11 AFC Teams Having Winning Records but Only 6 Playoff Spots are Available

It’s going to be a soul-crushing experience in January for much of the AFC.  At the current moment 11 of the conference’s 16 NFL teams have winning records, but just 6 of them will reach the playoffs.  That means that nearly half of the teams that are currently feeling quite good about their season won’t even get to watch their teams compete in a playoff game!  Let’s take a look at who will be figuring to come out of this mess with a postseason berth and who will be looking back at the month of December and wondering what happened.

First, let’s take a look at how this strange scenario has come to be.  One thing odd about the AFC (and the entire NFL) this year is that no team has dominated up until this point.  The best teams stand at 9-3, which is only a 75% winning record.  While good, when we realize that these are the league’s current strongest teams we have great parity.  But at the other end of the standings lies the dark truth.  4 AFC teams have become the dreaded whipping boys of the conference.  The New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Oakland Raiders all sit poorly placed at 2-10 or worse.  Their overall atrociousness has been gifting all the other teams easy victories, which is in large part responsible for the current situation.  However, while some of these AFC teams’ wins may be unjustified, the fact that so many are winning will set up for an enthralling December!

What’s truly astounding about these records is that typically strong teams like the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos have very little wiggle room in the upcoming weeks.  Tom Brady and the Patriots are just 2 games ahead of both the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins (both at 7-5).  With games against both teams, New England could possibly lose their division lead and perhaps even a playoff spot!  While I certainly doubt that will happen, the very possibility of it this late in the season speaks to the conference’s strength and equality.

It’s also worth noting that many of these 7-5 teams are going to be playing one another and their records will balance out.  An intriguing situation has developed in the AFC North, where the Cincinnati Bengals hold a 1.5 game lead over the 7-5 Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers.  Each team could conceivably win the division or finish in 4^th!  While a Browns surprise would be delightful, I suspect the Bengals should hold onto the lead.

Elsewhere, I expect the Broncos, Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts to hold onto their division leads while the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens should claim the wildcard sports.

However, with these wildcard opportunities still hotly contested, the final weeks of the year will be extremely entertaining as the stakes continue to grow.  For all the contending teams of the AFC, the playoffs are basically starting right now.  No one can afford to slip up and it’s all up to play for.  While the current mass of 11 winning teams lopped in the conference will certainly change in the next month, those who do reach the NFL playoffs will have earned their tickets!

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Which Surprising NFL Leaders Could Actually Contend for the Super Bowl?

With the 2014 NFL season reaching its halfway point this week, we’ve got a good sense of which teams are contending vs. which teams are already eyeing top draft picks next spring.  However, as is usually the case in these parity-driven league, several teams have come out and surprised us with brilliant starts to the year.  Sure, we expected the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots to be pretty good (as they are nearly every year), but who would have predicted hot starts for the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills?  With solid winning records and with fans’ hopes building, can one of these teams continue their hot streak on to wining the Super Bowl?

The short answer is no, and there’s countless reasons why.  Each of these teams have marginal quarterbacks at the helm.  One could try and argue that Tony Romo and Carson Palmer are elite given their statistics or that Matthew Stafford remains one of the game’s best young quarterback prospects, but none of these guys have had any real success in the playoffs.  And while Kyle Orton has played exceptional in several games for the Bills, we should know by now that he is little more than a serviceable backup.  Let’s see how his numbers last over the course of the year.

The one player truly capable of becoming elite is Stafford with the Lions.  Featuring Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush on offense, you’d think he’d be able to do it and at age 26 he still has room to grow and develop, but the Lions unfortunately have a knack for losing that is seemingly running rampant throughout the entire city of Detroit.  While they managed a playoff appearance in 2010 (which ended in the first round), they have become perennial late-season swooners.  Last season the Lions were 6-3 before stuttering to a 7-9 record.  In 2012 they were a respectable 4-4 before losing 8 straight and finishing 4-12.  This is a team that tends to run out of steam when the games begin to matter most! 

Meanwhile the Bills have also grown notorious for poor play, having not reached the NFL playoffs since 1999 (due in large part to the Patriots’ success).  They last teased their fans in 2011 by starting off 5-2 before succumbing to a 6-10 finish.  And then there’s the Cowboys, whose 8-8 record for 3 years running has been maddening to fans.  They seem to live for getting hopes up only to crush them with a late-season falter.  Romo seems to have all the skills but he folds under pressure.  At 34, the chance of him finally getting it right is fleeting at best.

Similarly, the Cardinals’ 34 year-old Carson Palmer has also been just a better-than average QB during his career, putting up solid numbers for the Cincinnati Bengals but never quite achieving greatness.  However, this is the team I see most likely to actually contend for the Super Bowl should the stars align.  The Cardinals got the short end of the stick last season and missed out on the playoffs despite a 10-6 record.  They are hungry and have proven that in the young season, claiming victories against the San Diego Chargers, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.  They will have a tough end to the year facing the 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks in successive weeks, though if they come through that test, look out!

For me, the challenge about a surprise team winning the Super Bowl is that they lack playoff experience.  Recent Super Bowl champs have all had unsuccessful playoff runs in previous years, but that experience helped them later on.  For example, the Seahawks won a wildcard game in 2012 before losing in the divisional round.  The next season they built off of that success and won the Super Bowl.  For teams like the Lions, Bills, Cardinals, and Cowboys, their last trips to the playoffs were so long ago that many of the core players really can’t understand the magnitude of such games.  As a result, should any of these teams reach the postseason, they’ll probably fall short and lose.  The best bet would be a solid, winning year to build up for a serious run at the Super Bowl in 2015.

No matter which NFL team you root for, AAA Sports Memorabilia has a collectible for you.  We specialize in authentic autographed sports memorabilia, display cases (made in the USA), and officially licensed sports collectibles.  We have every team and your favorite athlete.  Visit us today and visit us often as we are always adding new collectibles.

5 Intriguing Rookies for the 2013 NFL Season

Every year the NFL welcomes scores of young and hungry new players to their ranks. The talent varies immensely across the whole group of players who are desperately seeking their big chance in the NFL. After the first preseason game, it may be a little early to declare any of these 5 top NFL rookies as definite future stars, but this handful of players made a big name for themselves in their first competitive action and could figure prominently for their respective teams this year:

 

1. E.J. Manuel – Although he still looks quite raw, Manuel had a very solid first outing with the Buffalo Bills, and is likely to be the starter once the regular season begins. He went 16 of 21 for 107 yards and a nice touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson. He also picked up a solid 24 yards on the ground, displaying an ability to be a read-option quarterback, which is the latest NFL trend. He may need some time to get comfortable with deeper passes, but his intelligence and command during his first start was solid. These were the traits that attracted Buffalo into making Manuel the first quarterback selected in the NFL Draft and should help him develop into a capable NFL starter.

 

2. Tyrann Mathieu – A bit of a troublemaker in college, Mathieu slid all the way to the 3^rd round, but his initial play in the preseason resembles an impact player that could have been picked much earlier. He made a sack and several other impressive tackles. Additionally, he had a decent punt return of 24 yards, showcasing his all-around skills. Yes, he may have some baggage that could come back to haunt the Arizona Cardinals should he make a stupid off-field choice, but for now it looks like the Cardinals found a defensive playmaker well into the draft. He could be the defensive rookie of the year and the steal of the draft.

 

3. DeAndre Hopkins – A first round wide receiver, Hopkins had a solid preseason debut for the Houston Texans. Already a loaded offense with Andre Johnson and Arian Foster, the Texans may now have another legitimate receiving threat. His 34-yard touchdown catch against Minnesota displayed an incredible ability to react to the ball and showed a real go-getter characteristic. After an impressive college career at Clemson, Hopkins looks like another wonderful receiver for Matt Schaub and the Texans, with 4 catches for 52 yards on the night and the score.

 

4. Cordarrelle Patterson – On the other side of the field for the Minnesota Vikings was the debut of Patterson, the 29^th overall pick in the draft. Expected to replace Percy Harvin and supplement the incoming Greg Jennings, Patterson has big play abilities. His very first touch was a kickoff that he returned all the way to midfield. In addition to the return, Patterson caught 4 passes for 54 yards and looked oh-so-good in that number 84 jersey (previously worn by Randy Moss). The Vikings offense could be set to explode if Christian Ponder can find a way to get the ball to Patterson and if Adrian Peterson continues his powerful rushing assault.

 

5. Geno Smith – Although his durability wasn’t that impressive on his debut, resulting in a mild ankle sprain, Smith was playing pretty well in his first NFL action. He went 6 of 7 for 47 yards and looked the part of an NFL quarterback. When he fell awkwardly during a rushing attempt, it was sad to see because he was about to display his impressive running ability that had so wowed the NFL scouts. Smith may win the New York Jets starting quarterback role by default based on the shaky play of Mark Sanchez, but the jury is still out over whether Geno Smith will succeed at this level.

 

Did your team receive a good draft pick that you feel may be better than one of these five? Let us know what you think. These rookie players will contribute a lot to their team, and their autographed sports collectibles will only rise as they become more productive and well-known to the fans. So get your rookie autographed collectible now before they are all gone and watch your investment increase.

QB Drew Bledsoe to Retire!

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe has announced his retirement!

Yesterday, came a shocking announcement that Drew Bledsoe was retiring after a long 15 year career. Bledsoe has made it to the Super Bowl twice during that span.

Bledsoe was the top overal draft in 1993 being picked up by the New England Patriots. Bledsoe made it to the pro-bowl four times and played for the Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He had been a starter for all three teams, but ended up as a backup with Dallas.

Bledsoe is still young at 35. His stats include 44,611 yards and 251 touchdown passes.

Bledsoe stated, "I feel so fortunate, so honored to have played this game I love for so long, with so many great players, and in front of so many wonderful fans. I fulfilled a childhood dream the first time I stepped on an NFL field, and the league did not let me down one time. I retire with a smile on my face, in good health and ready to spend autumns at my kids' games instead of my own. I'm excited to start the next chapter of my life."

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