Week 12 sees the NPIFL delicately poised, with the hopes of the majority of teams hanging in the balance. With six teams at either 6-5 or 5-6, this crucial slate of games will likely see multiple teams falling out of contention for the Super Bowl playoffs. Here’s a look at the Metro and Plas Coch divisions entering Week 12:
Let’s take a look at each team’s fixtures and playoff chances, starting from the first seed in Week 12:
#1, San Wrexham 49ers (8-3)
Fixtures & predictions:
- vs. Love Train (W)
- @ Originals (W)
- @ Storm (L) – Joe Mixon, Brian Robinson on byes
- vs. Eagles Raid Steelers (W)
Prediction: 11-4, No. 1 seed (face Santos in SB)
While the 49ers are favorites entering all their matchups, they are set for some high-scoring games against their Plas Coch rivals. Bye weeks in Week 14 might cause them to lose to the Storm, but an 11-4 season sees San Wrexham enter the postseason as the top seed.
Looking at their schedule and player matchups, there is almost no way that San Wrexham misses out on the big boy playoffs.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 95%
#2, You are in Chubble (8-3)
Fixtures & predictions:
- vs. Originals (W)
- @ Storm (W)
- @ ERS (L) – Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Terry McLaurin & more on byes
- @ Love Train (W)
Prediction: 11-4, No. 2 seed (face Rams in SP)
You are in Chubble already have one foot in the playoffs and look set to get the other in this week against the O’s. Chubble look unstoppable, however, bye weeks could be too much to overcome in Week 14.
With the NPIFL’s second-best offense, one win will likely be enough for the franchise, unless YAIC suffer a spectacular fall from offensive grace.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 95%
#3, The Love Train (7-4)
Fixtures & predictions:
- @ 49ers (L)
- vs. ERS (W)
- @ Originals (L)
- vs. Chubble (L)
Prediction: 8-7, 6th (face Leviathans in FIPB)
This seems crazy to say, looking at the Love Train’s team and form, but they are set to play some Plas Coch teams with ideal matchups. As such, the Love Train could end up missing the Super Bowl playoffs.
Predicting this team to lose three times was a shock, and they could easily win what look to be close games. If TLT can go 2-2, they will likely make the Super Bowl bracket via their No. 3 offense, which will give them a tie-breaker advantage over their rivals.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 65%
#4, St. Lewis Rams (7-4)
Fixtures & predictions:
- @ Pats (W)
- @ Leviathans (L)
- vs. Santos (L) – Jonathan Taylor, Bo Nix, Nico Collins, Jayden Daniels on byes
- @ ToT (W)
Prediction: 9-6, No. 3 seed via pts scored (face Chubble in SB)
At 7-4, the postseason beckons tantalizingly for the St. Lewis Rams, but in order to get there they have to win at least two games. 10 wins is a lock this season, and nine opens the door for St. Lewis, given their points-scored advantage over most of their rivals.
Bye weeks make a potential loss against Santos XI look very scary, and the Rams might squeeze into the playoffs via points scored with multiple teams finishing 9-6.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 65%
#5, Santos XI (6-5)
Fixtures & predictions:
- vs. WWC (L)
- vs. Pats (W)
- @ Rams (W) – Jonathan Taylor, Bo Nix, Nico Collins, Jayden Daniels on byes
- @ Leviathans (W)
Prediction: 9-6, 4th via pts scored (face 49ers in SB)
Santos XI are set to benefit from facing Metro opponents in spotty form when it comes to point-scoring. Santos has some difficult games to predict, but some soft matchups here and there could give them the edge down the stretch.
The XI need to put up some decent points every game, as the points scored tiebreaker could be huge. Expect wily HC Chris Faulkner to just about make it, with Santos living up to their tag of perennial playoff contenders.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 45%
#6, Brymbo Storm (6-5)
Fixtures & predictions:
- vs. ERS (W)
- vs. Chubble (L)
- vs 49ers (W) – Joe Mixon, Brian Robinson on byes
- vs. Originals (W)
Prediction: 9-6, 5th due to pts scored (face WWC in FIPB)
Predicting the Storm to win three out of four games may seem like madness, but they have gotten off to a good start in Week 12. Chubble will likely prove too much for them, but they face a 49ers team with multiple byes, which could give them the edge.
