Mid-Year NFL Rankings and Second Half Predictions

Only 11 teams currently have a losing record. Fifteen have a winning record, and six sit at 4-4. Optimistically, only seven teams are out of the running: Cincinnati, Kansas City, Oakland, Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis. With the exception of the AFC South, where the Titans lead with an 8-0 record, each of the remaining teams are within three games of the division leader. And all, including the Jaguars and Texans, are within two games of the wild-card lead. Much football is left to be played and surprises still await us. However, we certainly have a clearer picture of who might win the Superbowl than we did in September. So with that in mind, here are my Mid-Year Rankings and Second-Half Predictions:

Beefing Up Their College Scouting Departments
32. Detroit 0-8
31. Oakland 2-6
30. Cincinnati 1-8
29. Kansas City 1-7
28. St. Louis 2-6
27. San Francisco 2-6
26. Seattle 2-6

Panic Mode
25. Jacksonville 3-5
24. Houston 3-5
23. San Diego 3-5
22. Cleveland 3-6

Need Some Help
21. Denver 5-4
20. Miami 4-4
19. Minnesota 4-4
18. Dallas 5-4
17. Indianapolis 4-4
16. New Orleans 4-4
15. Green Bay 4-4

One-Win Postseason Ceiling
14. Atlanta 5-3
13. New York Jets 5-3
12. Buffalo
11. Baltimore 5-3
10. Arizona 5-3
9. Chicago 5-3
8. Philadelphia 5-3

The Contenders
7. New England 5-3
6. Tampa Bay 6-3
5. Washington 6-3
4. Carolina 6-2
3. Pittsburgh 6-2
2. New York Giants 7-1
1. Tennessee 8-0

Playoff Predictions
NFC Wildcard Playoffs: Washington over Arizona and Carolina over Chicago
AFC Wildcard Playoffs: San Diego over Buffalo and Indianapolis over Baltimore
NFC Divisional Playoffs: New York Giants over Carolina and Washington over Tampa Bay
AFC Divisional Playoffs: Tennessee over Indianapolis and San Diego over New England
Conference Championships: New York Giants over Washington and Tennessee over San Diego
Super Bowl: Tennessee over New York Giants