As the NFL reaches the midway point of the season, a few teams look like they are shaping off to make a playoff push. There is not a single team that has secured a spot in the playoffs, this is just based on their records and the pace these teams are going at. This means no teams are ruled out theoretically the AFC and NFC are full of teams ready to compete. This list is based on seeding, not rankings.

AFC

1. New England Patriots (9-1)- The Patriots’ defense have had themselves a year. They have outscored many teams on just the defensive side alone. They have also blown out many teams. With the pace that the Patriots are going at they can definitely take the first seed position. The major problem of this team is their easy schedule. They have only played one team with a winning record, The Buffalo Bills, and they only lost by six. After this week they face The Ravens, The Cowboys, The Texans, and the Chiefs in back to back weeks. That is a problem, but the Patriots have Bill Belichick a mastermind of the game of football.
2. Baltimore Ravens (8-2)- The Ravens recently beat the Patriots, giving them their first loss of the season. Lamar Jackson is having a fantastic season, he is in the races for MVP. With the combination of Lamar Jackson’s steller mobility and passing ability, the Ravens have a chance to take it all the way.
3. Houston Texans (6-4)- The Texans recently lost J.J. Watt, after another season-ending injury. Watt is a huge loss for the Texans defense, but their offense is still producing. The Texans are led by Deshaun Watson. Watson has played phenomenally, and capable of leading this team to the playoffs.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)- The Chiefs have a struggling defense, but still have Patrick Mahomes as their starting quarterback. They still have fast wide receivers and one of the best tight ends in the league.
5. Oakland Raiders (6-4)- The Raiders have been a surprising team this year. They traded away their best wide receiver, Amari Cooper, and defensive player, Khalil Mack. They also traded for Antonio Brown, but his stay was short-lived. He was released by the raiders for misbehavior.  People thought the Raiders were done for the season after losing Brown, but after 11 weeks they are still in the playoff picture. The remainder of the Raiders schedule seems to be very easy. They play a winless Bengals team, a 2-7 Jets team, and many more struggling teams. You also have to note that they are a win away from leading the AFC West.
6. Buffalo Bills (7-3)- Unfortunately, the Bills thought have it as easy as the Raiders. That is why I have placed them in the sixth seed. They play three good teams for the remainder of the season, the Ravens, the Patriots, and the Cowboys. Their defense struggles against bad teams; such as the Dolphins and Browns. Due to their underperformance and hard schedule, I don’t think they will get higher than the fifth seed.

NFC

1. Seattle Seahawks (8-2)- It’s very tough to pick who the first seed is going to be in the NFC. You have five teams that have lost less than four games. The difference, Seahawks have one of the easiest remaining schedules. They have only lost two games, and these losses came from the (7-2) Saints and (7-2) Ravens. It also helps when you have the MVP leading candidate, Russell Wilson, as your quarterback.
2. Green Bay Packers (8-2)- The Packers are not far behind the Seahawks, but there are games where this team struggles. They lost to a struggling Eagles team, earlier this season. Last week they lost to a struggling Chargers team. The Packers have very high potential, but they can sometimes shoot themselves in the foot.
3. New Orleans Saints (8-2) The Saints are continuing their success from last year. There was a point in the season where they looked like they might be a fifth or sixth seed. Drew Brees went down with a thumb injury against the Rams, but Teddy Bridgewater stepped up and won their next five games. Now Brees is back, and the Saints are ready to stay healthy for the playoffs.
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-4) The Philadelphia Eagles are close to stealing their spot. The Eagles and Cowboys are both five and four. The Cowboys and the Eagles have their share of struggles. The reason I have placed the Cowboys over the Eagles is that they have a better team.
5. San Francisco 49ers (9-1) The 9ers have a great defense and an offense that is reliable when needed. They recently lost to the Seahawks and unfortunately for them their schedule doesn’t get easier. They play four teams that have lost than three games, that’s including the Seahawks.
6. Minnesota Vikings (8-3) The Vikings have proved many fans wrong with the performance of Kirk Cousins. The Vikings are only one game away from taking the Packers’ spot. They have a stellar defense and a running back in Dalvin Cook who is playing out of his mind. They are good but it’s hard to compete with the other teams in the NFC. If they were in the AFC they would be ranked higher, but they are in the NFC.

Avery Torres, a Senior at Wayne Hills, stated “The Patriots, as usual, are strong contenders in the AFC and could go deep into the playoffs. Personally, I believe that it will come down to a Chiefs vs Patriots matchup to decide who goes to the Super Bowl. In the NFC, I think it will come down to the 49ers and the Saints.”

The teams listed aren’t not secured for their position. Anything can happen. The fans can find when week 17 comes around. For now fans can only hope that their team has a shot.