An exciting Battle for Brymbo awaits in Week 15, with the Storm 2-0 over their rivals since the O’s moved to Mt. Sion. The Storm, however, are likely to miss out on the Super Bowl bracket as their 9th-ranked offense will lose them tiebreakers.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 35%
#7, Lloyds Leviathans (5-6)
Fixtures & predictions:
- vs. ToT (W)
- vs. Rams (W)
- @ WWC (W) – Rhamondre Stevenson, Tank Dell on byes
- vs. Santos (L)
Prediction: 8-7, 7th (face Love Train in FIPB)
The Leviathans could go on a run as we close out the season, but they need to win all four of their remaining games to have a chance at the Super Bowl bracket. The issue is that winning so many games on the bounce seems unlikely in the NPIFL, and while we think Lloyds could come out on top in three close games, they are likely to drop one somewhere.
The good news for the Leviathans is that they have the NPIFL’s No. 4 offense, so they have a shot at tiebreakers if they can somehow fight their way to a 9-6 record.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 15%
#8, Brymbo Originals (5-6)
Fixtures & predictions:
- @ Chubble (L)
- vs. 49ers (L)
- vs. Love Train (W)
- @ Storm (L)
Prediction: 6-9, 9th seed (5th pick in 2025 NPIFL Draft)
For the O’s to make the Super Bowl bracket, a lot is going to have to happen very quickly. They are already in Chubble against YAIC and they have the toughest set of fixtures remaining in the NPIFL. The Originals don’t face a single team with a losing record. They have to defeat the top three teams in the league in succession before hitting Week 15’s Battle for Brymbo, a fixture they are yet to win since moving to the Steel City.
With this in mind, it wouldn’t be hugely surprising to see them split their remaining games, but losing three seems more likely. Expect a fairly early draft pick for Brymbo in 2025, with this season being memorable for two remarkable streaks featuring both wins and losses.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 8%
#9, Wardiefence Wins Championships (5-6)
Fixtures & predictions:
- @ Santos (W)
- vs. ToT (W)
- vs. Leviathans (L) – Rhamondre Stevenson, Tank Dell on byes
- @ Pats (W)
Prediction: 8-7, 8th via pts scored (face Storm in FIPB)
The WWC have been a confounding, confusing bag of tricks in 2024, and are yet to beat a team with a record of .500 or worse. However, they have beaten every winning team they have faced thus far. After missing Christian McCaffrey, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NPIFL Draft, for the first nine weeks of the season, the WWC could go on a run here.
While they believe defense wins championships, it has not been winning enough games and the team has yet to qualify for the Super Bowl bracket since its inception in 2019. The WWC has to win out and the NPIFL’s No. 10 offense needs to average around 130 points per game if they are to have a shot. We just don’t see it happening.
Week 12 playoff chances: 5%
#10, Old England Pats (5-6)
Fixtures & predictions:
- vs. Rams (L)
- @ Santos (L)
- @ ToT (W)
- vs. WWC (L)
Prediction: 6-9, 10th (4th pick in 2025 NPIFL Draft)
The Old England Pats have been struggling to put up points all season, but have managed to stay around the Super Bowl bubble via some big weeks and edging out a few low-scoring games.
The question for Old England is whether they can win out and put up major points in every game, as they have the second-worst offense in the league at present. It does seem unlikely at this stage, but the Pats have a habit of proving people wrong and will look to do that immediately against the Rams.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 5%
#11, Eagles Raid Steelers (3-8)
Fixtures & predictions:
- @ Storm (L)
- @ Love Train (L)
- vs. Chubble (W) – Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Terry McLaurin & more on byes
- vs. 49ers (L)
Prediction: 4-11, 11th (3rd pick in 2025 NPIFL Draft)
The ERS have been a mostly dormant volcano in 2024 and they have already been eliminated from the Super Bowl bracket. However, HC Dan Gittins is always up for ruining a rival’s day and will look to do that from hereon out.
The issue is that they just don’t seem to have enough to get wins against the best teams in the league, and that is who they have in their remaining games. They are missing some huge players against the Brymbo Storm in Week 12 (Joe Burrow [Ranked No. 2 in fantasy] & Ja’Marr Chase [WR1 on the year], and while they could win a game, two seem unlikely.
Week 12 SB playoff chances: 0%
#12, Tyreek or Treat (1-10)
Fixtures & predictions:
- vs. Leviathans (L)
- @ WWC (L)
- vs. Pats (L)
- vs. Rams (L)
Prediction: 1-14, 12th (2nd pick in 2025 NPIFL Draft)
2024 has been a sequence of nightmares for defending Super Bowl champions, Tyreek or Treat. Unfortunately, the nightmares look set to continue, as QB C.J. Stroud has been handing the ball off to Joe Mixon, who gets the majority of the Texans’ points.
Tyreek or Treat have four games against teams in spotty form, and predicting them to lose all four was due to individual player matchups. It really would not be a surprise to see Tyreek Hill step up at long last, put this team on his back and see them finish the season with a few wins. However, that is yet to happen, and with ToT a 10-game losing streak, optimism is lacking around the fanbase.