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NFL: Five teams prepped for a late season surge

By Luke Dahlgren

Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) drops back to pass against the New England Patriots in the first half during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) drops back to pass against the New England Patriots in the first half during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 24, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) calls a play at the line against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) calls a play at the line against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The finishing stretch of the NFL season is drawing closer, so we take a look at teams that are set to end the season hot – either spring-boarding a playoff run or providing the blueprint for a successful next season.

The most dangerous team in the playoffs isn’t the pristine one that stayed in cruise control at the top of the standings. It’s the flawed team that bolts screaming into the postseason off of an end of the year surge.

It happened most obviously in 2007, when the New York Giants sped through the playoffs and toppled the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Almost every year since has had a team with similar success: the Arizona Cardinals in 2008, New York Jets in 2009, Green Bay Packers in 2010, Giants again in 2011 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2012.

As the 2015 NFL season nears it’s close, there are a handful of candidates poised for similar success. Four of these five teams would be out of a spot if the playoffs began today, and none have winning records, but a combination of scheduling, health and building chemistry should be enough to springboard these teams either to a postseason berth or at the very least setup success in 2016.

It also will require quite a bit of luck. Luck, however, is a prerequisite for postseason success; this is true no matter where you are seeded.

We begin with some (admittedly) wishful thinking in the NFC North.

Next: Chicago Bears

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