Election day was a few days ago and over the past couple of days, the term "battleground states" or, as they are more commonly known "swing states" has been unavoidable. Well, I decided to take a different approach and look at 3 of what could be considered battleground divisions down the stretch in the NFL, divisions that could go to 3 or 4 of the teams in the division depending on how things break for them moving forward.
NFC North
Current Standings
Minnesota Vikings: 5-3
Detroit Lions: 5-4
Green Bay Packers: 4-4
Chicago Bears: 2-6
The NFC can truly be won by anyone, even the Bears. The Vikings, who started 5-0 have dealt with some injuries, and have now lost 3 straight. The offensive line is now in shambles and Sam Bradford is getting attacked and starting to regress to early career Sam Bradford. On the Packers side, they have lost 2 straight. Aaron Rodgers looks like he's regressed as well as a player, and the offense is losing weapons. The #1 running back in that offense is Don Jackson. Ty Montgomery and Davante Adams are taking snaps out of the backfield. Mike McCarthy has had to get creative with the play calls when losing as many his running backs as he has while the defense needs some help as well. The Lions recently beat the Texans and the offense is looking good with Matthew Stafford at the helm. They don't have a definite #1 receiver but Marvin Jones and Golden Tate are playing well as co-#1s while Theo Riddick is a decent running back. The defense hasn't been as much of a mess as the depth chart has made it look. They have won 4 games and are sitting comfortably in 3rd place but could easily make it to 1st place. The Bears are the bottom feeder in the division but could jump to the top if all else fails and they don't suffer. The Bears seem to be hitting a stride with the return of Jay Cutler leading them to a win against the Vikings. They also now have a lot of players that were previously injured for that game against the Vikings playing this Sunday which could help them down the line but barring a miracle, the Bears will not make it.
Prediction:
1. Detroit Lions
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Chicago Bears
NFC East
Current Standings
Dallas Cowboys: 7-1
New York Giants: 5-3
Washington Redskins 4-3-1
Philadelphia Eagles 4-4
The Cowboys, led by rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, are now atop the division comfortably at 7-1. However, the Giants have a talented offense as we could see last year and the defense is fine, much improved from last year. The Redskins tie does help them in the standings. It gives them a half a game lead on the Eagles, having one less loss. However, I don't think that will hold up. The Eagles are a much better team than the division standings suggest. The NFC East went from the NFC Least to the NFC Beast. This is a very talented division and will be an interesting race moving forward.
Prediction:
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. New York Giants
4. Washington Redskins
AFC West
Current Standings
Oakland Raiders: 7-2
Kansas City Chiefs: 6-2
Denver Broncos: 6-3
San Diego Chargers: 4-5
The AFC West is the best division in football. We will likely see 3 playoff teams from this division. The Chargers have recently improved and despite all the injuries, have clicked on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs are looking average but have won the games they need to. The Broncos have a better quarterback than last year which is helping the offense tremendously and the defense is still just as good as last year, likely the best in the NFL and the Raiders have clicked this year with all their talent, young and old and their playing with urgency like few teams in the NFL. In the end of it all, this division is going to be a very tight race but I think at the very end of the day, we will end up seeing three of these four teams in the playoffs. This division is insanely talented and star-studded and will be a fun battle to watch down the stretch.
Prediction:
1. Denver Broncos
2. Oakland Raiders
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. San Diego Chargers
