Every year, the NFL season seems to fly by too quickly; we already find ourselves heading into Week 11 as Thanksgiving rapidly approaches. As teams across the league have begun to tackle the second half of their schedule, the playoff picture is slowly starting to take shape.
In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints (9-0) and the Minnesota Vikings (8-1) are bound to win their respective divisions barring some kind of season-changing injury or divine intervention. The defending conference champion Arizona Cardinals (6-3) will most likely win the pitiful NFC West again, but could be pushed by the inconsistent San Francisco 49ers (4-5).
While the 49ers upset the Cardinals 20-16 back in Week 1, it is going to be tough for Mike Singletary's team to catch up to Arizona. The two squads play again in Week 14, but five out of the Cardinals' last seven games are against teams with a losing record, so the race might not be as close in a few weeks.
While most NFC divisions are seemingly locked up, the East race will almost certainly come down to the wire. Both the Dallas Cowboys (6-3) and the Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) had great opportunities to separate themselves from the sliding New York Giants (5-4) heading into last weekend. Yet, the two teams faltered, both losing while the Giants, owners of a four-game losing streak, sat at home on a bye week, passively gaining ground on their division rivals.
So far this season, the Giants have beaten the Cowboys, the Eagles have beaten the Giants, and the Cowboys have beaten the Eagles. In other words, the East is a complete crapshoot at this point.
Running back Brian Westbrook, one of the Eagles' biggest playmakers, could be lost for the season with his second concussion of the year. But while Philadelphia will be without one of its most important players, the Giants are finally getting their defense healthy.
Two weeks ago in a 21-20 loss to the Chargers, free-agent acquisitions Chris Canty and Michael Boley returned to the Giants' defense after battling injuries throughout the first half of the season. New York will receive another defensive boost this weekend versus the Atlanta Falcons as starting cornerback Aaron Ross is supposed to see his first action of the season.
Over in the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts (9-0) have pulled away in the South and are the only lock to win an AFC division at this point. The Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) did wonders for their AFC North championship bid when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) 18-12 at Heinz Field last weekend. The Bengals have now swept both the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens (5-4), and only have to beat the lowly Cleveland Browns in Week 12 to go undefeated within the division.
Like in the North, the West is down to just two teams: the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos, both of whom are tied at 6-3, though they are headed in opposite directions. After jumping out to a surprising 6-0 start, the Broncos have dropped their last three games, most recently to the Washington Redskins (3-6). On the other hand, the Chargers have won four straight after starting the season off 2-3.
At this point in the season, it looks like the New England Patriots will return to the top and hang on to win the AFC East. Though New England (6-3) currently has a two-game lead over both the Miami Dolphins (4-5) and the New York Jets (4-5), it could have had a three-game lead were it not for Bill Belichick's much-criticized coaching call in the waning seconds of last week's 35-34 in the team's Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Fortunately for Belichick and the Patriots, though, it does not look like the Dolphins or the Jets have what it takes to catch them in the AFC East, but the decision to go for it on fourth down may end up affecting their playoff seeding come January.
Right now, the teams who look to be fighting for the AFC wild card spots are the Ravens, the Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4), the Houston Texans (5-4) and either the Broncos or the Chargers.
As the season progresses, two Week 11 games could have a huge impact on the playoff race, as the Falcons travel to the Meadowlands to take on the Giants, while the Broncos host the Chargers. The winner of the Atlanta-New York game will hold a key head-to-head tiebreaker if the two end up competing for a wild card spot, and the winner of the Denver-San Diego game will take over sole possession of first place in the AFC West.
Of course, while the playoff spots are beginning to shape up, anything can ultimately change with seven weeks left in the season.
