Packers Steelers among four teams with r

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Four teams can complete historic turnarounds to make the NFL playoffs this weekend after their seasons looked lost. The were 2-6 without much hope of a Year 2 leap in sight. Jacksonville showed flashes early in the year with a 28-point win at the , but still more closely resembled a team that had back-to-back No. 1 overall picks than a playoff team. The were 4-8 and off to the worst start in ' career. It didn't even look like Rodgers, who had David Perron Kids Jersey run the table before, could dig them out of this hole. There was also plenty of speculation would replace the banged-up veteran quarterback for the rest of the season. The were 4-8 and Mike Tomlin's first losing season was all but a sured. Pittsburgh could not get into a rhythm after an injury to coupled with the transition from to rookie . The were 1-6 and completely written off. At that juncture they were 4-19-1 during Dan Campbell's tenure. The only silver lining was a high draft pick from the struggling , courtesy of the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade, which would be used to replace Goff. Miraculously, all four teams find themselves either a win away from the postseason, or a win and some help away. It's po sible that as many as three could make the postseason: the Jaguars, Steelers and either the Packers or Lions. There's never been a season in history where multiple teams made the playoffs after being four-plus games under .500. In 42 seasons since the 1970 NFL-AFL Merger, only seven teams have rebounded from being four-plus games below .500 to make the playoffs. It happens once every seven years. There's been 557 teams during that span to be four below at some point, so 1.2 percent of teams have made it. Teams four games below .500 at Dominik Bokk Men Jersey any point and made playoffs in NFL historyStarted2020 Washington 2-7 2018 1-5 2015 1-5 2014 3-8-1 2008 Chargers 4-8 1992 Chargers 0-4 1970 1-6 Of the four teams still alive in Week 18, only the Jaguars are playing for a seed higher than seven. So if you want to say this is only the product of the expanded postseason, you wouldn't be wrong. I still think it's spectacular and entertaining that four franchises can climb out of those holes and in contention. Time to dive into the specifics on each team's playoff quest and how they've turned it around: Playoff chances: Low point: 4% | Now: 75%Clinching scenario: Win/tie vs. OR lo ses by , and SteelersHow it happened: Trevor Lawrence made the Year 2 leap. Plain and simple. Mostly. He has the largest improvement in pa ser rating of any qualified QB from last season, and the largest jump from Year 1-2 by a No. 1 overall pick QB since Terry Bradshaw from 1970-71.It all started after the Jaguars' 2-6 start. Since that point, Lawrence has the highest pa ser rating in the NFL among QBs with 200+ pa s attempts. He also ranks fourth in EPA per dropback during that span. Lawrence finally started consistently showcasing the arm talent, which made him one of the best quarterback prospects of all time. One of the toughest throws for anyone to make is in tight coverage to the outside of the field. Those throws, especially to the intermediate portions, could be considered a measuring stick of Brett Hull Men Jersey sorts. Well, Lawrence has mastered those pa ses in the last two months, completing over 70 percent of his pa ses with only one interception. I can't point to one reason he flipped the switch, but I'll speculate it's for a combination of reasons. The culture shift from Urban Meyer to Doug Pederson is the obvious one. Chemistry with new teammates is another. Jacksonville's top three receivers ( , , ) were not on the team last season. Trevor Lawrence Pa sing Outside the NumbersFirst 25 GamesLast 8 GamesComp pct 62% 72% Pa ser rating 79.6 118.7 TD-INT 17-14 11-1 Trevor Lawrence's comeback against the was his signature moment so far in the NFL, and this throw to on fourth down of the game-winning drive says it all. He has the arm talent, anticipation and trust to release the ball before Jones' break and put it in the perfect spot: Of course, I can't not mention the Titans' six-game losing streak as a big reason Jacksonville is also knocking on the door of postseason contention. Playoff chances: Low point: 1% | Now: 66%Clinching scenario: Win vs. LionsHow it happened: after a deep dive on Rodgers' knack for turning around Packers' seasons. His play actually hasn't improved statistically during the team's four-game win streak; instead the defense has made a dramatic turnaround. The defensive unit is forcing three turnovers per game during the streak after forcing one per game over the Brett Hull Kids Jersey team's 4-8 start. A majority of the takeaways have come from good reads by defenders or tipped balls, leading me to believe Green Bay's switch to blitz le s and play more zone coverage has made a major impact. It was no small change either. The Packers went from blitzing at the second-lowest rate in the league to the second-highest during their win streak. They also went from playing zone coverage at a league average rate, to the highest in the NFL over that span.Packers Defense This SeasonFirst 12 GamesLast 4 GamesW-L 4-8 4-0 PPG 23.6 17.0 Takeaways 12 12 Pa s TD-INT 18-8 4-9 Early in last week's win over the , made a nice read in zone coverage and was able to deflect the pa s into the waiting arms of , who returned it 75 yards for a TD: Green Bay can also thank the , losers of three straight, for leaving the door open for the final NFC playoff spot. Playoff chances: Low point: 0.2% | Now: 20% Clinching scenario: Win vs. AND lo ses by Dolphins & PatriotsHow it happened: The Steelers' rebound is the one I'm most impre sed by. They've had to win four straight games to even be in position to make the postseason. They still need help, but just getting here with a rookie quarterback stepping up -- especially how he did it in the last two games -- is remarkable. Pickett is the first rookie QB in NFL history with a game-winning touchdown pa s in the final minute of the fourth quarter in back-to-back games. That's just bonkers.They've gotten here by regaining their identity. With Nate Prosser Kids Jersey any smash-mouth team it starts in the trenches. T.J. Watt's return from a torn pectoral has coincided with the return of the Steel Curtain. Pittsburgh has the No. 1 total defense in the NFL since Watt's return from injury after ranking 29th prior. The offensive line might be the unsung hero of this team, though, after they were the biggest weakne s in 2021. They ranked 31st in ESPN's pa s block win rate metric last year and have improved all the way to fifth this year.Continuity has gone a long way; they are the only team to start the same five offensive lineman in every game this season. has also been running like a man po se sed, especially in Pittsburgh's Week 17 win in Baltimore. The last element, though, is a quarter