Playoff Primer

 

There are a number of scenario’s which can be encountered in the final season. There are 6 teams fighting for 4 playoff spots. While I have looked this over for a long time, it is next to impossible to figure out how this will shake out. There is just too many factors going into the final week of the regular season. So without further ado, we will run over some of the possible scenario’s.

Teams eliminated from the Playoffs:\

Annual Doormats: C&D TD Makers

Annual Doormats: Semolina Pilchards

Show Me the Money

Sandbaggers

Teams that made the Playoffs:

TBFC- They have clinched their Division as well as the 1st pick in every round of the playoff draft.

Dragon Slayers- They have clinched at least a Wildcard spot (at worst the 5th pick- I think) and if they can beat the Pilchards (extremely likely) in Week 17, they will not only win their Division but also the 2nd pick in every round of the playoff draft.

Teams that I think have clinched a Playoff Spot based on analysis of seasonal matchups:

Jaguars

Undertakers

Suicide Kings

Teams in it to the bitter end:

Mighty Caesars

What’s the Point

TNT Explosion

Two of the six teams in the chart below will be very unhappy come Monday Night. While the four teams that have been 2001 doormats have been unhappy for awhile, each of them knew for the last couple of weeks that they were done for the year. At least they won’t have the misery of having a 17 week season and then all of a sudden it is just over!! I pity the two poor fools who will probably not be watching ANY playoff games this year because it will give them that ol’ heartbreaking feeling. Boo Hoo! Before we explore the scenario’s , the chart below indicates how teams stand against each other in head to head matchups.

  JAGS KINGS TAKERS POINT CAESARS TNT
JAGS XXXXXX WON LOST WON ? WON
KINGS LOST XXXXXX WON ? WON WON
TAKERS WON LOST XXXXXX LOST WON WON
POINT LOST ? WON XXXXXX WON LOST
CAESARS ? LOST LOST LOST XXXXXX LOST
TNT LOST LOST LOST WON WON XXXXXX

The Jaguars play the Caesars with the winner moving on up to a 10-7 record and the loser dropping down to a 9-8 record. A Jag win and a Slayer loss, hand the Jags their Division and either the 2nd or 3rd overall pick. If the Jags lose, I think they will still have clinched a playoff spot since they have won against every playoff team in the battle except for the Undertakers.

If the Undertakers beat TBFC, then they will finish with a 10-7 record and clinch their Division. In this case they could end up with either the 2nd or 3rd pick overall based on what happens in the Walter Payton Division. If the Jags win the Payton Division then the Undertakers will pick 2nd. If either the Slayers or the Kings wins the Division the Undertakers pick 3rd. Now if the Undertakers lose and the Point win, then they Point will win the Division. Since I am not positive 100% positive, I have been saving the best for last. It appears that based on won- lost ratio’s that the Undertakers may have actually clinched a Playoff spot by winning last week. They hold tiebreakers on the Caesars and Jags and one of those teams will be losing. Even if TNT wins this week, they still lost to the Undertakers and thereby lose out on tiebreakers to them. Therefore, since these three teams (Jags, Caesars, TNT) lose the head to head matchups with the Undertakers, it appears that the Undertakers have clinched.

If TNT beats the Sandbaggers, they will finish 9-7. They beat the Point and the Caesars this year so they win head to head battles with these teams if both of them also finish 9-7, unless the Point win their Division. So TNT needs to root for the Jags, the Kings, and the Undertakers to win this week, as well as taking care of business on their own. They will most likely be eliminated this week, although they snuck in as the 6th team overall last year. Finally, as TBFC has clinched the Division, TNT can only be a Wildcard team.

The Caesars need to beat the Jags to ensure a playoff spot. If they finish 9-7 and all the other teams finish 9-7, then the Caesars are done for the year as they lost every battle this year to the other teams that are in the playoff hunt. In my opinion, it is very likely that they beat the Jaguars this week and make it into the Playoffs.

What’s the Point needs to win to stay in. It will be difficult for them against the Kings this week. Their players have nothing to fight for this week as both Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay are in the playoffs and do not have to prove anything this week. If the Point lose, they are done. If they win, they not only may win their Division, but most likely will also be in the playoffs. However, it appears likely that their season may end this week.

The Suicide Kings need to win this week. If they win and the Jags and Slayers both lose, they will clinch their Division and the 2nd overall pick. While I am not positive about this again, it appears that they may have clinched a spot already no matter what happens with the other teams.