so after all the bye weeks, an update:
AFC EAST:
the pats will take it, end of question. the bills ran out of gas a few games ago. dolphins will win some more games and the jets are lucky if they end up anywhere close to a wild-card berth.
AFC NORTH:
actually i think that both the steelers and ravens are not as good as most people say. ravens lost two times in the ugliest of ways against low-5 teams. and something is wrong with the steelers, idk what but this division is up for grabs with cincy still in the race and even cleveland wont tank as they are only 3 games away from the division lead.
AFC SOUTH:
oh my god, the colts are awful. and it wouldnt be a lot better with manning. noone is that important to a team. they made bad personnel decisions across the board and have incredibly bad depth all over the field. the time of the jaguars will come if gabbert can improve, but not this year, they probably wont win a lot of games either. texans will win this division if leinart isnt fucking up completely, but watch out for the titans.
AFC WEST:
as much as i hate to say it, the raiders are the best team right now. the broncos look hot and all, but this wont work for another 4-5 games this year. chiefs are done, they look lost and had it tough with injuries. 4 of the 6 chiefs players i knew by name before the season are out. chargers have now three games they have to and should win (broncos, jaguars, bills) while oakland plays chicago, red-hot miami and the packers. i would say this division comes down to wk 17, OAK vs SD.
NFC EAST:
giants have some tough games ahead, i would be surprised if they go over 9-7. same with the cowboys, they are a little inconsistent, although they have the best chances right now. if the eagles beat the pats somehow, some way, they beat the seahaws next and we will see how many wins the cowboys and the giants have at that point.
NFC NORTH:
packers look good, but they wont repeat. this one-game at a time thing is made for upsets and its just so tough to repeat. lions also look a little flat the last few games and the bears lost cutler. this division will change a lot over the last 6 games.
NFC SOUTH:
saints will win it. falcons are not a good team and TB is too far away. panthers could have 4-5 wins more if beason was healthy and a better red-zone offense.
NFC WEST:
49ers are up and away, no wild card is coming of this division, so what else? rams are disappointing, looked like they have promise last year, cardinals have to solve their QB issue somehow and the seahawks could end up being a legit team next year for some reason.
playoffs, with some bold predictions, it would be senseless to just take the current playoff picture and say thats how it ends.
AFC
1 pats
2 texans
3 ravens
4 chargers
WC steelers/bengals
WC titans
NFC
1 packers
2 49ers
3 saints
4 eagles
WC bears
WC falcons/cowboys