NFL Midseason Report: Playoff Picture

 Well, Jim Mora, I will start talking about the playoffs.  Week 8 of the NFL season is in the books and marks the halfway point of the season.  This is the time of the season where people really start to see the playoff picture start to manifest itself.  I will look at who would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, give my prediction on who will make it and give some dark horse candidates who could surprise some people and make it to the playoffs.

If the season ended today, this is what the playoff picture would look like:
AFC: 1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0), 2. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2), 3. New England Patriots (6-2), 4. Indianapolis Colts (5-2), 5. Denver Broncos (7-1), 6. San Diego Chargers (4-3)

NFC: 1. Seattle Seahawks (7-1), 2. New Orleans Saints (6-1), 3. Green Bay Packers (5-2), 4. Dallas Cowboys (4-4), 5. San Francisco 49ers (6-2), Detroit Lions (5-3)

The teams ranked 1-4 in both conferences are the division winners and the teams ranked 5-6 are the Wild Card teams, or the best of the rest.

Dark Horse Candidates:
AFC: New York Jets (4-4): This team has been a little inconsistent this year, hence the record, but this team could surprise some people.  They did split two games with the Patriots this year.  They are 2-1 in their division right now and if they take care of business there, they could see themselves surpassing the Chargers for the final Wild Card spot.

NFC: Carolina Panthers (4-3): This has been one of the most surprising teams in the NFL so far this year being that many people picked them to be near the bottom of the standings this year.  They aren't there though because of their defense.  They have allowed the least amount of points this year so their offense doesn't have to score a whole lot for these guys to be successful.

Prediction:
Based on watching the games this year and my knowledge of the different teams, here is my prediction on who will make it to the playoffs this year.

AFC: 1. Denver Broncos, 2. Indianapolis Colts, 3. Cincinnati Bengals, 4. New England Patriots, 5. Kansas City Chiefs, 6. New York Jets

NFC: 1. Seattle Seahawks, 2. New Orleans Saints, 3. Green Bay Packers, 4. Dallas Cowboys, 5. San Francisco 49ers, 6. Detroit Lions

And for the heck of it, I'm going to predict the Super Bowl too.  Playing in the Super Bowl, I have the New Orleans Saints playing the Kansas City Chiefs.  The final score will be KC 20, NO 17.  You heard it here first.