One month of the season is complete. Most teams have completed four games, but several teams had the earliest bye week in week. Those teams were the Bengals, Broncos, Browns, Cardinals, Rams, and Seahawks. It is early in the year, with 13 weeks to go, but at this point last year some of the teams had already settled into a playoff position that they would maintain to the end of the season. Last year the playoff teams in the AFC after 4 weeks would have been the Patriots, Ravens, Colts, Broncos, Chiefs, and Dolphins. 4 of those teams made the playoffs, with the Ravens and Dolphins being the exception. In the NFC after 4 weeks last year the playoff teams were the Cowboys, Lions, Saints, Seahawks, Bears, and 49ers. 3 of these teams made the playoffs as well, which means if the pattern holds true again this year, that at least half of the teams below in the standings will make the playoffs again this year. As always, this list is going to start in the AFC.
AFC Home Field Advantage: #1 Cincinnati Bengals (3-0, AFC North Champion)
The Bengals are the lone undefeated team in the AFC. This comes as a bit of a surprise since their coaching staff was raided in the off-season. Jay Gruden, their former Offensive Coordinator, is now the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins, and Mike Zimmer, their former Defensive Coordinator, is now the Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings. But Marvin Lewis did an excellent job of filling out his staff, bringing in former Oakland Raiders Head Coach, Hue Jackson, to be the new Offensive Coordinator, and promoted from within to make their former Linebackers Coach, Paul Guenther, to be their Defensive Coordinator. But this team has to be thrilled about their early bye week, especially because of their early season injury to their deep threat AJ Green. He should be back healthy and better than ever.
AFC First Round Bye: #2 San Diego Chargers (3-1, AFC West Champion)
Mike McCoy and Philip Rivers are really clicking together in their second season together. Yes, they made the playoffs and won a playoff game last year, and things seem to be looking up for them still in the incredibly tough AFC West. They had an easier game this past week, at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they have already played two of the NFC West teams on their schedule, beating the Seahawks and losing to the Cardinals. A one point loss to the Cardinals is hardly something to be ashamed about, as this team looks like they are going to fight their way back to the playoffs in 2014.
AFC Wild Card Game: #3 Houston Texans (3-1, AFC South Champion) vs. #6 Denver Broncos (2-1, Wild Card)
This game would write the storylines for itself. Peyton Manning up against the 100 Million dollar man, J.J. Watt. The high flying offense of the Broncos against the Defense first team of the Houston Texans and the rebound to the playoffs under new Head Coach Bill O'Brien. Plus, when they played each other in the preseason, Peyton Manning actually got a penalty for taunting when D.J. Swearinger had a dirty hit on Wes Welker. This seems like the teams really dislike each other. The possible game endings are incredibly epic. Imagine if Wes Welker has a game winning touchdown reception just past Swearinger's hands. Imagine if Swearinger sacks Peyton Manning on fourth down and attempts to do Peyton's "Rocky Top" dance. Imagine if Fitzpatrick just gets the ball to Arian Foster on a screen pass that goes the distance, and he does his bowing motion and then a mile high salute. This would be a fantastic matchup.
AFC Wild Card Game: #4 Buffalo Bills (2-2, AFC East Champion) vs. #5 Baltimore Ravens (3-1, Wild Card)
Well, the Bills are stumbling into keeping this spot. They have lost back to back games against two strong AFC teams in the Chargers and the Texans, and they just benched their starting quarterback in EJ Manuel. Kyle Orton now has the starting job and it will definitely be interesting to see if he knows the playbook well enough and is in good enough game shape after missing training camp and signing late into the preseason. It definitely seems like a desperate move for a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1999. In this spot they would be an underdog as well to the Ravens, who only lost their opener against the Bengals. Despite the Ray Rice fiasco, the Ravens are actually still playing good football. Part of this is due to the quality of a veteran receiver back onto their squad. After Anquan Boldin was traded to the 49ers, many fans were completely baffled by the move. Steve Smith Sr. has been a breath of fresh air for this team, and he gives Flacco a veteran wide receiver again. Smith plays with a famous passion for the game, something that they missed last year when they didn't have Ray Lewis. With Smith stepping up bigger than expected, the Ravens are a team to keep your eye on in the AFC.
The Rest of the AFC:
7. Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
8. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
10. Miami Dolphins (2-2)
11. New England Patriots (2-2)
12. Cleveland Browns (1-2)
13. New York Jets (1-3)
14. Tennessee Titans (1-3)
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4)
16. Oakland Raiders (0-4)
Now onto the NFC Playoff Picture!
