The AFC Playoffs are Here!

Yesterday, I covered the NFC side of the playoff equation. Today, it's the AFC's turn. Here are the playoff teams with seeding:


Photo courtesy of American Sports Blog.

1) Indianapolis Colts
Up until two weeks ago, the Colts were undefeated. Now, they don't look nearly as dominant after two straight losses. Quarterback Peyton Manning is the best in the league and receiver Reggie Wayne is an outstanding player, but what about the other guys? I wouldn't count the Colts out, but they're certainly not scaring anybody, unlike...

2) San Diego Chargers
...the Chargers, winners of their last eleven games. The Bolts are on a roll and have played some of the toughest teams in the NFL in that stretch (Dallas, Philadelphia, Cincinnati). The offense is playing extremely well, led by quarterback Philip Rivers. Probably the most well-rounded team in the AFC at this point.


Photo courtesy of The Red Zone Report.

3) New England Patriots
The Patriots are very banged up and are without stud receiver Wes Welker for the playoffs. The Pats still have Tom Brady and the best coach in Bill Belichick, but given their amount of injured players, I doubt a deep playoff run is in the cards for this team.

4) Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have struggled since the death of receiver Chris Henry and were non-existent on Sunday night against the Jets. They have the talent to reach the second round, but which team shows up: the one that dominated its division or the team that was shut out by the Jets?


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5) New York Jets
The Jets were out of the playoff picture until the Colts decided to put in their B team against them two weeks ago, then the Bengals rolled over Sunday night. They have a rookie quarterback who's prone to throw interceptions, but they have a top defense and running game. Very difficult to tell which team shows up.

6) Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were very good at the beginning of the season, then stumbled to a 9-7 record and playoff berth. They have an excellent running game and a pretty good defense, but again as with the Jets, which version of the Ravens shows up? (Side note: The Ravens are the team that has Michael Oher, subject of "The Blind Side, so congratulations are in order for the young man. He may very well end up winning rookie of the year honors).

So, here are my AFC predictions:
3) Patriots defeat 6) Ravens (barely)
4) Bengals defeat 5) Jets

1) Colts defeat 4) Bengals
2) Chargers defeat 3) Patriots

2) Chargers defeat 1) Colts
Chargers go to the Super Bowl in Miami.

Super Bowl Prediction: Chargers defeat Cowboys. They did it in the regular season, albeit in a close game, and they do it again.

AFC Playoff Picture: Simply a Mess

Photo courtesy of BallHype.com

Yesterday, I went over the NFC playoff picture. Today, it's the AFC's turn.

If the playoffs started today, the seeds would be:

1) Indianapolis Colts (14-1)
After their run for perfection ended Sunday against the Jets in one of the most disputed coaching calls in recent memory. The game on Sunday won't matter for them because they've locked up the first seed awhile back.

2) San Diego Chargers (12-3)
The Chargers are red-hot with ten straight wins and have locked up the 2 seed, so the game on Sunday is meaningless for them. Having a first round bye and hosting a playoff game in sunny Southern California doesn't sound too bad. Their likely opponents would be the NY Jets or the Cincinnati Bengals.


Photo courtesy of fantasy-info.com

3) New England Patriots (10-5)
The Patriots will get another AFC East title, but they've been shaky all year. Losses to the Colts and Saints underscore the fact that the Pats have lost to good teams and beaten up on the bad ones. I don't see the Patriots going past the second round.

4) Cincinnati Bengals (10-5)
The Bengals have struggled since the death of their teammate, wide receiver Chris Henry. They'll make the playoffs, but their success is predicated on how they handle the loss of Henry. They're 1-1 since his death. Of the teams hosting a playoff game, Cincinnati is the most vulnerable.


Photo courtesy of UPI.

5) Denver Broncos (8-7)
The Broncos may not even be here this time next week. In order for the Broncos to make the playoffs, a lot of things have to fall right for them. The simplest way is for a Broncos win, plus a NY Jets loss and Houston Texans win.

6) NY Jets (8-7)
If the Jets win against Cincinnati on Sunday, they're in the playoffs. The Jets have been a roller coaster ride this year and with an inexperienced rookie quarterback, I don't see them going deep into the playoffs.

On the outside looking in are the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars. If the Ravens win, they're in the playoffs, likely knocking Denver out. The Texans and Steelers need a lot of help to get in while the Dolphins and Jaguars would need complete collapses of the teams in front of them in order to get in. I think the wild cards will be the Ravens and Jets.

Just When You Thought He Would Retire...

Photo courtesy of FanIQ.com

...Brett Favre comes back. Favre signed a two-year deal, the second year is an option year, worth $10-12 million. Brett left his hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi this morning via private jet and arrived in the Twin Cities area a few hours later. He started practicing with the Vikings this afternoon, wearing his familiar No. 4. According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Favre has a slight rotator cuff tear in his right rotator cuff. Despite that huge risk factor, Favre has decided to return to the NFL.

I used to like Brett Favre in his Packer days. He is a gunslinger of a quarterback, taking chances that would work more often than not. Then, he waffled about retirement, again and again. His stats declined, his chances working less and less. Then he forced the trade to the NY Jets. After that one-year experiment, he waffled again in regards to retirement, even after his worst season. Now, we're back on the Favre carousel, with wall-to-wall media coverage to boot. Best of luck, Brett, but I can't say I'm rooting for you.

For more Brett Favre coverage, check out the videos at WCCO in Minneapolis. WCCO was one of two TV stations (the other in Hattiesburg) to initially report the story. Also, former Vikings receiver and current ESPN analyst Chris Carter had this to say on ESPN's "First Take" this morning: