NFL: 5 best bets to be NFC Wild Card teams in 2020

A division title may happen, but a playoff berth should definitely happen.

No team has consistently been one of the six or seven best teams in the NFC for the last decade than the Seattle Seahawks. They have been a perennial playoff contender throughout the Pete Carroll era, and especially after Russell Wilson arrived in the Emerald City back in 2012. Though they feel like a lock to make the playoffs, will Seattle win the NFC West or be a Wild Card team?

This is where the variance element comes into play here. There’s not going to be a ton of variance for the Seahawks in that they’re either going to win the division or be one of three Wild Card teams in the NFC. Barring cluster injuries or something unforeseen, the Seahawks will make the playoffs. If we had to pick one NFC West team to make the playoffs in 2020, it has to be Seattle.

The Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams are more likely to be Wild Card teams than division winners. While the San Francisco 49ers could repeat, they could succumb to the proverbial Super Bowl hangover and miss the postseason entirely. Again, variance is not on their side. There is much more volatility with Kyle Shanahan’s team than there ever has been with Carroll’s squad.

Wilson may end up winning NFL MVP this year. It would be “his turn” if the Seahawks go 12-4 and earn a top-two seed in the NFC playoff picture. However, we can’t rule out the 49ers repeating in the NFC West again. They have a loaded defensive line, a brilliant offensive-minded head coach, a terrific general manager and arguably the best tight end in football. Seattle can be good or great.