1. New England Patriots (12-4): Yes. I'm a Pats fan. I'm biased. But be honest. If the Patriots and any of the other teams on this list both played their absolute best games, do you really think the Pats would lose? Well, I don't. The Denver Broncos, led by the elder Manning, are better statistically on defense and are pretty even on offense so they will get the nod on most rankings heading into the playoffs. Brady vs. Manning is a wash. But do the Broncos have Welker, Gronk, Hernandez, Lloyd, Ridley, Woody, Mankins, Big Vince, Mayo, Jones, Ninko, Spikes, and Hightower? No. And that's a deep list of playmakers. Oh, and the Pats have Bill Belichick coaching and the Broncos have John Fox.
2. Denver Broncos (13-3): So now it's the other Manning's turn again. Great. The return to form of one of the game's all-time best is one of the 2012 season's top stories. The Broncos were a pretty decent team last year, even with Tim Tebow at quarterback. With Peyton Manning, they are a true contender. After losing to the Pats in Week 5 to fall to 2-3 the Broncos have won eleven in a row. But only two of those teams (Cincy and Baltimore) were playoff teams. Still, eleven in a row is eleven in a row. And Denver has home field. That's huge because it's a very tough place to play. Young receivers Demayrius Thomas and Eric Decker have blossomed with Manning, each having more than 1,000 yards receiving. The defense has been good for a few years now.
3. San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1): I saw the Niners get pushed around by Seattle too. You know what? They won't be playing in Seattle if they meet in the playoffs. San Francisco had a few surprising struggles this year, particularly an 0-1-1 record against the St. Louis Rams. And they let the Patriots score 28 straight points against them. But they are the best running team in the league and the best team against the run. And they can play anywhere. Under coach Jim Harbaugh the Niners have become a smash-mouth throwback. Young QB Colin Kaepernick is the big question mark. Can he make the right decisions in a playoff game? If he can the Niners are going to the Super Bowl.
4. Atlanta Falcons (13-3): Can the Falcons get over the playoff hump? That's the question that will hover over this team while they enjoy their bye week. Matt Ryan and his team are 0-3 in the playoffs. But once again they have home-field advantage, although that doesn't really help you if you keep losing the first playoff game each year. Ryan has two great receivers in Julio Jones and Roddy White and he has veteran hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. Running back Michael Turner had ten touchdowns but he wasn't the force he usually is. And the defense is average at best. But Atlanta is due to win a playoff game. Right?
5. Green Bay Packers (11-5): It would not surprise me at all to see Aaron Rodgers hoisting the trophy at the end again. The Packers won the title two years ago, went 15-1 last year, and if it wasn't for the fake refs would be enjoying a first-round bye. Green Bay's offense is like the Patriots. Rodgers has many weapons to throw too. Jennings. Cobb. Jones. Nelson. Finley. The defense is strong against the pass with linebackers A.J. Hawk and Clay Matthews leading the way. The Packers have a chip on their shoulder from their one-and-done last year. That won't happen this year.
6. Seattle Seahawks (11-5): I had Pete Carroll and his Seahawks ranked near the bottom before the season started. Mostly out of spite. And also because I didnt know that he had built one of the best secondaries in the game. And in today's pass-happy NFL, if you can stop the pass you can win. Often. And if you can run the ball you can win even more. The Seahawks, behind the beast Marshawn Lynch, can run the ball right down your throat. If rookie QB Russell Wilson can make plays then this is a dangerous team. The big question is can they win on the road.
7. Houston Texans (12-4): The enigma of the twelve. The top team in the AFC for most of the year got whacked by the Patriots on a Sunday night game and never really recovered, losing three of their last four. But there's a reason the Texans were dominant for most of the season. Arian Foster on offense and J.J. Watt on defense. When you have two playmakers like that you are good. Add solid QB Matt Schaub and veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson and you have a balanced attack. The problem for Houston is they are not that good against the pass and when you have Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in your conference you probably aren't going to the Super Bowl.
8. Washington Redskins (10-6): I love this team. RG3. Alfred Morris. Pierre Garcon. They can beat you up. What don't I love about this team? Mike Shanahan. I know he has two rings, but he's crazy. If I'm a Skins fan I'm hoping Shanahan doesn't get too smart for his own good. Hand the ball to Alfred Morris and when the D fills the box to stop him let RG3 do his thing. The Skins D tightened up in the last month of the season. The Skins have the feel of this year's Giants. If they can win that first playoff game they could be tough to stop.
9. Baltimore Ravens (10-6): The Ravens, on the other hand, you want to play. They are a mess. Predictions are so often wrong that when you actually get one right it almost makes you feel like you know what your talking about. With five weeks to go in the season and the Ravens sitting at 10-2, I thought the Ravens would only win one more game and finish 11-5. I came pretty close. They finished 10-6. Even worse than I thought. But they are playing for Ray Lewis who announced this week he's retiring when the playoffs end. He'll be home for good pretty soon.
10. Indianapolis Colts (11-5): Did anybody see this coming? Did any "expert" predict the Colts to win more than five or six games this year? I doubt it. The Colts have been one of the best stories of the season. Their first-year coach Chuck Pagano missed most of the season as he was being treated for leukemia but the team rallied around him and play way over its head. Most of that was because top pick Andrew Luck showed why he was the top pick. But that's really where the positive news ends. The Colts are the only playoff team that allowed more points than it allowed (30). Not even the Vikings did that. The Colts are the Cinderella story coming into the playoffs. It's almost midnight.
11. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6): Maybe Marv Lewis isn't that bad of a coach after all. Maybe he just needed some players who had more talent than mouth. Like AJ Green. The guy is a beast. The Pats don't have anyone who can cover him. The Bengals also have old friend BenJarvus. Bennie's streak without a fumble ended this year but his streak of playing solid ball did not. Oh, and they led the league in sacks for most of the year. You really don't want to play them. But the Bengals under Lewis have a history of losing games they should win.
12. Minnesota Vikings (10-6): Two words: Adrian Peterson. That's what the Vikings are all about. If you can stop the league's comeback player of the year then the Vikes have zero chance. Their quarterback is Christian Ponder. No. Really. And Ponder doesn't have any real receiving threats. Minnesota is next to last in the league in passing and mediocre in all phases of defense. I'm not even sure how they won ten games and made the playoffs. I think the Bears, Cowboys, and Giants are all better than the Vikings. Minnesota will be joining them on the sidelines very soon.Dishonorable mention: The New York Giants are not in the playoffs! The New York Giants are not in the playoffs! Man it feels good to write that. The defending champs were looking good at 6-2 but they fell apart in the second half of the season to finish 9-7. Eli Manning hit the wall and Tom Coughlin's team looked disorganized and had too many turnovers, drops, and plain old sloppy play. The Giants are not in the playoffs!
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