Just to change the conversation a bit, here's what I'm thinking for the playoffs for this season:
AFC
AFC East: New England Patriots (z)
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens (*), Pittsburgh Steelers (y), Cincinnati Bengals (y)
AFC South: Houston Texans (z)
AFC West: Denver Broncos (z)
NFC
NFC East: Washington Redskins (z)
NFC North: Green Bay Packers (z), Detroit Lions (y)
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons (z), New Orleans Saints (y)
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers (*)
*= Clinched Division & Homefield Advantage
z= Clinched Division
y= Clinched Wild Card
These predictions are barring any major injuries, especially in the case of Peyton Manning & the Broncos.
IMO, not much has really changed from last year as far as what teams are playoff contenders & which still are not contenders. Three divisions still lack any real competition amongst themselves (AFC East, AFC South, & NFC West) & the leaders in said divisions are pretty much guaranteed (Patriots, Texans, & 49ers, respectively). Four other divisions tend to beat up on themselves (AFC North, AFC West, NFC East, & NFC North), but two of those still have the ability to produce multiple playoff teams (AFC North & NFC North). It's also worth noting that the NFC East is pretty well balanced, so the division champion could really go to any of the four teams although I'm feeling the Redskins have a good chance this time around; I figure that Eagles will get screwed by injuries, the Giants will have a case of the Super Bowl Slump, & the Cowboys will miss the cut right at the end of the season. Lastly, the NFC South is pretty much guaranteed to have the Saints or the Falcons as its division champion considering the other two teams.
And, just to make it more interesting, I thinking that it's going to be the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Baltimore Ravens for the Super Bowl with the 49ers winning it all. I also think that such a game would be very interesting to watch due to how brutal the defenses would be; there's nothing like some good old-fashioned football after all!
So, uh, let the debate begin.
