Sunday 24 December 2017 01:23, UK
With the end of the NFL regular season approaching, we tasked you to pick your end-of-season playoff picture...
For the last month you have been voting for the teams you think will make it to the postseason from both the AFC and the NFC. More than 15,000 votes were cast, and the results are in...
In the AFC, like in their Week 15 match-up, the New England Patriots (11-3) just about got the better of the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) for the No 1 seed and home-field advantage for the playoffs, while, despite winning back-to-back games - including against playoff and AFC West rivals Los Angeles Chargers (7-7) - you have left the Kansas City Chiefs (8-6) out of your AFC line-up - their poor form following a 5-0 start to the season obviously hurting their popularity. Their 510 votes was almost 200 fewer than the Chargers (705), and 61 less than the Tennessee Titans (8-6), who edged them out for the No 6 seed. Divisional rivals Oakland Raiders (6-8) also miss out, sitting not far behind on 493 votes, while the Buffalo Bills (8-6) - who actually hold the No 6 seed currently in the NFL - proved to be an unpopular choice, polling only 226 votes, good enough for ninth spot.
In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) clung on to top spot over the Minnesota Vikings (11-3), despite the recent loss of star quarterback Carson Wentz, who is out for the season due to injury. In the ultra-competitive NFC South, you have picked the New Orleans Saints (10-4) to emerge as divisional champs, with the Carolina Panthers (10-4) earning a Wild Card spot and, perhaps most surprisingly, the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) missing out altogether. In their place, the Seattle Seahawks (8-6) - despite losing back-to-back games - not only sneak into the playoffs, but somehow secure the No 5 seed, thanks to receiving only six more votes than the Panthers (and 160 more than Atlanta). Despite an Aaron Rodgers return, and Ezekiel Elliott's this weekend, the Green Bay Packers (7-7) and Dallas Cowboys (8-6) failed to poll enough votes for a playoff place - 398 and 310, respectively.
Wild Card Weekend:
AFC
Tennessee Titans (No 6 seed) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (No 3)
Baltimore Ravers (No 5) @ Los Angeles Chargers (No 4)
NFC
Carolina Panthers (No 6) @ Los Angeles Rams (No 3)
Seattle Seahawks (No 5) @ New Orleans Saints (No 4)
First-round byes:
AFC
New England Patriots (No 1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (No 2)
NFC
Philadelphia Eagles (No 1)
Minnesota Vikings (No 2)
If the Chargers are to claim the AFC West, with Kansas City missing out on the playoffs entirely, they will need to win their remaining two fixtures (at Jets, vs Raiders) and hope the Chiefs lose both of theirs (vs Dolphins, at Broncos).
For the Baltimore Ravens - who are currently out of the playoff picture, at the No 7 seed - to sneak ahead of both the Titans and the Bills into the No 5 slot, they have to win one more game (vs. Colts, vs. Bengals) than Tennessee (vs. Rams, vs. Jaguars) and Buffalo (at Patriots, at Dolphins) manage from their final two fixtures.
As for the race for the No 1 seed: the Patriots (vs. Bills, vs. Jets) must simply beat or match the Steelers (at Texans, vs. Browns) over the final two weeks. Equally, any further slip ups from Pittsburgh, and the Jaguars (at 49ers, at Titans) might just nab a first-round bye from under their noses.
Sadly, things are not quite so simple in the NFC. The playoff line-up you have picked sadly won't come to fruition...
In order for the Seahawks to make a late rally for the No 5 seed, they'd need their final two games (at Cowboys, vs. Cardinals) and for the Panthers to slip up in both of theirs (vs. Buccaneers, at Falcons). But, if they were to do that, Carolina's defeat to Atlanta would see them slip out of the playoff picture completely, to be replaced by the Falcons or Detroit Lions. A more likely scenario would see the Panthers stay at No 5 and Seattle sneak in at No 6 - for that to happen, though, they would still need to win out and hope the Falcons slip up twice (at Saints, vs. Panthers) and Lions at least once (at Bengals, vs. Packers).
As for the top four seeds in the NFC: they currently line up as per your picks, though any slip up by the Eagles (vs. Raiders, vs. Cowboys) could open the door for the Vikings (at Packers, vs. Bears) to pinch the No 1 seed. However, the Rams (at Titans, vs. 49ers) and Saints (vs. Falcons, at Buccaneers) are waiting to pounce on a possible first-round bye if Minnesota should stumble themselves.
Follow the 2017-18 NFL season with us on Sky Sports and through our website skysports.com/NFL also our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL
