There was a lot that needed to be figured out on Sunday, but the 2015 NFL regular season has now come to a close and we’re ready for the postseason. The AFC is wide open and it almost feels as if any of the six playoff teams in that conference could make it to Super Bowl 50. The NFC is a different story though. I know anything can happen in a one and done format, which the NFL playoffs are, but there are only three teams with a realistic shot at representing the NFC in Super Bowl 50.
THREE BEST NFC 2015 PLAYOFF TEAMS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The Seattle Seahawks might not have boasted as frightening of a defense in 2015 as they have the past couple of seasons, but they were still pretty darn good. They allowed 291.8 yards per game (second) and 17.3 points per game (first) this season, which just about any other team would take. In 2015 their offense averaged 378.6 yards per game (fourth) and 26.4 points per game (tied for fourth).
There was a time this season when everyone left Seattle for dead, but quarterback Russell Wilson had an excellent second half of the season and wide receiver Doug Baldwin has been playing well. The former Stanford Cardinal had 78 receptions for 1,069 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2015.
Sure, the ‘Hawks have never made it to a Super Bowl as anything other than the number one seed in the NFC, and they’ve only won one road playoff game this century. But make no mistake about it, Pete Carroll’s squad is still one of the more dangerous teams in the playoffs.
ARIZONA CARDINALS
The Arizona Cardinals may have ended the regular season on a sour note when they got blown out by the Seahawks, but Bruce Arian’s team is still really good. The Cardinals are one of three teams in the NFC with a realistic shot at making the Super Bowl. Quarterback Carson Palmer had a great season, throwing for 4,671 yards (fourth), 35 touchdowns (tied for second) and 11 interceptions. Behind Palmer and a stellar receiving corps of Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd, the Cardinals averaged 408.3 yards per game (first) and 30.6 points per game (second). It looked like the Cardinals ground game would suffer when running back Chris Johnson went down with an injury, but rookie running back David Johnson appears to be more than capable of carrying the load. In his rookie year he had 125 carries for 581 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns.
And don’t sleep on Arizona’s defense, which is very formidable, even with the loss of safety of Tyrann Mathieu. This season the Cardinals allowed 321.7 yards per game (fifth) and 19.6 points per game (seventh) and they still have cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Justin Bethel and safety Rashad Johnson, among others on what is a really talented defense. The Cardinals are talented on both sides of the ball, and that could bode well in the postseason.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
The Carolina Panthers didn’t finish the regular season undefeated, but they have to be the favorite heading into the playoffs. Quarterback Cam Newton will be named the MVP of the 2015 season. The former Auburn Tiger threw 35 touchdowns (tied for second) and rushed for another 10 while only throwing 10 interceptions. I’ve been very critical of Newton in the past, and rightfully so, but there is no denying how well he played this season. He is the only player in NFL history with at least 30 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in the same season.
Their defense, led by linebacker Luke Kuechly and cornerback Josh Norman, allowed 322.9 yards per game (sixth) and 19.2 points per game (sixth) this season. Yes, the NFL is now a passing league, for the most part, but having a really good defense come playoff time is a tremendous benefit. Plus, the Panthers don’t lose at home and they earned home field throughout the playoffs. Unless someone beats them, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Charlotte, where they haven’t lost since Week 11 of the 2014 season.
No team in the playoffs is perfect, but the three teams mentioned above are the clear favorites in the NFC, and possibly in all of the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins just have too many deficiencies for me to believe they truly have a shot at coming out of the NFC.
