Can anyone unseat the No. 1 seeds?
The Broncos and Seahawks, the two No. 1 seeds with home-field advantage as long as they’re alive, have looked borderline invincible at home. This is why they are odds-on favorites to reach the Super Bowl. The Seahawks went 7-1 at CenturyLink Field this season and are 15-1 the last two. The Broncos went 7-1 at Mile High this season and 7-2 there last year (including playoffs).
Will there be another wild-card Super Bowl entrant?
For the past three seasons, the Super Bowl winner has been a wild-card team. Which one could emerge this year? The 49ers, the Super Bowl runner-up last season, enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the league, having finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak.
Will Peyton Manning have to beat his former team to get to the Super Bowl?
It’s possible that Manning’s Broncos, who lost to the Colts 39-33 in Week 7 (Denver’s first loss of the season), will have to take down Indianapolis. If the Colts beat the Chiefs and the Bengals beat the Chargers in the wild-card round, it would set up the Colts playing Manning and the Broncos in Denver in the divisional round. Manning is only 9-11 in the playoffs, perhaps the only blemish on his brilliant career.
How far can Aaron Rodgers carry the Pack?
Based on their 8-7-1 record, the Packers would appear to be the weakest link in the NFC pool, but who’s betting against Rodgers and Lambeau Field? Rodgers returned from a collarbone injury just in time to lead Green Bay into the playoffs last week. In 2010, when the Packers won the Super Bowl, they were a wild-card team.
Can a warm weather or dome team win the Super Bowl in the cold at MetLife Stadium?
Should the Saints (dome), Colts (dome) or Chargers (warm weather) make it to MetLife in February, they might be at a distinct disadvantage if the weather is cold or inclement.
What will Tom Brady do next?
The Patriots quarterback, despite modest stats this season by his lofty standards, might have had his best season considering the loss of skill position talent around him. Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick have won three Super Bowls together and lost two since 2001, but they haven’t won a title since 2004. The Patriots went 12-4 with all four losses on the road, two of which ended in controversy.
Does Chip Kelly finally get credit for his Philadelphia transformation?
While the Eagles struggled mightily early in the season (they were 1-3 and 3-5), critics of rookie head coach Chip Kelly hovered, ready to rip the supposed “gimmick’’ zone-read scheme offense he brought from Oregon. The perception of his offense was that it was a pass-happy run-and-shoot type, but Eagles RB LeSean McCoy won the NFL rushing title. It also should be noted while Kelly coached Oregon his team’s leading rusher was never worse than third in the Pac-12.
Will Ron Rivera go from hot seat to champion?
The Panthers head coach was thought to be on the firing line when Carolina started the season 1-3. The Panthers recovered to win the NFC South title, winning eight wins in a row. Former No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton has set aside criticisms to become one of the league’s best players.
Will the Bengals and head coach Marvin Lewis finally win a playoff game?
In his 11th season in Cincinnati, Lewis is the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL behind Belichick, but he has not won a single playoff game, losing in the wild-card round four times. Bengals QB Andy Dalton has made the postseason in each of his first three seasons, but is in jeopardy of losing in the first round of the playoffs for a third consecutive year.
Can the Chiefs validate their great turnaround?
After a miserable two-win 2012 season, Kansas City is the comeback team of the year, having gone 11-5 after a 9-0 start. But few seem to give the Chiefs a lot of credit. Overshadowed by the Broncos, who overtook them for the AFC West title, the Chiefs might be the most overlooked 11-win team in recent history.