Time indeed flies by, because we’re already down to the last nine weeks in the 2023-2024 NFL regular season. With the trading deadline having come and gone, by now, teams that had high playoff aspirations, like the Raiders, find themselves looking outside the playoff lens in the wake of McDaniels firing. Because teams like the 2007-2008 Giants, who were once expected to not make the playoffs, put on a late season rally to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, football fans always keep hope alive for their teams. These teams in particular, already look playoff bound.
Kansas City Chiefs (AFC)
The Chiefs won last year’s Super Bowl in dramatic fashion, 38-35 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and two in the past five years. Although Quarterback Patrick Mahomes isn’t having his best statistical season behind center, the Chiefs are scoring just enough, and the defense is dominating more than ever to have them firmly in first place at 7-2 in the AFC West.
The Kansas City Chiefs have wins over two of the teams that might compete with them for the top seed, the Jaguars and Dolphins. Additionally, they currently have the best conference record in the AFC (5-1), which is one of the main tiebreakers used if they finish with the same record as a team that’s not on their schedule this year, like the Ravens.
Baltimore Ravens (AFC)
Besides the excitement surrounding Lamar Jackson’s biggest Quarterback contract extension in the off season, the AFC North is currently the best division in football. The Baltimore Ravens are nearly a lock to win it with a 73.1% chance of winning the division with a 7-2 record.
Even though the Ravens are favored to win the division, but anything can happen in the NFL, and the other teams in the division could still make a push for the top spot, especially the 5-3 Steelers that have a history of competitive games with the Ravens.
Miami Dolphins (AFC)
Despite not having beaten a team with a winning record this year, the 6-3 Dolphins are currently in first place in the AFC East, and one game ahead of the competitive Buffalo Bills whom they lost to, 48-2. Quarterback Tua Tagovaila has been the catalyst behind the Dolphins’ resurgence leading the league’s first-ranked offense and a fifty-point blowout of the Broncos.
A true leader in every sense, Tua Tagovailoa took the blame for the team’s 21-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Frankfurt with Tagovailoa leading the comeback. The Dolphins will look to regroup on a Week 10 bye before a Week 11 matchup against the Raiders. And if Tagovailoa can remain healthy, the Dolphins stand a fighting chance to win the AFC East for the first time since 2008.
Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC)
The Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold a two-game lead in the AFC South and are projected to win the division comfortably over a Texans team that’s being projected to finish in second place. It’s hard to believe that just a few short years ago, local Jacksonville television stations were actually apologizing to the fans for the Jaguars awful play. There was even talk about the team leaving Jacksonville entirely.
However. The Jags have masterfully turned everything around this season, with a 6-2 record and a strong defense that ranks first in the league in points allowed per game They have a good chance of maintaining their lead in the division, fueled by their dominant defense, and securing a playoff spot.
Philadelphia Eagles (NFC)
The Eagles brass wasted no time keeping their championship window open in the wake of their defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles path towards winning Super Bowl LVIII began by making young Quarterback phenom, Jalen Hurts, the highest paid Quarterback at the start of free agency. The Eagles added veteran Marcus Mariota as his backup and solidified their defensive frontline and secondary.
Not only do the Eagles have the best record in the NFC East, but the best record in the entire NFL at 8-1. With the Eagles having a favorable schedule over the remaining nine weeks, Eagles fans and NFL betting sites, in the words of music icon’s Phil Collins’ legendary song, “Can hear it coming in the air tonight.” What’s coming is a serious playoff run and a highly probable Super Bowl LVIII victory.
San Francisco 49ers (NFC)
As the 49ers come off their bye, the 49ers faithful are scratching their heads, wondering how the once seemingly unbeatable City by the Bay team lost three straight. However, call it luck, or call it the football gods smiling on the 49ers, because without taking a snap, the San Francisco 49ers moved up to the No. 3 spot in the NFC playoff picture after the Seahawks’ loss to the Ravens.
Despite falling to 5-3, the 49ers are in a good spot to make a push for the top spot in the NFC entering the second half of the year. They are two games back of the Eagles, but they have a game in Philadelphia in Week 13 that could pull them to within one and give them the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The 49ers are constructed to win a division and fight for the No. 1 seed where they’d secure a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the postseason. If they can right the ship, they have a good chance of securing at least one home playoff game.
They will face the Seahawks twice down the stretch, which puts their destiny in their own hands where they could effectively wrap up the division by knocking off Seattle in both contests if they enter the game with the same record.
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