We’re a little over the halfway point in the NFL season, with the playoffs right around the corner. As I just did a team-by-team breakdown of the whole league a few weeks ago, I want to take this time to look a little more closely at the playoff contenders.
First of all, let’s establish which teams I won’t be talking about here, which are the Jets, Patriots, Dolphins, Raiders, Browns, Titans, Jaguars, Cowboys, Giants, Bears, Saints and Panthers. If any of these teams find a way to make a playoff run at this point, I will be genuinely astounded.
Now let’s get into the playoff race, starting with the AFC. Getting the most obvious pick out of the way, the Kansas City Chiefs will win the West. They’ll likely get the one-seed in the conference, possibly even going undefeated. Despite barely managing to win each week in the regular season, they’re still the team to beat in the AFC until somebody dethrones them in the playoffs. The L.A. Chargers and Denver Broncos look alright enough to potentially take wild-card spots in the playoffs, but I don’t expect either to be serious contenders for the Super Bowl.
Behind them, the Buffalo Bills are a shoo-in for the East. Clearly, none of the other teams in the division are going to pose any kind of threat. They’re just as good as always, if not better. There’s not much else to say about them at this point.
Here’s where things get interesting. Am I allowed to start believing the Pittsburgh Steelers might actually give the Baltimore Ravens a run for their money in the North? It looks like it will continue to be a tight race between these rivals until the end, with their week 11 matchup being of utmost importance, especially since Baltimore has a division loss already this season. It looks like the Steelers have settled on Russell Wilson as their starter, which has seemingly unlocked their offense. Working in tandem with what appears to be the best defense in the league, Pittsburgh was able to squeak out a win on the road against the Washington Commanders, which is no easy task this season. On the flip side, the Ravens didn’t look too hot against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. When they’re on a roll, they look like they could be the best team in the league. My concern is they’re already struggling in games they should easily win, plus they have a history of crumbling into nothing as soon as the playoffs start. Regardless of who wins the North, both teams should make the playoffs, as long as they can avoid any serious injuries. The Cincinnati Bengals should fire coach Zac Taylor. They have too many talented young players to squander them on these poorly coached games. Joe Burrow might be able to lead them to steal a wild card spot, but they’re going to have to lock in for the rest of this season and stop losing games like this past Thursday’s.
Is it time to panic yet for the Houston Texans? Yes, they still have a winning record and are recovering from injuries to key players. However, back-to-back losses in primetime, one to a bad team and the other giving up a sizable lead against a quarterback who threw five interceptions is going to be hard to bounce back from. I don’t anticipate the Indianapolis Colts snagging the South from them, but they need to figure out what’s going wrong and fix it immediately to restore their momentum going into the playoffs.
Moving to the NFC, I think the Detroit Lions are the best team in the league. They’re electric on both sides of the ball and look as hungry as I’ve ever seen them. Behind them in the North, the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers look good, but I’m not sure I fully believe in either. They’ll have a good chance to secure wild card spots, but I don’t know if either will do anything with them when the playoffs roll around.
I still think the Washington Commanders are going to win the East, but the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t going to let them have it without a fight. Saquon Barkley looks like a machine in Phili, but I’m not convinced they’re quite as good as their record would have you believe. Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels has been incredible this season, bringing out the best in the Commanders’ offense. If they can get Brian Robinson Jr. healthy again, I think they’re the second-best team in the NFC. At the end of the day, I’m confident both of these teams will make it to the playoffs.
The West is the division I feel the least sure about. The Arizona Cardinals and L.A. Rams have each been on a hot streak lately, but my gut tells me that now that Christian McCaffery is back, the San Francisco 49ers are going to steal the division and leave the others to duke it out for wild card spots. I never had much faith in the Seattle Seahawks, but they’re only a game behind their division competitors, so they could still easily turn things around.
Finally, the South is a joke. The Atlanta Falcons should win the division pretty easily now that the Buccaneers are so banged up. Baker Mayfield can’t carry their whole team without any support. The Falcons certainly don’t look amazing, but it should be enough to get them to the playoffs.
My playoff predictions are the Chiefs, Bills, Texans, Ravens, Steelers, Chargers and either the Broncos or the Bengals in the AFC. In the NFC, I expect to see the Lions, Commanders, Falcons, 49ers, Vikings, Packers and Rams.
