If the NFL season ended after week 9, here’s how the playoffs would stack up:
| AFC | ||||
| Seed | Team | Rec. | Div. Rec. | Conf. Rec. |
| 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-2 | 1-0 | 5-1 |
| 2 | Houston Texans | 6-3 | 3-0 | 6-2 |
| 3 | New England Patriots | 5-3 | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| 4 | San Diego Chargers | 4-4 | 2-1 | 3-3 |
| 5 | Baltimore Ravens | 6-2 | 2-0 | 4-2 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-3 | 0-2 | 4-3 |
| New York Jets | 5-3 | 2-1 | 4-3 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-3 | 1-1 | 3-2 | |
| Tennessee Titans | 4-4 | 1-2 | 4-4 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-4 | 2-1 | 3-3 | |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-4 | 1-2 | 4-4 | |
| NFC | ||||
| Seed | Team | Rec. | Div. Rec. | Conf. Rec. |
| 1 | Green Bay Packers | 8-0 | 2-0 | 6-0 |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 7-1 | 1-0 | 5-1 |
| 3 | New York Giants | 6-2 | 1-1 | 3-2 |
| 4 | New Orleans Saints | 6-3 | 2-1 | 3-3 |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | 6-2 | 2-0 | 4-2 |
| 6 | Chicago Bears | 5-3 | 1-2 | 5-3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-3 | 1-1 | 4-3 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4-4 | 1-1 | 4-2 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-4 | 2-1 | 3-4 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-5 | 2-1 | 3-4 | |
| Washington Redskins | 3-5 | 1-2 | 3-4 | |
The team that jumps out at me is the Bengals. They’ve been flying under everyone’s radar, but they’re now the top ranked team in the AFC. They have yet to start the tough part of their division schedule (Steelers, Ravens games), but it’s hard to argue with a 6-2 record in the NFL. Andy Dalton has played better than any other rookie quarterback, and his defense is helping mask any mistakes he makes. Still, their schedule gets very tough in the second half of the season. It’ll be tough for them to keep that top spot.
As it stands, the AFC North would control 3 of the 6 AFC playoff spots. While I’d be surprised if they end the season with 3 teams in the playoffs, it makes me wonder. Which one of those teams will be left out? Right now, it’s hard to argue against any of them, but the Steelers’ divisional and conference records won’t be winning them many tie-breakers late in the year. If I had to take one out, I’d leave the Steelers out for that reason.
The Packers are coming off of a shootout win in San Diego, and it seems as if they’re aligning themselves for a Turkey Day showdown with their suddenly competitive divisional rival, the Detroit Lions. That’s a game that’s been circled on my calendar for some time, and it should be the best Thanksgiving Day game we’ve seen in a long time from the Lions.
The last thing I want to point out is that the 49ers will likely clinch their division in the next 3 or 4 weeks. While that won’t mean much until they get into a position to clinch a first round bye, it does allow them to play with more deliberation knowing that they already have a playoff spot locked down. Every year, we talk about teams desperate for a win late in the year, but that won’t be the case in San Francisco this season.
