NFL POSTSEASON ALMOST SET
An exciting NFL season of records, firsts, and the unexpected is drawing to its end and headed into the postseason with five games left on the 16-game calendar.
As we inch closer to the postseason, the NFL nearing fever pitch as teams are looking to seal a berth in the playoffs, while others are just trying to make it all that hard for contenders and outsiders. The coronavirus has challenges sports and the NFL this season, but determination and grit, much like in the image of the season are prevailing and the players are excited to be able to compete for glory, as fans await eagerly to make their appearance in stadiums once again. The postseason is almost upon us, and punters are ready to go all in. Online gambling in Iowa and the United States as a whole has picked up more steam, with fans looking for an extra pump of excitement from the games.
The usual suspects are closing in on the playoff spots, with the Pittsburgh Steelers being light-years ahead. The team is still unbeaten after ten games, and not looking to slow down anytime soon, while the Kansas City Chiefs led by Patrick Mahomes, come closest with a 9-1 record. The Chiefs are hitting their stride as the season winds down, and may have to go through the Steelers in the AFC on their quest to retain their title and go back-to-back. The Colts and Titansare rolling in the AFC South with 7-3 records, whilethe Bills and Dolphins battle it out for supremacy in the AFC East. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will also have something to say as they dominate the NFC North 7-3. Their closest rival in the division is the 5-5 Bears. The New Orleans Saints at 8-3 are next, riding a seven-game winning streak and sitting above Tom Brady and the Buccaneers who are second in the NFC South at 7-4. It may be Brady's first year with the Bucs but nobody expected him to struggle as much, with 9 interceptions already in just 11 games. In the NFC West the Los Angeles Rams are neck and neck with the Seattle Seahawks at 7-3 both. Russell Wilson has been playing MVP-level football, and a few more showings of the same caliber may just land him the trophy.
The not-so-big surprise this year is the New England Patriots, who in their first year without Brady, replaced by a recovering Cam Newton, seem to be going into rebuild mode. A 4-6 record has them two wins behind the second-placed Dolphins in the AFC East. The Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield, on the other hand, have been the surprise story for the season, flying high without Odell Beckham Jr, at 7-3, and bested only by the 10-0 Steelers in the AFC North. Nobody would have expected this level of football from the Browns, same way nobody would have imagined the Baltimore Ravens and MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson struggling in third behind the Browns and Steelers.
The postseason may just pack even more of the same fun and surprises.
