NFL News & Analysis

Premium Content Sign Up

2020 NFL Playoffs: A statistical view of the four remaining teams

Paradise, Nevada, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL playoff field has been narrowed to four, and unlike some seasons, you can make a pretty compelling case that each team is very deserving of being able to play for the league’s ultimate prize next month in Tampa Bay.

We’re going to go through how each team got to this point and what that can say about how the next three weeks will play out. With the exception of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all of the teams left won their divisions and secured a second seed or better.

No team has made the Super Bowl without a bye since 2012, and no wild-card squad has so much as made or won a Super Bowl since Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in 2010. While the new format has made that harder mathematically, the bye trend is still alive as we enter Week 20, with Kansas City and Green Bay the favorites to win and produce a rematch of Super Bowl I. 

The four remaining team’s relative PFF Elo ratings, which is PFF’s basic power rating metric

This was a season where continuity was given high priority in our models, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ prior reflected that, with 20 of 22 starters and both coordinators returning. Green Bay was coming off a fluky 13-3 season (their season win total projection was nine), while Tampa was everyone’s darling in the betting market (which we relied more heavily on in the preseason, given COVID-19 uncertainties).

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Already have a subscription? Log In

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit