6-7 and only holding a tie breaker over the Saints, split with the Bears, and failing to hold out over the Panthers, they can still win their division, and also finish with a strong 7-5 NFC record. However, facing difficult opponents in the Raiders and Chargers, the Lions chances are slim. The Lions are in the peculiar situation where a loss by the Vikings to the Saints would both help and hurt them -- in one respect, if the Saints beat the Vikings, and if the Lions win a game, then they could be tied with the Vikings going into the final weeks, but if the Saints beat the Vikings, the Lions would have a nearly insurmountable climb to the Wild Card spot.

If the Lions win out, they would hold a tie breaker over the Saints, but would not hold a tie breaker over the Panthers. If those tie breaker scenarios play out, though, then the Lions could win their division.

Bears Playoff (5-7) Scenario
Week 14: @ Broncos (6-6)
Week 15: vs. Seahawks (3-9)
Week 16: @ Packers (3-10)
Week 17: @ Vikings (7-6)

Similar to the Lions, the Bears can win their division, and they also have the easiest or second easiest schedule in the last few games. A loss to the Broncos would not completely eliminate the Lions from the playoff picture, as they could still potentially win their division at 8-8, if the Vikings lose to the Saints (becoming 7-7), and then in the final week lose to the Bears (making them 8-8), the Bears, could make the playoffs as a division winner with an 8-8 record, and the Lions being eliminated with a 7-9 record.

eVbjp.png


Most Likely Wild Card Winner

The Saints have the most likely wild card scenario, they are the only team who, if they win out, will control their own destiny. Likewise, the Saints are the only team who is playing opponents that they should likely beat.

Tvf5q.png

Likely Scenarios Based on Matchups
Here are likely playoff scenarios based only on matchups and win/loss record. When in doubt or the record is the same, I relent and go with perceived team rating.

Saints (7-6) Playoff Scenario: 10 - 6
Week 15: @ Vikings (7-6) - Win (Identical records, Saints rated higher)
Week 16: vs Falcons (5-8) - Win
Week 17: vs Panthers (6-7) - Win

Cardinals (7-6) Playoff Scenario: 9-7
Week 15: vs. Browns (3-10) - Win
Week 16: @ Bengals (9-4) - Loss
Week 17: vs. Seahawks (3-9) - Win

Panthers (6-7) Playoff Scenario: 6-10
Week 15: @ Houston (10-3) - Loss
Week 16: vs Bucs (8-4) - Loss
Week 17: @ Saints (7-6) - Loss

Losses to Houston & Tampa Bay would force the Panthers into a spoiler role. If they lost those two games, they could mostly only work to eliminate the Saints by beating them in week 17.[/i]

Lions Playoff (6-7) Scenario: 7-9
Week 15: @ Raiders (13-0) - Loss
Week 16: vs Cargers (8-5) - Loss
Week 17: @ Packers (3-10) - Win

Bears Playoff (5-7) Scenario 7-9
Week 14: @ Broncos (6-6) - Loss (potential toss up)
Week 15: vs. Seahawks (3-9) - Win
Week 16: @ Packers (3-10) - Win
Week 17: @ Vikings (7-6) - Loss
 

Smokey

Member
LiveWire said:
Redskins tied for #9 in the league in Passing Yards Allowed. Dunta's got 2 picks. It's a start. An expensive one but oh well. *shrug*

The advantage I have is that most of my stars are under contract for 3-5 years, which will basically be the length of this franchise. Had to make a move anyway in like week 4 or 5 of the season when my #2 corner went down for 10 weeks. :(

Wait...you paid 15 mill for Dunta?
 

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
I'll post draft info if you guys want, I mean, what else am I gonna do with playoffs looming... unless public draft scouting is frowned upon?

Here's the WR class, and the info is from an online franchise:

