A Grain of Saul: Some NFL playoff predictions

The NFL season is rounding the home stretch, and as December unfolds and winter sets in, it’s… The NFL season is rounding the home stretch, and as December unfolds and winter sets in, it’s time to start making some playoff predictions.

This season has been a rollercoaster ride for many teams — from the Bears to the Jets to the Chargers. Injuries, poor luck and disciplinary issues have helped teams go from division leaders to missing the playoffs. So with only three more weeks to go, here is how I see the playoffs shaking out.

AFC:

The American Football Conference is traditionally stronger in the NFL, and I think that holds true again this season. It looks as though the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans are a near lock for their division titles, so I’m going to go ahead and punch them in right now.

The Pats, as always, are just too well-rounded and too well-coached to drop a two-game lead in the division this late in the season. Not only that, but the Jets -— who are hot on New England’s tail — have proven they don’t have the quarterback to run the table.

Houston — even though the team probably just lost Andre Johnson again, has a backup quarterback playing and is still waiting for Arian Foster to be completely healthy — just keeps finding ways to win. If this team didn’t have so many injury problems, it might be the second-best team in the NFL. Regardless, I don’t see the Titans catching the Texans, and that’s why I think they’re a sure bet for the AFC South.

From there, things get a little trickier. The Steelers and the Broncos currently lead the other two divisions, but I’m not sold on the Broncos and I don’t think the Steelers are any better than the Ravens this year.

Fortunately for Denver, its schedule is a cakewalk — with the exception of its game against the Patriots in two weeks. The Broncos should handle the quarterback-deprived Bears, lose one more game this year to the Pats and finish 10-6. The Raiders, who are even with the Broncos now, just can’t seem to hang on to any consistency, or at least not enough for me to think they’re a real contender.

I’ll give Pittsburgh, and the division, the benefit of the doubt and bet the Jets and the Ravens take the final two playoff spots and the wildcard.

From there, you can expect the Jets and the Broncos to go down in the first round. Houston won’t have enough players standing to get past the Steelers, and the Ravens won’t be able to handle a team like the Patriots. I usually wouldn’t bet against Pittsburgh in the playoffs, but something tells me Tom Brady is hungry again like he was a few years ago and he’ll be back in the Super Bowl this season.

NFC:

Aside from the Packers and the Saints, the NFC is a total conundrum.

If you asked me at Week 6, I probably would have told you the Falcons and the Redskins were taking wildcard spots, that the Bears were looking too good to be beaten and that the Lions were finally a contender. But just a few weeks later, much has changed.

It looks as though the Packers will run away with the NFC North, which is no surprise after they won the Super Bowl with half their team on Injured Reserve last year.

The Saints are finally catching fire, and they made a big statement with a dominant win over the Giants. Then, on Sunday night, in front of the whole country, they demonstrated how young and dumb the Detroit Lions were — beating them both between the lines and in character. They look like a clear division winner in the South.

The NFC West has been over for weeks, as the San Francisco 49ers look like they’re back in the glory days of the ’80s. They’re sitting pretty at 10-2 with one of the NFL’s best defenses and a run game that is simply rolling right now.

In the East, things are a little more complicated. The Giants, the Cowboys, the Eagles and the Redskins have all been competing for who can stink the least this year, but the Giants had me sold in their near-win over the Packers on Sunday. I just can’t see the Cowboys beating New York next week, and I think the Giants will take the division in the final week of the season.

That leaves two wildcard spots available, and I’m thinking the Falcons are a sure-shot for one of them. The last one will make for the most interesting race in the NFL’s final week.

The Lions have crumbled in big games, the Bears are banged up and fading, and the Cowboys are currently a division leader. Against my better judgment, I’m going to go with a hunch and pick the Lions in this race — but I don’t think they’re going to make any noise in the playoffs. I just think it’s finally their time to return to the postseason.

Unfortunately, I don’t see things getting interesting from there. I think the Packers will roll to an NFC Championship, and the NFL’s surprise team of the year — the San Francisco 49ers — will meet them there. Unfortunately, that game will be a slaughter and the Packers will go on to take their second straight NFL championship over the Patriots.

Score prediction? 31-21, Green Bay.