The Horse Race That Is the NFL Season

There are certain trends that go unnoticed during an NFL season. One of the trends that has become a factor is so much can change in the standings after the halfway point of the season. Let's be honest the really good teams we continue to play well all year long, unless they get ravaged by a major injury. The Pats, Steelers, Ravens, and Colts will all probably play well the rest of the way, but someone will make a run from the back of the pack. I started noticing this when in the past I would always draw out the playoff pairings at the halfway point. Every year, it seems like teams have really bad second halves and some random team comes out of nowhere, gets hot and makes the playoffs. A team that is 6-2 just collapses down the stretch, and a team at 4-4 or 3-5 makes a run and sneaks in the playoffs, while everyone is scratching their heads and saying to themselves: How did that happen? Take a look at these facts going back to 2002 when this current realignment and playoff format (4 Division winners+ 2 Wildcards):

2009:

-Started 6-2 and failed to make the playoffs:

Denver and Pittsburgh

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

Jets and Baltimore

2008:

-Started 6-2 and failed to make the playoffs:

Washington

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

Miami

-Started 3-5 and made the playoffs:

San Diego

2007:

-Started 6-2 and failed to make the playoffs:

Detroit

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

San Diego, Tampa Bay, and Seattle

2006:

-Started 6-2 and failed to make the playoffs:

Denver

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

Jets and Dallas

2005:

-Started 6-2 and failed to make the playoffs:

Atlanta

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

New England

2004:

-Started 6-3 and failed to make the playoffs:

Baltimore and Jacksonville

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

Green Bay and St.Louis

2003:

-Started 6-2 and failed to make the playoffs:

Minnesota

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

Green Bay

2002:

-Started 6-2 and failed to make the playoffs:

Denver, San Diego, and New Orleans

-Started 4-4 and made the playoffs:

Indianapolis, Tennessee, Oakland, and New York Giants

-Started 3-5 and made the playoffs:

New York Jets

My overall point is that the NFL season is like a horse race: Teams jump out in front and take the lead, other teams kind of trot in the middle of the pack at the halfway point, those teams in front start to run out of gas, and those teams in the middle come up and take over the race down the stretch. It will be fun to see which teams could potentially fall apart and which teams will make their move.