Commentary: NFL Week 10 Update
We’re a little over the halfway point in the NFL season, with the playoffs right around the corner. As I just did a team-by-team breakdown of the whole league a few weeks ago, I want to take this time to look a little more closely at the playoff contenders.
First of all, let’s establish which teams I won’t be talking about here, which are the Jets, Patriots, Dolphins, Raiders, Browns, Titans, Jaguars, Cowboys, Giants, Bears, Saints and Panthers. If any of these teams find a way to make a playoff run at this point, I will be genuinely astounded.
Now let’s get into the playoff race, starting with the AFC. Getting the most obvious pick out of the way, the Kansas City Chiefs will win the West. They’ll likely get the one-seed in the conference, possibly even going undefeated. Despite barely managing to win each week in the regular season, they’re still the team to beat in the AFC until somebody dethrones them in the playoffs. The L.A. Chargers and Denver Broncos look alright enough to potentially take wild-card spots in the playoffs, but I don’t expect either to be serious contenders for the Super Bowl.
Behind them, the Buffalo Bills are a shoo-in for the East. Clearly, none of the other teams in the division are going to pose any kind of threat. They’re just as good as always, if not better. There’s not much else to say about them at this point.
Here’s where things get interesting. Am I allowed to start believing the Pittsburgh Steelers might actually give the Baltimore Ravens a run for their money in the North? It looks like it will continue to be a tight race between these rivals until the end, with their week 11 matchup being of utmost importance, especially since Baltimore has a division loss already this season. It looks like the Steelers have settled on Russell Wilson as their starter, which has seemingly unlocked their offense. Working in tandem with what appears to be the best defense in the league, Pittsburgh was able to squeak out a win on the road against the Washington Commanders, which is no easy task this season. On the flip side, the Ravens didn’t look too hot against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. When they’re on a roll, they look like they could be the best team in the league. My concern is they’re already struggling in games they should easily win, plus they have a history of crumbling into nothing as soon as the playoffs start. Regardless of who wins the North, both teams should make the playoffs, as long as they can avoid any serious injuries. The Cincinnati Bengals should fire coach Zac Taylor. They have too many talented young players to squander them on these poorly coached games. Joe Burrow might be able to lead them to steal a wild card spot, but they’re going to have to lock in for the rest of this season and stop losing games like this past Thursday’s.
Is it time to panic yet for the Houston Texans? Yes, they still have a winning record and are recovering from injuries to key players. However, back-to-back losses in primetime, one to a bad team and the other giving up a sizable lead against a quarterback who threw five interceptions is going to be hard to bounce back from. I don’t anticipate the Indianapolis Colts snagging the South from them, but they need to figure out what’s going wrong and fix it immediately to restore their momentum going into the playoffs.
Moving to the NFC, I think the Detroit Lions are the best team in the league. They’re electric on both sides of the ball and look as hungry as I’ve ever seen them. Behind them in the North, the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers look good, but I’m not sure I fully believe in either. They’ll have a good chance to secure wild card spots, but I don’t know if either will do anything with them when the playoffs roll around.
I still think the Washington Commanders are going to win the East, but the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t going to let them have it without a fight. Saquon Barkley looks like a machine in Phili, but I’m not convinced they’re quite as good as their record would have you believe. Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels has been incredible this season, bringing out the best in the Commanders’ offense. If they can get Brian Robinson Jr. healthy again, I think they’re the second-best team in the NFC. At the end of the day, I’m confident both of these teams will make it to the playoffs.
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The West is the division I feel the least sure about. The Arizona Cardinals and L.A. Rams have each been on a hot streak lately, but my gut tells me that now that Christian McCaffery is back, the San Francisco 49ers are going to steal the division and leave the others to duke it out for wild card spots. I never had much faith in the Seattle Seahawks, but they’re only a game behind their division competitors, so they could still easily turn things around.
Finally, the South is a joke. The Atlanta Falcons should win the division pretty easily now that the Buccaneers are so banged up. Baker Mayfield can’t carry their whole team without any support. The Falcons certainly don’t look amazing, but it should be enough to get them to the playoffs.
My playoff predictions are the Chiefs, Bills, Texans, Ravens, Steelers, Chargers and either the Broncos or the Bengals in the AFC. In the NFC, I expect to see the Lions, Commanders, Falcons, 49ers, Vikings, Packers and Rams.