So today I wanted to put together the full 2012 NFL playoff bracket picture just for fun. Started by dusting off my old laptop where I knew I had some football stuff saved. Couldn’t find squat though – either deleted or buried in random folders.
The Hunt Begins
Grabbed my phone and just typed “2012 nfl playoffs who made it” into Google. Got way too many news articles about recent seasons though. Scrolled past like five pages feeling annoyed until I spotted an image from some fan forum with conference brackets. Saved that sucker immediately.
Memory Check Fail
Tried listing teams from memory first. Got the obvious ones like Patriots and Broncos right. Blanked completely on NFC wildcards though. Coulda sworn the Saints made it but turns out they got wrecked by that bounty scandal. Remembered texting my buddy Jim that season when the Bears choked – helped me recall they missed by one game.
Verification Chaos
Checked three sites to confirm the forum pic I saved wasn’t full of crap. First site had weird ads popping up everywhere. Second one showed brackets but left out actual team names? Third one finally matched up. Felt like herding cats trying to cross-reference on mobile.
Here’s how it shook out after all that hassle:
- AFC #1 Seed: Denver Broncos
- AFC #2: New England Patriots
- AFC #3: Houston Texans
- AFC #4: Baltimore Ravens
- AFC Wildcards: Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals
- NFC #1 Seed: Atlanta Falcons
- NFC #2: San Francisco 49ers
- NFC #3: Green Bay Packers
- NFC #4: Washington Commanders
- NFC Wildcards: Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings
Biggest surprise verifying? Forgot RGIII carried Washington to division title as a rookie before his knees exploded. Whole process took like 40 minutes when it shoulda been 5 – technology’s great till it fights you. But hey, got the job done!
