A Christmas wish list for every NFL contender

With Christmas less than a week away, it doesn’t hurt to ask Santa for a little help on the football field.

In the spirit of the holidays, let’s look at eight NFL playoff contenders and what they should put at the top of their Christmas wish list to make a 2020 postseason run.

8. Miami Dolphins

Wish: A three-game sweep to close out the season

With an 8-5 record, the upstart Dolphins hold the No. 7 seed in the AFC, but their chances of reaching the postseason are slim.

Miami’s final three games include a home matchup against New England and road games at Las Vegas and Buffalo.

If the Dolphins drop just one game, they open the door for 8-5 Baltimore to steal Miami’s playoff spot. The Ravens will be favored in all three of their remaining regular-season games, including against the 1-12 Jaguars and 2-10-1 Bengals.  

7. Seattle Seahawks

Wish: A return to Russell Wilson’s MVP form

There was a time when Seattle’s dismal defense hardly mattered, because Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson carried his team to an undefeated record.

Through Week 5, Wilson threw 19 touchdown passes to three interceptions and had everyone calling him the MVP favorite.

Now, Wilson is an afterthought. The Seahawks have four losses, including one to the 5-8 Giants, and Wilson has been intercepted nine times over the last eight games.

Seattle has little chance to make a postseason run if Wilson doesn’t return to his early season form.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wish: A first-round matchup with the NFC East

If the playoffs were to start today, Tampa Bay would get the sixth seed and confront a third-seeded Rams team that defeated the Bucs on Nov. 23.

Despite all the hype that surrounded quarterback Tom Brady and his star-studded offense ahead of the 2020 season, this team hasn’t been able to defeat most of the playoff-caliber teams on its schedule.

The Bucs fell to New Orleans twice and lost to Chicago. Kansas City also had its way with Tampa for most of a 27-24 Chiefs victory in Week 12.

The Bucs’ best bet for a first-round playoff win is if they jump up to the fifth seed to face the NFC East winner.

No team in the East has a winning record, and whoever comes out of the division will more than likely provide a quick out in the playoffs.  

5. Buffalo Bills

Wish: Ball security

At 10-3, the Bills sit first in the AFC East and hold the No. 3 seed in the conference.

The Bills are a greater playoff threat than last year, but they still have their issues — namely with ball security.

Buffalo’s 10 fumbles lost are tied for the second most in the league.

In the past three games, the team has fumbled seven times and lost four.

That kind of sloppiness could lead to an early postseason exit for a second straight year, if the Bills aren’t more careful.  

4. Pittsburgh Steelers 

Wish: A run game

The once-undefeated Steelers now look like one of the more beatable teams in the playoff picture.

In their last two losses, the Steelers have been one-dimensional on offense, and they have just one rushing touchdown across the last six games. The team ran for only 21 yards on 14 carries in its defeat against Washington. The following game, the Steelers got 47 yards on 17 rushes at Buffalo.

Only the Texans average fewer rushing yards per game this season.

3. New Orleans Saints

Wish: Drew Brees at full strength

Eleven broken ribs and a punctured lung kept quarterback Drew Brees out of the last four games on New Orleans’ schedule.

He will return to action Sunday against the Chiefs, but according to head coach Sean Payton, Brees still has “a ways to go” in his recovery.

Backup Taysom Hill went 3-1 in Brees’ absence but against three teams with a losing record. Hill may be the future of the franchise, but the offense is clearly better suited for Brees’ skill set.

The Saints need to keep their veteran QB healthy and upright to give Brees one more shot at a Super Bowl, before he likely retires at the end of the season.

2. Green Bay Packers

Wish: Defensive turnovers

The 10-3 Packers are on their way to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

They average the most points per game (31.5), the second-most yards (397.6), and are tied for the fewest giveaways (nine) in the league.  

The problem with Green Bay is that its defense doesn’t quite stack up to the quality of its offense.

The unit isn’t forcing enough turnovers to put games out of reach. The Packers rank sixth to last in takeaways, with just eight interceptions and five fumble recoveries.  

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Wish: A Super Bowl win

The Chiefs run defense is once again a concern, but Kansas City’s lightning-quick offense compensates for most weaknesses.

With just one loss this season, Patrick Mahomes and company look even more dangerous than they did last year.

It’s Super Bowl or bust for the reigning champions, and it’s difficult to pinpoint which team could stand in the way of a second-straight title.

All the Chiefs need to do is stay their current course, and they'll be on their way to another Lombardi Trophy.

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