Stuck on a 3-hour plane flight? Going to be in the doctor’s office for the next hour or so?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
At this point in the offseason, NFL fans will read just about any article related to the NFL just because that’s what we do when nothing else is going on.
With that being said, I’ve decided to come up with the dream season for any fan of Maryland football. Keep in mind that this is by no means making predictions for how the upcoming 2016 season will turn out.
That isn’t to say that this couldn’t happen though – it’s just very unlikely. Without further ado, let’s draw out this “dream” playoff scenario:
AFC Playoff Seeding:
- Baltimore Ravens (North) – Duh. This is the Maryland “dream” scenario for crying out load.
- New England Patriots (East) – The Patriots stood in the Ravens way for two years in a row in the AFC title game during the 2011 and 2012 postseason. These teams usually play great games against each other.
- Indianapolis Colts (South) – Does the word “relocation” ring a bell, Ravens fans?
- San Diego Chargers (West) – For whatever the reason, the Ravens and Chargers always seem to play great games against each other. The past three games that these teams played all went down to the wire.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (Wild Card) – An arch rival in the playoffs? This could make for one exciting (and actually possible) AFC Championship game.
- Cincinnati Bengals (Wild Card) – Let’s throw yet another competitive division rival of the Ravens in this playoff mix.
NFC Playoff Seeding:
- Washington Redskins (East) – Once again, this is a Maryland “dream” scenario.
- Los Angeles Rams (West) – Anybody remember that blockbuster trade for RGIII?
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (South) – The Buccaneers-Redskins game was a trademark game for the Redskins last season. “You like that!?”
- Chicago Bears (North) – The Redskins and the Bears have both been in the cellar of their respective divisions quite a few times in recent memory. Therefore, these teams have played against each other a lot despite not being division rivals.
- Dallas Cowboys (Wild Card) – America’s team back in the playoffs? This is (by far) the Redskins most hated rival. This would be a must-see if they met in the playoffs.
- New York Giants (Wild Card) – Potential for OBJ vs. Josh Norman in the playoffs? Yes please.
You may be asking why there are so many rivals of both the Ravens and the Redskins in this playoff picture.
The reason is because there is no better feeling than beating your arch rivals in the playoffs and ending their season in heartbreak while you eventually advance to the Super Bowl.
Wild Card Round:
AFC:
(6) Cincinnati Bengals over (3) Indianapolis Colts
(5) Pittsburgh Steelers over (4) San Diego Chargers
NFC:
(6) New York Giants over (3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(5) Dallas Cowboys over (4) Chicago Bears
In order for these epic division rivalries to happen in the playoffs, all of the wild card teams (fifth and sixth seeds) must win their games.
Divisional Round:
AFC:
(1) Baltimore Ravens over (6) Cincinnati Bengals
(5) Pittsburgh Steelers over (2) New England Patriots
NFC:
(1) Washington Redskins over (6) New York Giants
(5) Dallas Cowboys over (2) Los Angeles Rams
So the Ravens and Redskins beat their division rivals in the divisional round of the playoffs and then get home games against their most bitter division rivals in the Conference title games? How could this get any better?
Championship Round:
AFC:
(1) Baltimore Ravens over (5) Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC:
(1) Washington Redskins over (5) Dallas Cowboys
At this point, the Ravens and the Redskins have defeated their most hated rivals in the conference title games. Now, they’ve both advanced to the Super Bowl to face off against each other! This would be epic!
Super Bowl LI: Baltimore Ravens vs. Washington Redskins
You didn’t think I was going to pick a winner for this game, did you?
That would spoil the all the fun.
Unfortunately, only one of these teams can actually win the Super Bowl if this scenario was to actually play out.
Who would you pull for? Or better yet, who do you think would win?
