As they do each year, the 30 teams in the NFL began this season with the same goal in mind: winning the Super Bowl. But many teams who were so confident 12 weeks ago are now just waiting for the last game to be played so they can work toward reaching the big game next year. Of course, not every team is irrelevant, and with December upon us, we can begin to think ahead to what should be yet another year of exciting playoff football.
Because this weekend will mark only the 13th week of the NFL season, there is still a lot of football to be played. Each division leader is in first place by one game or less, and despite the close races, it is still worthwhile to think about which teams will be successful come January. One of the most exciting division races is between two of the best teams in football: The AFC East is led by the Jets and Patriots, both with records of 9-2. The Jets currently own the tiebreaker, as they prevailed in their first meeting earlier this season against the Patriots.
Next Monday night's game has enormous playoff implications. With the league's best record on the line, the winner of next week's Jets-Patriots game likely will go on to win the division and therefore have a great chance at locking up the AFC's No. 1 seed and ensuring home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The loser, on the other hand, most likely will become one of the best wild card teams ever. Unfortunately, they will have to play at least two games on the road during the playoffs for their Super Bowl hopes to stay alive. The rest of the AFC race is not as exciting as the Western division, with the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning having a peculiarly off year. At the moment, the conference championship looks like it will be taken by the Jets or the Patriots, but the comparably talented Steelers and Ravens are also in the hunt.
The NFC playoff picture is a little more interesting. Michael Vick and the Eagles have made a good deal of noise this year but are still tied with the Giants atop the NFC East at 7-4. The division rivals still have a date in December at the New Meadowlands. Although it used to look like the Atlanta Falcons at 9-2 were the class of the NFC, the Chicago Bears now appear to be the team to beat, thanks to their victory last Sunday against the Eagles. If the Bears stay consistent, which they were not at the start of the season, I may have to agree. Much was said at the beginning of the year about a potential championship team in the Green Bay Packers, but they have lost some of the hype after being decimated by injuries. Nevertheless, they still remain in the wild card and even the divisional hunt.
Is that it for the NFC? These teams are the ones everyone is talking about, along with the messes in Dallas and Minnesota. Do not, however, discount the New Orleans Saints. After getting off to a rough start, the defending Super Bowl Champions have won four straight and are currently in position to earn a wild card berth and remain just one game behind the Falcons for the NFC South lead.
Once the playoff picture clears up, it is anyone's game. A number of wild card teams have had success in January in recent years, including the Steelers and Giants, who became the Super Bowl Champions of the 2005 and 2007 seasons. Also, who could forget last year's Jets, who ended up seriously competing with the Colts in the AFC Championship game? Remember, even the winner of the NFC West - led by the 5-6 St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks - will get a home playoff game. If one of these teams catches fire, we could have a real Cinderella story on our hands.
Finally, it is worth talking about the individual accolades. Two-time reigning NFL MVP Peyton Manning does not appear to deserve the 2010 award. Deep into this era that is all about the quarterback, look for yet another to win this year's Most Valuable Player award. The two likely candidates are Philip Rivers, who is putting up insane numbers for the surging San Diego Chargers, and 2007 MVP Tom Brady, who is winning big with New England with a modest crew of receivers and a less than stellar defense. My vote goes to Brady, although I think the Jets or Ravens could end up causing trouble for the Pats during the playoffs.
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