The Steelers' win last night propelled the Eagles up to the sixth overall pick in the draft. (The Saints pick that they gave us last year.) If the Rams get a win or two, the Panthers, Bears, and Broncos find a win or two and the Eagles could be in the top two or three in the draft if the Saints continue to lose.
That AFC South crown could still be up for grabs. The Titans have a three-game lead with six to play, but the six they play are pretty tough. They get the Eagles this week. Then the Jaguars, who are playing pretty well now. Then the Chargers, Texans, Cowboys, and Jaguars again. The only "sure" win is the Texans game.
If the Titans lose to the Eagles, then the Jags win this coming week against the Lions, and knock the Titans off the next week, the Jags would be just one game back with three to go and their finale against the Titans. It's not too hard to see that finale being for the AFC South crown.
The Colts have a murderous stretch of their schedule coming up with games against the Cowboys, Vikings, Chargers, and Giants before ending with the Texans. I don't see a lot of wins there. A final record of 5-11-1 might be about the best you could expect.
It's going to be a chaotic off-season for the Colts. They need to figure out their coaching staff, who the QB will be, and pretty much start over. They can lose their way into the top three to seven of the draft though, so there's that.
They won't be alone in making changes though. Lots of teams swung and missed this past offseason. The Broncos, Texans, Raiders, and Saints could all make head coaching changes. The Panthers have already dumped their head coach. Many more will follow.
A team that won the offseason lottery would be the Giants. They came into the season looking like a bottom-five team but are in the playoff hunt. Their problem now is going to be finding the talent they need to grow. They won't be drafting at the top of the draft any longer. They have to figure out what to do with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. Neither guy is under contract for next season. Both will cost a lot to resign. They still have a lower-tier level of talent, but really good coaching.
The playoff races are heating up a bit. The Bengals/Ravens are in a dogfight. The whole AFC East is tight. As is the NFC East. The Titans could easily end up 8-9 and either just miss or just eke into the playoffs. The Chiefs have a stranglehold on the AFC West. The Chargers are staying in the hunt though. The Vikings can pretty much go on cruise control. They've won the NFC North barring a total collapse. The Niners and Seahawks are fighting it out in the west.
Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
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