Predicting All 12 NFL Playoff Teams at Midseason Mark

Mark it down—Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos will be a major factor in the 2012 NFL playoffs.

There are 12 playoff spots in total, though, so which teams will earn the other 11?

There have been some surprises so far midway through the season, as teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts are currently right there with the NFL's stalwarts for a spot in the postseason tournament. 

Follow along as we predict which teams will rise up to claim a spot in the playoffs and which teams will fall along the wayside. 

NFC Wild Card Teams

No. 5 Seed: Green Bay Packers

The Packers have struggled at times this season, and the roster has been hit with a rash of injuries. 

Aaron Rodgers is missing one of his key receivers of last year, Greg Jennings, who has been out of the lineup for most of the season with a nagging groin injury.

Still, this team enters the halfway point of the season with a 5-3 record and is currently sitting in sixth place in the NFC. 

Rodgers is good enough to keep the offense grooving, even when it seems all hope is lost. Furthermore, Clay Matthews has the Packers defense running hot these days, leading the league with 26 sacks as a team.

Final record: 10-6

No. 6 Seed: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are currently on the outside looking in for the NFC's playoff picture. The Minnesota Vikings currently occupy the No. 5 spot with a 5-3 record, while the Seahawks at 4-4 are the No. 8 team in the NFC.

These two teams are set to meet in Week 9 in Seattle, and if the Seahawks win, the two teams will essentially swap spots.

The Seahawks have one of the NFL's best defenses. This team has already played five road games, meaning that five of its last eight are going to be played in Seattle. 

Marshawn Lynch has been darn near unstoppable at home, and I expect the Seahawks to win at least five of their remaining games.

Final record: 9-7

Note: The Vikings will finish at 9-7, too, but the Seahawks will beat them in Week 9, thus winning the tiebreaker.

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers

There's no doubt that the 49ers are the most complete team in the NFC West—not to mention the team with the most talent across the board. 

The team's defense is the best unit in the NFL, allowing just 272 yards and 14.3 points per contest.

Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter have been gashing opposing defenses with ease, following the best offensive line in football, and the 49ers lead the NFL with 176 rushing yards per game. 

Alex Smith doesn't have to be elite for this team to win the NFC West, and he'll do enough good things to keep the offense going in a positive direction. 

Oh, and don't forget that Ted Ginn, Andy Lee and David Akers are some of the best special teamers in the NFL.

Final record: 12-4

NFC East

New York Giants

Right now, the New York Giants are my favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLVII.

Eli Manning is the most clutch quarterback currently playing in the NFL. And suddenly, Ahmad Bradshaw and the Giants running game has woken up to become relevant, and dare I say it, dangerous?

A balanced Giants offense in December is a scary proposition for opposing defensive coordinators.

Combine this with a defense that leads the NFL in turnovers created (24), and this team is starting to make the two previous Giants Super Bowl-winning teams look like chumps. 

Final record: 12-4

NFC North

Chicago Bears

The Bears are winning these days thanks to a dominating defense that trails only the New York Giants in turnovers created (23) and dominates opponents' running games (No. 1 in the NFL). 

Now that Matt Forte is back and getting healthier by the week, the Bears have started relying on him and Michael Bush more to capitalize on the defense's dominance in the turnover department. So far this year, the Bears have run 216 passing plays to 202 running plays—a balanced offense by any standard. 

If the offensive line can protect Jay Cutler the rest of the season, this team will be a tough out in the playoffs. He has been getting reacquainted with Brandon Marshall, and the two of them are starting to really click. 

That said, the Bears have a tough schedule the rest of the way, with teams like the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers (again) and Seattle Seahawks looming on the horizon. It will be interesting to see what this team looks like at the end of the year.

Final record: 12-4

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Eli Manning is the most clutch quarterback in the NFL, but nobody is playing better from week to week than Matt Ryan, aka, "Matty Ice." Of course, it doesn't hurt his cause to have Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez running routes downfield. 

With a perfect record, at 7-0, the Atlanta Falcons already lead the NFC South by four games in the loss column. It is going to take a total collapse from this team to keep it from winning the division by Week 14, and the biggest problem it will face in the playoffs is a potential rust factor.

