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#9 Minnesota Vikings (8-4)
That was a pretty weird and crazy game in Seattle. The Vikings had that mind-blowing pick-six off Russell Wilson trying to knock the ball down, but yet it really felt more like Minnesota was on the bad end on several plays. So to me, I don’t really feel like I should drop them too far down, but at the same time I wouldn’t pick them to win the North over Green Bay and they seem locked in for that sixth seed. With a healthy Dalvin Cook, the Vikes have one of the top rushing attacks in football because of their ability to mix up personnel and get that guy to the edge.
They have two bonafide go-to weapons at receiver and a quarterback who has played his best ball yet. Defensively we have seen some cracks in the armor of this Mike Zimmer-schooled defense. Xavier Rhoades has turned into more of a liability than shutdown corner, they have been banged up across the secondary and we have seen great offensive play-callers stress the weaknesses of that scheme, especially by isolating their linebackers in coverage.
When they have everybody on board, they are one of the more complete teams in the league, but we have seen that they have some depth issues, which can be a major problem in late December and leading into January. Minnesota hosts the entire NFC North for the second round of those matchups and goes to Los Angeles to face the Chargers, meaning outside of Green Bay they should be favored quite heavily in every one of those games. They just can’t slip up along the way and give the Rams hope.
#10 Houston Texans (8-4)
Finally, we have seen the Texans slay the dragon, that has crushed their dreams and sent them home in playoffs so many times in recent years – all be it in the regular season. When Will Fuller is healthy, this is a different offense because of his ability to stretch the field. Kenny Stills and Duke Johnson have been excellent acquisitions, the O-line is a lot more dependable if you don’t drop back 40 times a game and Deshaun Watson has firmly established himself in that elite tier of quarterbacks.
On defense, they have some young stars nobody really talks about – D.J. Reader is an immovable object in the run game with the ability to reach out for ball-carriers over two gaps while also providing push as a pass rusher, we have seen the swagger that linebacking crew has when they are coming to the stadium dressed up as some kind of SWAT team and Justin Reid is an absolute baller on the back-end. He has quickly become their communicator and playmaker for this unit.
There is also some great news from the medical team, with J.J. Watt possibly returning for a playoff run. Is Houston finally ready to go on the road and win a big playoff game? We have yet to find out, but that domination by Baltimore kept me from moving them any higher for now.
#11 Los Angeles Rams (7-5)
Wow, that came out of nowhere. The Rams were just a three-point favorite in Arizona on Sunday and many people picked the Cardinals to win outright after they had been getting some momentum. Instead, Sean McVay’s troops dominated that matchup from start to finish, being up 34-0 seven minutes into the second half. After being embarrassed on Monday night at the Coliseum by the Ravens everybody wanted to label them done, but all of a sudden they are just one game back with the Vikings’ loss.
Even though Jared Goff went for over 400 yards through three quarters and Sean McVay manufactured open receivers with room to run, they are a defensive team this year. Jalen Ramsey gives them a true shutdown corner to work around with coverages, Corey Littleton has a nose for the ball and they can really get after the passer. If they want to complement that unit however, they need to continue showing that ability to run the inside zone and build the offense around it.
With rematches against the other three teams in the NFC West and a trip to Dallas, they will have to earn this after digging a hole for themselves to start the year. At this point, they obviously need some help and continue to improve, but I think a lot of what they have done was with the idea of having a team that can get hot on the back-end. Did they start too late?
#12 Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)
I’m so happy to see the Steelers switch to Devlin Hodges, because as bad as that whole helmet-tossing situation was, Mason Rudolph should have been cut right after that game against the Browns ended. There is no way anybody can tell me he looked like a capable NFL quarterback at any point.
It is incredible and one of Mike Tomlin’s finest coaching jobs that they are somehow 7-5 and en route to a playoff appearance. I know the Patriots defense has done some historic things and the Niners are even ahead of them in some statistical categories, but no defense has carried their team quite like the Steelers’.
That D-line is absolutely dominant with two guys coming off the edge like wrecking balls and big men who can push other big men straight back. They have a playmaking rookie linebacker in Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick has completely turned around that secondary with his ability to roam and always show up around the ball. I think Hodges can provide a few big plays through the air if they run the ball effectively with a more consistent sharing of carries since they haven’t had anybody keep their touches at a certain number for weeks now.
