NFL: 5 best bets to be NFC Wild Card teams in 2020
By John Buhler
Which five NFL teams are giving off some serious NFC Wild Card vibes?
Who will be the NFL teams playing in the three NFC Wild Card games this season?
Yes, we will have three Wild Card games in both leagues this season, and forever going forward. By adding a seventh team to the postseason field in both leagues, we will now have an incredible six pack of games to enjoy on Wild Card Weekend. No. 2 will host No. 7, No. 3 will host No. 6 and No. 4 will host No. 5 with the No. 1 seed in each league getting a bye to the Divisional Round.
I touched on the five teams that are most likely to be AFC Wild Card teams yesterday, so let’s do the same thing in the NFC to complete the mid-August weekend set. Though both conferences have plenty of quality teams in them, the NFC Wild Card race will be utterly fascinating this fall. There are as many as 12 teams in the NFC that can feel pretty good about their playoff chances.
As it was with the AFC Wild Card teams from yesterday, this is all about likelihood. If a team feels like it’s a playoff team one way or another, there is a good chance they’ll end up on this list out of the NFC. If they have a major boom or bust feel about them or give off vibes of high variance, they might have to sit this one out. These teams are likely to be playing on the road Wild Card Weekend.
Look for any of these five NFL teams to be NFC Wild Card teams in 2020.
Pick Analysis. West. Arizona Cardinals. player. Scouting Report. NFC. 5. 32
Worst-to-first isn’t happening, but what about the playoffs this January?
Seemingly every year one team who finished in the cellar of its own division goes worst-to-first. Though it didn’t happen last year, the San Francisco 49ers went from having the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to winning the NFC and playing in Super Bowl 54. While this team may not have what it takes to pull it off in 2020, look for the Arizona Cardinals to be at least playoff viable.
Unless you’re a really big fan of what’s going on in the AFC West, no division in the NFL will be deeper than what the NFC West will be next year. The 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks will duke it out for divisional supremacy, while the Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams will do their best to finish above .500 and contend for one of three available Wild Card spots in the NFC. It’ll be a gauntlet.
Even though they only won 5.5 games a season ago, there are plenty of reasons to be high on the Cardinals. They may have a future NFL MVP at quarterback in 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. He’ll be entering his second season in the league with Kliff Kingsbury as his head coach. As long as the offensive line isn’t atrocious, the Cardinals should be sound offensively all-around.
As for the defense, Chandler Jones is the best defensive player in football nobody talks about. Depending on if first-round pick Isaiah Simmons flashes as a rookie, the Cardinals could be as good as a 10 or 11-win team in 2020. Potentially doubling their win total from 5.5 to 11 is totally in play with this on-the-rise team from the Valley of the Sun. Big things are coming for them soon.