12-26-2015, 11:05 PM
Interesting read...playoff trees charting the path to the playoffs for every NFL team..
http://nyti.ms/1OeObQu
With 31 games remaining in the season, there are two billion ways the season could end. Which of those outcomes are best for your team? It’s questions like these that led us to build our N.F.L. simulator, to let you explore which games matter the most for your team’s playoff chances.
But with just two weeks left, the remaining possibilities have winnowed to a small enough number that we can start to list them exhaustively, depicting each team’s possible paths as the branches of a tree. We have listed the games from left to right in order of their importance in determining whether each team makes the playoffs or — if it has already clinched — the team’s playoff seed.
The charts below list the full range of outcomes for teams that are in or have a shot at the playoffs. Some teams’ trees are relatively tidy, while others’ – like the Falcons’ – are wildly convuluted. But we think they’re both helpful and fun. Note: We did not include ties, which exponentially increase the chart’s complexity, because teams rarely tie.
http://nyti.ms/1OeObQu
With 31 games remaining in the season, there are two billion ways the season could end. Which of those outcomes are best for your team? It’s questions like these that led us to build our N.F.L. simulator, to let you explore which games matter the most for your team’s playoff chances.
But with just two weeks left, the remaining possibilities have winnowed to a small enough number that we can start to list them exhaustively, depicting each team’s possible paths as the branches of a tree. We have listed the games from left to right in order of their importance in determining whether each team makes the playoffs or — if it has already clinched — the team’s playoff seed.
The charts below list the full range of outcomes for teams that are in or have a shot at the playoffs. Some teams’ trees are relatively tidy, while others’ – like the Falcons’ – are wildly convuluted. But we think they’re both helpful and fun. Note: We did not include ties, which exponentially increase the chart’s complexity, because teams rarely tie.