Mike Nolan has brought a new attitude to the team's defense. Since his arrival, the Falcons have become adept at creating turnovers (17) and are ranked No. 7 in the NFL in scoring defense. 

This team is rolling, and it seems like a foregone conclusion that it will win the NFC South with ease.

Final record: 13-3

AFC Wild Card Teams

No. 5 Seed: Baltimore Ravens 

The Ravens are lucky to have gotten off to a good start, because the schedule gets rough in the second half of the season, and the team's defense is reeling.

With five road games remaining, this team will be lucky to finish the season at 10-6 after losing Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb—not to mention the perpetually injured Ed Reed and an ailing Haloti Ngata. These injuries have seriously affected this defense—a unit that is ranked No. 30 against the run in 2012.

Furthermore, Cam Cameron doesn't use best offensive weapon nearly enough, as Ray Rice only carries the ball approximately 15 times a game—a ridiculously low number for a back with his talents.

Joe Flacco is still as shady from one week to the next, and the Ravens offense just isn't good enough to consistently overcome the weaknesses the team has on defense. 

All of this adds up to a team good enough to get into the playoffs, but it'll be limping in. 

Final record: 10-6

No. 6 Seed: Miami Dolphins

Who'd a thunk it? The Dolphins are right in the playoff hunt midway through the 2012 season, and the young team is surging under the leadership of Joe Philbin and his staff. 

The scary thing about the Dolphins is that this team could well be 7-2 if not for two overtime losses in a row. 

Ryan Tannehill is playing lights-out football, putting up big numbers in some clutch situations, and if the Dolphins end up finishing the way I think they will, he'll deserve some serious consideration for the NFL's Rookie of the Year award.

Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas have three touchdowns apiece on the ground, and once Bush's knee is 100 percent, the Dolphins ground attack will be tough to stop. 

The best aspect of this team, though, is it's dominant defense, which is ranked No. 5 in the NFL in scoring defense, giving up just 18 points per game. 

Final record: 10-6

AFC West

Denver Broncos

The AFC West has been the most disappointing division in the NFL, as far as I'm concerned. I expected the Oakland Raiders to be a losing team, but the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers have underperformed, and that's putting it mildly. 

The lone bright spot for this division has been the Denver Broncos and the reemergence of Peyton Manning as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. 

He is turning the Broncos offense into just as dangerous a unit as he had in Indianapolis, as Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas have taken to his leadership with ease. 

Von Miller and the defense are coming on strong, too, and opposing teams are finding it harder and harder to make headway on offense. 

Final record: 11-5

AFC East

New England Patriots

The Patriots started the season with a 1-2 record, and people wondered if this was the year the Pats would finally be overtaken by one of the other AFC East teams.

In response, Tom Brady led the Patriots offense to a 52-28 win over the Buffalo Bills. 

Since then, the Patriots have won three of their last four, including a 45-7 drubbing of the St. Louis Rams in London.

Sorry to disappoint you, Pats haters, but this team isn't going anywhere this season. 

With a strong running game to complement Brady and the team's passing attack, the Patriots are a threat to put up 40-plus points on any given Sunday. 

Final record: 11-5

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers

I was ready to write off the Steelers after the Tennessee Titans dropped them in Week 6. The team was 2-3 at the time, and teams were gashing the defense in the running game.

Then, the team came together somehow and just plain got better in every phase of the game. 

The biggest improvement is the team's improved running game, led by Jonathan Dwyer, who has rushed for 227 yards in the past two games. 

Additionally, the way the Steelers defense shut down Robert Griffin III, Alfred Morris and the Washington Redskins without Troy Polamalu was truly impressive. 

The Steelers will surge toward the playoffs.

Final record: 11-5

AFC South

Houston Texans

The Texans' closest competitor within the AFC South is the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are 4-3 right now, while the Texans are 6-1. 

As impressive as Andrew Luck and the Colts have been this season, the Texans have this division locked up already. There's no way the Texans lose this lead—not with their dominant defense.

J.J. Watt is easily the NFL's best defender to this point in the 2012 season, and his defensive mates all do their jobs so that he can dominate the trenches. 

Finally, the Texans offense can beat teams by any means necessary. Arian Foster is a weekly fantasy football lock, and his consistent play drives the offense.

Final record: 13-3

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78 and check out my weekly NFL picks at Pickfactor.com