Code:
Full Name		POS	OVR	Age	Height	Weight	College		SPD
Barksdale, Antwan	WR	83	22	5'10"	178	Tenn-Chat	98
Marshall, De'Joshua	WR	83	22	6'2"	231	UCF		92
Williams, De'Joshua	WR	78	22	5'11"	222	Cincinnati	85
Anthony, Bryan		WR	75	22	6'2"	188	Bowling Green	99
Beasley, Santez		WR	74	21	5'8"	203	Southern Miss	99
Bennett, Khiry		WR	74	21	6'0"	219	Ole Miss	95
Bridge, Edwin		WR	73	22	6'2"	188	N. Alabama	99
Seastrunk, Demond	WR	73	22	5'10"	178	Texas State	94
Buchanan, Ayoub		WR	71	22	6'2"	216	Sam Houston	91
Branch, Tejay		WR	71	21	6'0"	203	Michigan St.	87
James, Churphy		WR	70	22	6'3"	182	Syracuse	98
Donaldson, Javarie	WR	70	22	6'2"	220	USF		94
Watkins, Markus		WR	70	22	6'3"	214	Baylor		90
Booker, Ahmad		WR	69	22	6'0"	194	Winston Salem	98
Breeland, Jewone	WR	69	22	6'4"	215	Baylor		96
Watts, Davante		WR	69	22	5'10"	205	USC		94
Crusoe, DeMarcus	WR	69	22	5'11"	189	Texas		92
Dinwiddie, Calvin	WR	68	22	5'10"	210	Boston College	90
Favor, J'neddy		WR	68	22	5'11"	215	North Texas	85
Appleby, Colby		WR	67	21	6'2"	203	North Carolina	91
Hill, Darqueze		WR	67	22	5'9"	201	Indiana		89
Williams, Leilon	WR	67	22	6'0"	178	Holy Cross	88
Bowers, Antjuan		WR	66	21	6'5"	234	Alabama A&M	95
Washington, Aaron	WR	65	21	6'0"	208	Air Force	86
Piggee, Artis		WR	64	22	6'1"	205	Portland St.	89
Whitney, Gavin		WR	64	22	5'10"	184	Cal-Nrthridge	86
James, DeMarcus		WR	62	22	6'0"	213	Tenn-Chat	96
Anthony, Sean		WR	61	22	5'10"	179	N.C. State	95
Aaron, Joshua		WR	61	21	5'8"	175	Idaho		91
Watson, Zach		WR	61	22	6'1"	189	Kansas		90
Tarver, Javares		WR	60	22	5'8"	199	Virginia Union	93
Orlando, Jared		WR	60	22	6'1"	188	Ohio State	87
Jenkins, Shalden	WR	59	22	6'3"	197	Fresno State	94

and that top WR is pretty beast

Code:
Barksdale, Antwan # 85 - WR
Height: 5-10, Weight: 178
College: Tenn-Chat, Years Pro:0
83 OVR
	

    Attributes 

98	Speed	                96	Agility
87	Jumping	                82	Catching
84	Spectacular Catch	82	Catch in Traffic
87	Route Running	        65	Release

Code:
Marshall, De'Joshua # 85 - WR
Height: 6-2, Weight: 231
College: UCF, Years Pro:0
83 OVR
	

    Attributes 

92	Speed	                91	Agility
96	Jumping	                82	Catching
81	Spectacular Catch	87	Catch in Traffic
79	Route Running	        97	Release
 

DCX

DCX
bluemax said:
Given how starved for corners everyone seems to be (Dunte $15 million never forget) this is good news!



For offline franchise the Names, Ages, and Player #s are randomized. The attributes are not, although there's like 30 possible draft classes.
First online franchise draft class is always the same. From my research.


I will post top five at each position in the next coming weeks plus a wildcard.

I'll start with qbs tonight.

DCX
 

LiveWire

Member
DCX said:
First online franchise draft class is always the same. From my research.


I will post top five at each position in the next coming weeks plus a wildcard.

I'll start with qbs tonight.

DCX

Nice, thanks. Can you also include the full range of attributes (if they're available)?
 

DCX

DCX
LiveWire said:
Nice, thanks. Can you also include the full range of attributes (if they're available)?
Yes the full ratings are viewable. I will post relevant stats. Not going to post a qbs catch rating or hit power lol.

I will say there are some nice players with ratings where it counts to be had in the middle rounds.

DCX
 

DCX

DCX
Wellington said:
Woah, the #2 guy is terrific. 97 RLS is insane.

BTW can you list the RBs and their speed?
I will eventually. I'll start with qbs tonight and tomorrow ill do wideouts and the weekend will include rbs and tes.

I sent you a pm and a live profile message regarding some of your talent. Get at me dawg.

DCX
 

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
Wellington said:
Woah, the #2 guy is terrific. 97 RLS is insane.

BTW can you list the RBs and their speed?


59 Carry though :(

Sure, I'll do some more throughout the day and night...

