We are now 3 games out from the postseason, and boy are things cooking with gas. What’s up everyone! It’s getting colder (ask Chicago) and wetter. We are going deeper into football as teams are just trying to survive to advance to the postseason, and the Rams and Broncos are first from their respective conferences to clinch a playoff berth.

We aren’t sure about what the NFC South wants. Thanks to the Falcons and Saints shaking hands, seems like the Bucs and Panthers are playing hot potato to see who wants the division more…or less. The NFC West will go down to the wire, and the Rams and Seahawks better be careful not to slip up while the Niners are on them. The AFC North is officially down to the Ravens and Steelers, and both want it more in the ugliest way possible. The Bills are now closer to regaining their division after their win over the Patriots but needs one more loss from them. The NFC North could likely come down to the winner of the Packers/Bears matchup this weekend. The Jags, Texans, and Colts will be in that same situation. And then there’s the AFC West. First off, the division comes down to the Chargers and Broncos because the Kansas City Chiefs are officially eliminated. Yes, it’s very true. However, Patrick Mahomes is done due to his ACL injury. I wish him a speedy, but safe recovery. Can he be like Tom Brady and bounce back to regain their dynasty in the future? If the NFL didn’t become more interesting, we might finally have a race to the finish for every division for the first time…probably in a long time???

TEAMS CONSIDERED

15) BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-7)

14) PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-6)

13) DETROIT LIONS (8-6)

12) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (9-5)

11) LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (10-4)

10) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (10-4)

The 49ers got a nice warm up out of their bye against Tennessee. Pearsall getting hurt again is not good. Good thing this team stocked up on other receivers. They travel to Indianapolis to face Old Man Rivers. The win could get them a playoff berth if other scenarios go their way.

9) GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-4-1)

The Packers lost ground against Denver as the game wore on. What’s worse is them losing a few starters to injuries, including Micah Parsons to an ACL tear. It sucks because now they turn right back around for the Bears in Round 2. Green Bay has yet to clinch a playoff spot and can’t afford another loss this late to their divisional opponent. Just to be clear, Green Bay is 4-0 in their division.

8) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (10-4)

Jacksonville grounded the Jets. Defense played well and the offense played nearly mistake free football thanks to Trevor Lawrence. With Indy collapsing before their very eyes, the Jaguars could be one step closer to a playoff berth and possibly clinching their division. However, they have a daunting task against the searing hot Broncos.

7) CHICAGO BEARS (10-4)

Chicago handled the negative cold temperatures with ease and gave Shedeur a real welcome to the NFL experience and chilled him out. Now, they host Green Bay who’s down their very most important player in Micah Parsons.

6) BUFFALO BILLS (10-4)

Buffalo pulled a Dallas when they were down 21-0. They fought back and dominated the second half to equalize the series to give themselves a chance to reclaim the top spot and win the division once again. Buffalo heads to Cleveland but shouldn’t take the Browns or the environment lightly after their most important win.

5) HOUSTON TEXANS (9-5)

Houston had a bit of work cut out for them against Trey McBride. He was torching them, but the defense was still a nightmare to the rest of the offense. The Raider matchup should be easy before traveling back to L.A. to take on the Chargers.

4) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (11-3)

New England was one win away from defeating the Bills, clinching a playoff spot, and likely the division too by sweeping them. Unfortunately, they couldn’t finish the game after dominating the first half 21-0 with TreVeyon Henderson torching the defense for 148 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. They’re challenged with holding off Buffalo while dealing with the Ravens at Baltimore.

3) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (11-3)

Seattle didn’t play well against the Colts, but their defense and Rashid Shaheed on special teams gave the offense the opportunity to comeback and help win the game. Thanks to Jason Myers’ big kicking day making all 6, including a walk off win, Seattle hangs on to face the Rams in Round 2 on Thursday Night. Whatever’s going on with Sam Darnold, he hasn’t been consistent during the season.

2) DENVER BRONCOS (12-2)

After a slow start, the Broncos cooked and outpaced the Packers the rest of the way. Everything that Green Bay threw at them, Denver responded. They survived and kept their streak alive while qualifying for the playoffs. Now, they face another defensive team in Jacksonville to compete for the overall seed in the AFC.

1) LOS ANGELES RAMS (11-3)

Like Seattle, the Rams struggled during the game. They eventually woke up by the second half and took it to Detroit without mercy. However, Davante Adams suffered an injury that will keep him out for a bit. With Seattle coming up, this might become more of a challenge unlike their first meeting a few weeks ago.