2017 Season - Week 14 Open

Four games remain, and SteelPitt has a Playoff preview he's working on. There are no more unbeatens, but 5 teams sit at 11-1.

Our very own jacquito69 has rejoined the ranks of the elite as he now is a proud PS4 owner. He's looking for something to play. He bought the CoD PS4 bundle and is looking to sell CoD to buy something actually fun. No Madden yet as he refuses to pay full retail at this point.

Paging Nike. You around buddy? I don't think you've played a game in some time. I know you're still active on Madden playing in your other league game.
 

Season 3 of the AALoA is moving fast and furious as we've hit the three quarter mark of the season with every team having played 12 games.  As we head into the final four games of the regular season each game carries more meaning, more stress, more weight as teams jockey for playoff positioning and scrap for playoff berths.  With that said, here is where we stand and what the playoffs would look like if the season ended today.

AFC

1. Titans (11-1)
2. Dolphins (10-2)
3. Chiefs (9-3)
4. Steelers (9-3)
5. Texans (11-1)
6. Browns (8-4)

Still in the hunt:

Jets (7-5)
Jags (6-6)
Patriots (6-6)
Raiders (6-6)
Broncos (5-7)

Tie-breakers

Titans get the #1 seed over the Texans by virtue of having a better Division Record.
Chiefs get the #3 seed over the Steelers by virtue of having a better Conference Record.

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NFC

1. Cowboys (11-1)
2. Bears (11-1)
3. Falcons (9-3)
4. Seahawks (8-4)
5. Redskins (11-1)
6. Eagles (6-6)

Still in the hunt:

Panthers (6-6)
Packers (6-6)
Lions (4- 8 )
Bucs (4- 8 )
Giants (4- 8 )

Tie-breakers:

Cowboys get the NFC East over the Redskins by virtue of alphabetical order since both teams split their season series, have the same Division Record and the same Conference Record.
Cowboys get the #1 seed over the Bears by virtue of having a better Conference Record.
Eagles gets the #6 seed over the Panthers and Packers by virtue of having a better Conference Record.

After posting the current playoff picture it becomes more evident just how vital, important, pressure packed the game will be down the stretch starting with this week.  There are 5 User vs User matchups this week and there is playoff significance for ALL 10 teams involved.  Wow!!!

Cowboys (11-1) vs Eagles (6-6)

First and foremost this is a division rivalry, and rivalry of friends amongst the coaches.  The Cowboys are currently caught up in a three way tie for first place in the NFC so they can't afford to fall behind the Bears and Redskins whom both have CPU opponents this week.  The Eagles are holding on to the #6 seed for dear life and desperately need this win to keep the Panthers, Packers and slew of 4-8 teams at bay.

Falcons (9-3) vs Lions (4- 8 )

The Falcons have a firm grasp on the NFC South, but a #2 seed and a first round bye is still in reach assuming someone stumbles from the top.  Also, falling to the #4 seed means a first round matchup with either the Cowboys or Redskins.  The Lions are currently out of the playoff picture but nobody has staked a firm claim to the #6 seed yet and 2 games is not impossible to make up with 4 to play.

Chiefs (9-3) vs Jets (7-5)

The Chiefs ... see the Falcons above.  The AFC West is all but theirs, but they could still get the #2 seed or falter and fall to the #4 seed which would mean a Wild Card game vs the Texans or Titans.  Jolly St. Nick is the Wild Card of the bunch as the newcomer has yet to face defeat since joining and has once again gotten Jets fans hopes up.  Can he continue to keep this momentum and parlay it into a playoff spot with the help of some more slippage by the Browns who have been abandoned by their owner?  Or will it be more heart ache for Jets fans and the familiar chants of "there's always next year"?

Texans (11-1) vs Raiders (6-6)

YtBalla and his Texans were oh so close to representing the AFC in the Super Bowl last season.  This year they are getting a run for their money just to win their division.  The Raiders, on the other hand, dominated and ran away with the AFC West last season, but have yet to find that same magic.  They are stuck in at 6-6 with two other teams and still looking up two games at the Browns for the final playoff spot.

Titans (11-1) vs Steelers (9-3)

Can we give Hippo GM of the year now, regardless of what happens in the final four games?  Hippo took over a rebuilding project in the Titans and has improved the roster, mentality and record of the team each season.  Through 12 games his Titans sit at 11-1 and currently hold the #1 seed in the AFC.  Unfortunately, any mess up can cause him to fall all the way down to the #5 seed and a date with Wild Card weekend (no bye week).  The Steelers are no strangers to Wild Card weekend having to start their playoff push their each of the last two seasons due to the dominance of the Browns in the AFC North.  With X--Nike going awol, the Steelers have a chance at winning the AFC North and potentially playing their first home playoff game of Madden 16.

Good stuff there Pitt. I refuse to look ahead on my schedule, and am literally taking things one game at a time because a bye week is huge.  All I know is I have the CPU Bengals this week, and Kevin White broke his ribs versus the Packers last week.

I'll also be on vacation March 4th to 11th. So a bye week gives me the best chance for scheduling...

Bears rolled the Bengals despite the absence of Kevin White. Jeffery took a screen pass 67 yards early, and nearly eclipsed the 100 yard mark in the 1st quarter alone. Both Taylor Hogan and Jeremy Langford rushed for a TD and caught a TD.  

Tom Savage picked apart the Bengals defense in the red zone in relief of Mettenberger and was a perfect 1 for 1 passing for 1 TD, 11 yards, a long of 11 yards, and an average of 11 yards. If this was baseball he'd be painting a picket fence. Ha.

Hoping for a sale, nice Craigslist swap or some divine intervention so I can hopefully get in on the fun! 3 games a week seems a bit much, if only be able to schedule games late night but with a league only half full I'm hopeful it could actually work out! So long my friends, hope everyone is doing well?!

Cowboys bounce back big with a throttling of the hated Eagles 37-9, CJ Spiller could not be stopped as he rushed for 231 yards and 3 TD's on 19 carries and backup Montee Ball chipped in with 77 yards of his own on 10 carries.

The chiefs and jets game had its share of crazy.. Jets turned the ball over 4xs in the 1st half and 3xs in the 2nd... Rainy conditions had alot to play into that... Chiefs accumulated 218 yards of rushing as a team and alex smith added 375 yards with 4 tds.. Chiefs win 54-35

The Steelers move to 10-3 with a victory over the Titans in a battle of two of the AFC's best.  In a game that featured two of the NFL top rushers, it was the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell that shined rushing 17 times for 154 yards and 3TD.  The Steelers defense held Titans RB Chaquil Griffin in check as he only totaled 38 yards rushing.  The Steelers defense forced 4 turnovers as they jumped out to an early lead en route to the 41-17 victory.

I had a bad luck kind of game but I'll hopefully be fully prepared next season.

I dread playing Pitt.....his team turns into all 99ovrs every time we play, its so fustrating... cant get anything done, players in the backfield before the handoff, ugh, so annoying. Not to mention my top WR is out, but Blackmon has come on pretty well. Someone please beat pitt in the playoffs so I dont have to play his all world team again lol.

Also, dont hand me any awards, I think Ive played like 5 user games, lol, I just know how to screw the computer most weeks.