Fox’s 2016 NFL Season Preview Part 5: The Final Four

Which teams will make up the final 4 teams in the NFL playoffs and who do I think will be the Super Bowl Champion? Check it out in this NFL Season Preview.

NFC Title Game: Arizona 28 vs Seattle 13

How did the Seahawks get here? It’s amazing to think but the early reports are that the Seahawks might have shuffled together a quality offensive line despite seeing Max Unger and Russell Okung depart in consecutive seasons. And with a renewed focus on the running game with their 4 or 5 headed running back monster, their offense could be extremely effective.

Their defense will still be among the most talented and effective in the league. They probably won’t miss Bruce Irvin that much. They really love Frank Clark on the field and he’ll see Irvin’s snaps as a dedicated pass rusher. Watch Jarren Reed at tackle. That defense requires it’s tackles to hold the point and Reed did that extremely well in college.

However, they’ll struggle against teams with a quality offensive line that their defensive front 7 can’t bully around. They just don’t have the offensive firepower to get into shootouts with opposing teams, especially if they’re going to focus on the running game.

And the Cardinals will be their nemesis all season long. They have the offensive line which won’t get bullied by their front and they have a defense which will give Wilson and the rebuilt Hawks’ line fits. This will be Nkedmiche’s breakout game where he torches the right side of the Seattle line and their offense just sputters to a halt.

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AFC Title Game: Pittsburgh 41 vs New England 24

How did the Patriots get here? Oddly enough the Deflategate suspension will be the best thing that could happen to the Patriots. Belichick gets four games to see what holes Tom Brady has been covering up for over the last couple years and Brady doesn’t get hit for a month. And at his age, the team wants to minimize how many hits he takes.

This is one of the reasons why the Pats gave up Chandler Jones, for whom they still don’t have a replacement for, to get ahold of Jon Cooper. They’re looking to solidify the inside of their offensive line so that they can roll help towards Solder, who’s very hit and miss these days. Or consider benching Solder for one of their many guard/tackle tweeners.

On defense they’re counting on Malcolm Brown to take some big steps forward and they’ve cycled in some much needed athleticism in the LB corps and the secondary. It’s just not enough unless a pass rusher comes out of nowhere. But they’ll make it this far because the AFC is just bad this season.

A relatively healthy Steelers’ team is just a bad matchup for them. They have the size on the offensive line to bully around the Pats’ front 7 and too much speed for their corners. On defense, the Pats would need Gronk to have a Gronk of a game but the Steelers could easily make it into a track meet.

Super Bowl: Pittsburgh 41 vs Arizona 24

How did the Cardinals get here? Simply put: because they recommitted to both lines. That might sound a bit weird considering that they dealt away Jon Cooper and saw Bobbie Massie walk for the Bears, but they had DJ Humphries waiting in the wings and added Evan Mathis to fill those holes with a minimum of effort.

If they can move the ball, and they should be able to barring injuries, that defense might be one of the best in the NFL. It’s hard to pass on it, their defensive front 7 can give any offensive line fits and it’s well coached.

I don’t see a lot of holes, barring injury. That said, their biggest barrier to success and what will hamstring them in their hypothetical super bowl matchup with the Steelers is that they have too many players who can lose focus.

How did the Steelers get here? It might seem like an odd choice. The Steelers are replacing Kelvin Beachum, Martavis Bryant and Heath Miller. And Le’Veon Bell will miss several weeks due to injury and/or suspension. But this is a team that had the Super Bowl champions on the ropes despite not having Antonio Brown, Bell, Beachum and an injured Big Ben.

They’ve made some improvements on this team: Ladarius Green replaces Miller(assuming Green ever gets healthy), Eli Rogers and Sammie Coates replaces Bryant, DeAngelo Williams did a fine job filling in for Bell and the Steelers added young talent to a secondary that was a major achilles’ heel for them. Another year for Bud Dupree to learn might lead him into a breakout season.

As long as Ben and Brown are on the field for the Steelers, they’ll have a very good shot of beating anyone on their schedule. Once Bell gets back, this offense could be extremely dangerous for anyone to face. On defense, they’re all looking to get anything from Jarvis Jones. If Sean Davis can lock down a starting spot in the secondary, then 13-14 wins could be possible.

In the Super Bowl, the Steelers’ size on the offensive line should serve to negate the Cards’ attacking defensive front 7. Peterson might be on the best in the NFL at Corner but he’ll struggle with Antonio Brown. The Cards would almost certainly roll Matthieu over to help and that should open up the middle of the field too much for the Steelers.

On the other side of the ball, the Steelers’ front 7 quickness and exotic blitzing should take advantage of the Cards’ relatively slower offensive line. Shazier will shadow David Johnson around the field and that could mute his effectiveness.

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