Football! (the real kind, not the European variety)

[Polk]

The Bengals are a very good team. People shouldn't be sleeping on them. The Chargers have enough talent that they probably CAN overcome Norv, at least for the first few rounds of the playoffs. If they're not resting comfortably with that first round bye, I'll be shocked. Their offense is really good. I'm not sure, though, if their defense can hold up its end of the bargain. They've got talent, but they're prone to mental lapses (very similar to the Cardinals defense actually, except the Cardinals defense may be more talented because of lack of injuries).

Quoted for truth.

Also I tend to give the Steelers more credit, but man, they're ****ing themselves over. I'm not sure how the AFC wild card race will go. I haven't really heard anything from Jacksonville this year, and maybe that's for the best. The Jets are having QB issues and the Dolphins are just plain inconsistent. Baltimore will be okay if Ray Rice does well, and the defense holds up like it should. I wouldn't be surprised if all the other teams **** themselves over, and the Titans get in.

On a side note, man the Green Bay-Baltimore game was hard to watch. A win's a win, and it shows how great of a QB Aaron Rodgers is to overcome the shift change in the third quarter, but still hard to watch.

[Shan'do Spike]

Baltimore will be okay if Ray Rice does well, and the defense holds up like it should.

Ray Rice is a stud, but I don't understand why everyone thinks the Ravens' defense is good. They've been good historically, but basically everyone from those dominating defenses are gone. They've got Ngata, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed, and that's about it. Their secondary is terrible, and pretty much everyone in it sounds like a strpper (Dawan Landry? Dominque Foxworth?), which is never a good sign. They've been giving up large amounts of yards and points. Their offense is what kept them in this.

That paragraph hurt me to write. The Ravens are my favorite AFC Team, but their defense has some serious coverage issues, and Flacco seems to be playing worse and worse as the year goes on. I'd love for them to make it, but I don't really see it.

Then again, I've seen the Jaguars play three times so far this year: I saw the drubbing they took at home by the Cardinals, the 41-0 beatdown by Seattle, and the 20-3 massacre by San Francisco. For the life of me, I can't figure out how the Jaguars are in position to make the playoffs. They're not a very good team.

[Walter Sobchak]

Because I am a nerd, here are the statistical probabilities of each team making the playoffs in the AFC:

Colts: Clinched
Bengals, Chargers: 99%
Broncos: 89%
Patriots: 78%
Jaguars: 62%
Dolphins: 32%
Ravens: 30%
Jets: 6%
Steelers: 2%
Texans, Titans, Bills, Raiders: 1%
Chiefs, Browns: Eliminated

NFC:
Saints: Clinched
Vikings, Cardinals: 99%
Packers: 84%
Eagles: 76%
Cowboys: 73%
Giants: 56%
Falcons, 49ers: 5%
Seahawks, Panthers, Bears: 1%
Redskins, Lions, Bears, Buccaneers: Eliminated

Expect a few teams clinching a few eliminations on Sunday. All the AFC games are on Sunday during the day, so the picture will be really clear really quickly.