Seven teams that could slide because of schedule
*Around The NFL continues to as our comrades at NFL NOW .Next up is time for a little schedule analysis: Which teams are set up for second half failure because of a tough slate of games? *Buffalo Bills and Miami DolphinsThe and are two of the 11 AFC teams that enter . Their defensive lines are both among the top five groups in the league. But they both have imbalanced offenses and very difficult schedules in the second half of the year.Buffalo has road games in Denver and New England, and some difficult home games against Green Bay and Kansas City. The Lonzo Ball Jersey will probably need to pull off a big upset or two to get to 10 wins.Miami has similar problems, po sibly even more acute. They travel to Denver, New England and Detroit. They have tough home games against San Diego and Baltimore. The home game against the is nearly a must win for the because of tiebreakers. (Buffalo already beat Miami in .) We still don't expect a wild card team to come out of the AFC East. The entire Wenyen Gabriel Jersey NFC WestSt. Louis is out of the playoff mix, so they don't really count for the purposes of this post. (But their schedule is brutal, too.) Arizona, San Francisco and Seattle all face difficult roads to the playoffs in part because they have to play each other.Seattle and Arizona still have five division games left, and the started their division slate with a lo s in Derrick Favors Jersey St. Louis. Arizona is a great home team that still has road games in Dallas, Seattle and San Francisco. The also have tricky home dates against Detroit and Kansas City.The still have to go to Arizona and San Francisco, in addition to road dates in Kansas City and Philadelphia. Those will all be difficult games. San Francisco has two road division games out of the way, which is a positive. But they still have to travel to Seattle, New Orleans, and to New York to face the . They finish with home games against the and .Late in the season, playoff contenders want a few games where they are Eric Bledsoe Jersey heavy favorites. Those are hard to find in the NFC West, where the three contenders could all inflict damage on each other. Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego ChargersYou'll notice a theme in this list. Division teams have very similar schedules, so the difficult paths are grouped together. San Diego might have the toughest closing schedule on this list: at Baltimore, vs. New England, vs. Denver, at San Francisco, and at Kansas City. The ' game in Miami this week could quietly have huge playoff implications.Kansas City's schedule has its share of cupcakes ( twice and ), but plenty of games where they will be underdogs. They travel to Buffalo, Arizona and Nickeil Alexander-Walker Jersey Pittsburgh. They have tough home games against Seattle and Denver. It's going to be difficult for the and the to both squeeze in the playoffs. Here's an early prediction: Their matchup will be the game flexed into Sunday Night Football because it will be a "play-in" game for a wild-card spot.The latest Around The NFL Podcast at the midway point and previews -. Find more Around The NFL content on .