Code:
Full Name		POS	OVR	Age	Height	Weight	College	       SPD
Cox, Cardarious		HB	84	21	5'8"	209	Fresno State	91
Freeman, Sterlin	HB	83	22	6'0"	219	TCU		96
Mays, Corey		HB	77	22	5'11"	249	Citadel		85
Walker, Cornel		HB	77	21	5'8	219	LA. Tech	85
Patrick, Duvon		HB	76	22	5'9	197	Alabama A&M	94
Saunders, Lascelle	HB	76	21	5'8	208	Houston	        94
Washington, Dorial	HB	75	22	5'9	194	UL Monroe	95
Smith, Oliver		HB	75	22	5'11	229	Syracuse	85
Weatherford, Cameron	HB	73	22	5'8	191	Mississippi St.	95
Weaver, Aspha		HB	71	22	5'10	200	California	91
Banks, Demetris	        HB	70	22	6'0	201	UCLA		85
Marshall, Jacob		HB	69	22	6'0	217	E. Tenn. St.	94
Brand, Jermichael	HB	69	22	5'11	198	Ga. Southern	90
Hill, LaCraig		HB	67	22	5'9	211	Cent Conn St.	95
Woods, Jamar		HB	66	22	5'11	193	USF		84
Coleman, Quinten	HB	66	22	5'8	199	UL Monroe	84
Holloway, Shamell	HB	64	22	5'11	194	California-Dav  91
Wallace, Malachi	HB	63	21	6'1	198	Rutgers		83
Potts, DeVante'		HB	60	22	5'11	194	North Texas	90
Glover, Javonta		HB	59	21	5'9	201	Southern Ark	92
 

LukeSmith

Member
Two franchise QBs in the draft, Livewire moving out of the 1 spot seems more likely as teams vie to move up into the top two slots.

Big time TE available, Crow and Bob are salivating.
 

DCX

DCX
LukeSmith said:
Two franchise QBs in the draft, Livewire moving out of the 1 spot seems more likely as teams vie to move up into the top two slots.
One of them has great speed, like 84
 

LukeSmith

Member
DCX said:
One of them has great speed, like 84

LiveWire wants a scrambler, so the price for that pick just went up I bet.

Keep in mind, this is the same LiveWire that got a super QB in Madden 10 and proceeded to set and then shatter the INT record over the next two years.
 

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
someone can get something out of Lattimore too, high speed plus throw on the run with bad accuracy. Like an amped up Pat White.
 
The Albatross said:
R9g8I.png


NFC Wild Card Scenario, Final Spot. Week 15

There are really five teams vying for that final playoff spot in the NFC, two of them can still win their divisions:

  1. Cardinals (7-6) GB: 0
  2. Saints (7-6) GB: 0
  3. Panthers (6-7) GB: 1.0
  4. Lions (6-7) GB: 1.0
  5. Bears (5-7): GB: 1.5

Team Missing: Vikings (7-6). The Vikings currently control their division, but they could lose their division to the Lions (6-7) or Bears (5-7).

Cardinals (7-6) Playoff Scenario
Week 15: vs. Browns (3-10)
Week 16: @ Bengals (9-4)
Week 17: vs. Seahawks (3-9)

The Cardinals hold the tie breaker over the Panthers (Cards 17, Panthers 14 in week 1), but have not had head-to-head matchups against the other teams in the hunt. This hurts the Cardinals playoff chances because they have the weakest overall record against the NFC, at 5-6, with the maximum Conference potential to only be 6-6.

For maximum playoff opportunity, the Cardinals definitely need to beat the Browns and the Seahawks, although the Seahawks beat the Cards early in the season. Presuming a loss to the 9-4 Bengals, the Cardinals most likely scenario has them going 9-7 based on record alone. The Seahawks and Browns can both play spoiler to the Cardinals playoff chances.

If the Cardinals win out (Finish 9-7), they can only miss the playoffs by the Saints winning out, as the Cardinals would hold a head-to-head tie breaker with the Panthers (If the Panthers were to win out).

Saints (7-6) Playoff Scenario
Week 15: @ Vikings (7-6)
Week 16: vs Falcons (5-8)
Week 17: vs Panthers (6-7)

The Saints are also in a difficult tie-breaker predicament, with both the Panthers and the Lions holding Tie Breakers against them, but their NFC record is 4-5, with a potential to go 7-5, which would give them an edge against the Cardinals in a tie breaker.

However, the Saints have the best chance to win out, of any of the other remaining wild card teams, as every other team in the hunt has to play at least one playoff lock, and the Saints do not (they play two playoff contenders and one playoff extremely long shot in the Falcons).

If the Saints win out, they will make the playoffs.

Panthers (6-7) Playoff Scenario
Week 15: @ Houston (10-3)
Week 16: vs Bucs (8-4)
Week 17: @ Saints (7-6)

The Panthers hold versus tie breakers with the Saints and the Lions, but the Cardinals and Bears both hold versus tie breakers over the Panthers. The panthers also have a 5-5 NFC record, with a chance to go 7-5.

