After 18 long weeks, the 2015-16 NFL Season is nearing its’ close. Across the league, the season has been an exciting one from start to finish. From Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers’ nonstop dabbing to the new extra point rules, the year has gifted casual and hardcore football fans alike with some solid entertainment. However, given the end of the regular season and the conclusion of the first round of the playoffs, the eight remaining teams are nothing but business. Gone are the lovable longshots, gone are the best of the mediocre, and gone is the nonstop “You Like That?!”. With only three weeks of meaningful football left before the offseason, the remaining teams have proven themselves to be the top of the league.
In the AFC, the favorite may not be the top seeded team, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would pick against the defending champion New England Patriots. Despite a myriad of injuries to key pieces of their offense, New England is still led by the two of the best to ever take part in the game of football, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. This week, the Patriots take on the winners of 11 straight games, the Kansas City Chiefs. While Kansas City is quite possibly the hottest team in the league right now, it doesn’t seem like New England’s quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions will end this weekend.
In the NFC, it’s no easy task to declare a favorite. Between the 15-1 Carolina Panthers, 14-2 Arizona Cardinals, and the 11-6 Seattle Seahawks, the NFC is in good hands. Any of these teams is more than capable of winning the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for fans of Carolina and Seattle, only one of the two will survive the weekend, given their impending elimination matchup. Games between these two teams in recent memory have been examples of incredible football and this weekend should prove no different. On the other side, the Arizona Cardinals will battle the Green Bay Packers. Arizona is certainly the favorite with their standing bolstered by a weeks earlier 38-8 thrashing of their opponent. At the end of the day, no matter how much analysis is done, picking an NFL playoff winner is never easy. This season should prove to be no different.