NFC Home Field Advantage: #1 Arizona Cardinals (3-0, NFC West Champion)
A quiet week this week for the Cardinals. They haven't won games in the prettiest fashion, but they have been doing quite well with Drew Stanton going 2-0 in his starts as the backup quarterback so far this year. With Carson Palmer at the helm, this is a team that can be trusted more, but Bruce Arians knows how to get the best out of his quarterbacks. But this team has been led by their defense. Patrick Peterson is a shutdown cornerback that is taking care of business on his side of the field. As a unit they are allowing only 15 points per game, which places them second in the NFL behind only the Cincinnati Bengals. Also, even though the Cardinals are 3-0, their opponents have gone 7-2 when not facing the Cardinals. They have played teams that are looking good in their other games. The Cardinals will have to fight all year to stay on top in this difficult division.
NFC First Round Bye: #2 Detroit Lions (3-1, NFC North Champion)
The Lions have been a pleasant surprise under new Head Coach Jim Caldwell. The offense isn't having to go through a shootout every week either, because their run defense has been out of this world. They had a rough loss to the Panthers in week 2, before the Panthers lost all of their players to injury against the Steelers. They already have a win against the team that has won their division the last 3 years in the Green Bay Packers. Their offense has been much more efficient as well. Matthew Stafford is playing much cleaner on offense and forcing fewer passes. Eric Ebron has been a welcome improvement at tight end after what the Lions had experienced from the ever so frustrating Brandon Pettigrew. They added Golden Tate to the other side of the field and still have the backfield tandem of Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. The main question that Lions fans are asking themselves today, is will they be able to hold on, because they have faltered in this situation on multiple occasions.
NFC Wild Card Game: #3 Philadelphia Eagles (3-1, NFC East Champion) vs. #6 Seattle Seahawks (2-1, Wild Card)
This would be a fantastic bird battle. Again it would have two college coaches from the Pacific 12 up against each other, just like Carroll has faced Harbaugh many times in recent years. But can the Eagles hold onto this position in the NFC with the Cowboys playing better football than anyone expected? The Eagles offense has struggled this year at times, and it did not get a single offensive touchdown on the road in San Francisco this past week. They did get a punt block touchdown that was recovered in the end zone by Brad Smith. Darren Sproles got into the action with a punt return touchdown. The defense managed to score as well getting an interception returned for a touchdown. To lose by 5 without an offensive touchdown is pretty pathetic. On the other hand they would face the Seahawks, who looked great for 3 and a half quarters against the Broncos. They also fell behind to the Chargers in week 2 after decimating the Packers in week 1. One thing is for certain, if anyone faces the Seahawks in the playoffs, they would rather face them at home instead of up in Seattle.
NFC Wild Card Game: #4 Atlanta Falcons (2-2, NFC South Champion) vs. #5 Dallas Cowboys (3-1, Wild Card)
Well, the Falcons are 2-0 in home games. They are also 2-0 in their own division, beating up on the Saints and Bucs. Devin Hester has been very impressive as well in this short season, making sure the Bears regret letting him go this past off-season. The game that is the most puzzling was their loss in Minnesota on Sunday, getting torn up by rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and originally a backup running back Matt Asiata. They also lost to Cincinnati on the road which is a typical problem for most teams. Cincinnati didn't lose at home so far this season and all of last season. Their opponent in this game has definitely outplayed them to this point in the season, because Dallas has played better than most people expected so far this early season. They have leaned on DeMarco Murray to pound the ball and to be honest this team reminds yours truly of the Dallas Cowboys offenses of the mid 1990's. They had a strong offensive line, which the Cowboys have heavily invested in offensive lineman the last few drafts with several first round picks. They have a strong running back, which unfortunately DeMarco Murray is not quite at the same level as Emmitt Smith. They have a good passing quarterback, Tony Romo, and a talented number one receiver, Dez Bryant. This may sound completely awful to most Dallas fans, but it is a good sign for the future of the Cowboys. The main question is going to be how well the Cowboys defense will hold up over the rest of the season, because they got completely trashed last season and there were not that many changes coming into the 2014 season. Rolando McClain has been fantastic and was a steal to get from the Ravens. They have been good at going after the quarterback as well, which should get even better now that Anthony Spencer is back.
The rest of the NFC:
7. Carolina Panthers (2-2)
8. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)
9. New York Giants (2-2)
10. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
11. Minnesota Vikings (2-2)
12. Chicago Bears (2-2)
13. St Louis Rams (1-2)
14. New Orleans Saints (1-3)
15. Washington Redskins (1-3)
16. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-3)
Keep your eyes peeled for future updates of this here at VAVEL as the playoffs get closer and closer every week. It's important to know exactly where your favorite team is located.