However, with arguably the most difficult schedule of the remaining NFC wild card teams, the Panthers have an uphill battle. The Panthers essentially need to win out. Wins against the Saints and Bucs would propel them to the best NFC record for the final remaining teams, and they would hold the tie breaker over the Lions (which they could presumeably be tied with at 7-5 in the NFC) after their mid-season victory over the Lions 35-21.

With projected losses to Houston and the Bucs, though, even a last game win against the Saints would still be an outside shot at the playoffs, requiring the Saints and Cardinals to both lose out.

If the Panthers win out, they can still miss the playoffs by the Cardinals winning out (who hold a head-to-head tie breaker).

Lions Playoff (6-7) Scenario
Week 15: @ Raiders (13-0)
Week 16: vs Cargers (8-5)
Week 17: @ Packers (3-10)

The Lions are in a strange predicament because despite being 6-7 and only holding a tie breaker over the Saints, split with the Bears, and failing to hold out over the Panthers, they can still win their division, and also finish with a strong 7-5 NFC record. However, facing difficult opponents in the Raiders and Chargers, the Lions chances are slim. The Lions are in the peculiar situation where a loss by the Vikings to the Saints would both help and hurt them -- in one respect, if the Saints beat the Vikings, and if the Lions win a game, then they could be tied with the Vikings going into the final weeks, but if the Saints beat the Vikings, the Lions would have a nearly insurmountable climb to the Wild Card spot.

If the Lions win out, they would hold a tie breaker over the Saints, but would not hold a tie breaker over the Panthers. If those tie breaker scenarios play out, though, then the Lions could win their division.

Bears Playoff (5-7) Scenario
Week 14: @ Broncos (6-6)
Week 15: vs. Seahawks (3-9)
Week 16: @ Packers (3-10)
Week 17: @ Vikings (7-6)

Similar to the Lions, the Bears can win their division, and they also have the easiest or second easiest schedule in the last few games. A loss to the Broncos would not completely eliminate the Lions from the playoff picture, as they could still potentially win their division at 8-8, if the Vikings lose to the Saints (becoming 7-7), and then in the final week lose to the Bears (making them 8-8), the Bears, could make the playoffs as a division winner with an 8-8 record, and the Lions being eliminated with a 7-9 record.

Most Likely Wild Card Winner

The Saints have the most likely wild card scenario, they are the only team who, if they win out, will control their own destiny. Likewise, the Saints are the only team who is playing opponents that they should likely beat.

Likely Scenarios Based on Matchups
Here are likely playoff scenarios based only on matchups and win/loss record. When in doubt or the record is the same, I relent and go with perceived team rating.

Saints (7-6) Playoff Scenario: 10 - 6
Week 15: @ Vikings (7-6) - Win (Identical records, Saints rated higher)
Week 16: vs Falcons (5-8) - Win
Week 17: vs Panthers (6-7) - Win

Cardinals (7-6) Playoff Scenario: 9-7
Week 15: vs. Browns (3-10) - Win
Week 16: @ Bengals (9-4) - Loss
Week 17: vs. Seahawks (3-9) - Win

Panthers (6-7) Playoff Scenario: 6-10
Week 15: @ Houston (10-3) - Loss
Week 16: vs Bucs (8-4) - Loss
Week 17: @ Saints (7-6) - Loss

Losses to Houston & Tampa Bay would force the Panthers into a spoiler role. If they lost those two games, they could mostly only work to eliminate the Saints by beating them in week 17.[/i]

Lions Playoff (6-7) Scenario: 7-9
Week 15: @ Raiders (13-0) - Loss
Week 16: vs Cargers (8-5) - Loss
Week 17: @ Packers (3-10) - Win

Bears Playoff (5-7) Scenario 7-9
Week 14: @ Broncos (6-6) - Loss (potential toss up)
Week 15: vs. Seahawks (3-9) - Win
Week 16: @ Packers (3-10) - Win
Week 17: @ Vikings (7-6) - Loss

Maybe the best post in this thread! Coming down to the wire!
 
levious said:
haha, I didn't notice that the Bears logo had been knocked over.

In truth, I just couldn't fit it and didn't want to go over 800 pixels wide, and didn't feel like making the other's smaller, so I smudge tooled the shit out of it and then distorted it.

In truth, the Bears have as good of a chance to win their division as the Lions and Vikings.

LukeSmith said:
Yeah the most common sentiment for good AFC teams is "I wish I was in the NFC"

Bahahaha yeah.
 
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