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As the playoff picture gets clearer in the NFL, we’ve got to focus some attention to the NFC South.
Things are grim, to say the least.
If the playoffs started today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would get in as the divisional winners at — ugh — 6-8. The Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons all technically have a shot at winning the South … AND THEY’RE ALL 5-9.
Really? Are we gonna get a 2010 Seahawks all over again, when Seattle won the NFC West at 7-9 (and they won a playoff game, but that’s for another day)?
Gross.
I know there are three games to go in the 2022 season, so Tom Brady and Co. can turn it around. But let’s make this simple, NFL: If a divisional winner finishes below .500 — and heck, let’s even consider .500! — then they can’t make the playoffs, and a team in another division that did finish over .500 can make it to the postseason.
No team that loses that much should be rewarded. It’s that simple. I don’t want to hear complaints from the other teams in the conference, either. If you want to make it to a Super Bowl, you should have to go up against the best teams, not some mediocre squad that couldn’t even finish above .500 in a division with Desmond Ridder, Andy Dalton and Sam Darnold as QBs.
Make it so. And also, Bucs, win some more games before the end of the year.
Quick hits: NFL power rankings! … An NFL bad beat … and more.
— NFL power rankings ahead of Week 16.
— Oof this bad beat from Packers-Rams was rough.
— We asked ChatGPT to predict the outcomes of college bowl games and things got weird.
— Mike Sykes explains why Avengers: Age of Ultron is the most underrated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
