Updated Playoff Projections Following NFL Week 1 Action

It’s never too early to start making playoff predictions, and now that Week 1 of the 2013 NFL season is in the books, we have a better understanding of who’s legit and who’s not. 

This past opening weekend was one for the ages, as some teams like the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts won games that they were expected to, while other teams like the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles pulled upsets over their favored opponents. 

Although there’s only so much you can tell from one week’s performance, the first week of the season is often a pretty good tell for a team's capabilities down the road. What happened during this past weekend is more important to the playoffs than you may think. In fact, eight of last year's 12 playoff team's won their opening game, and of the 47 Super Bowl winners, only nine of them did not win their opener. 

Here are the updated playoff projections after Week 1 (playoff teams are highlighted):

With the Broncos, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens winning their divisions again, the AFC playoff picture looks pretty much identical to what it was last year. The only difference is that this year the Colts will take over the AFC South. The wild-card teams include last year’s AFC South Champion Houston Texans and this year’s Cinderella team, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Although the AFC West belongs to Denver, Kansas City will put together a respectable season, earning them a wild-card spot in the process. Andy Reid's experience will be his greatest asset as the Chiefs' head coach, but it doesn't hurt having a franchise quarterback and intimidating defense.

With all of the defenders they signed in free agency and the trade for Alex Smith, the Chiefs will take a big step up in the West this year. Re-signing Dwayne Bowe was huge for them, as he is the ideal big-bodied receiver for Reid's West Coast offense and will be a nice security blanket for Smith.

The San Diego Chargers will also be a better team this year under newly-appointed head coach Mike McCoy. McCoy has already had an impact on his quarterback, Phillip Rivers, as Rivers was especially efficient in their opening game against a tough Texans defense. Questions on special teams and a weak running back stable will be what hurts San Diego this year, keeping them out of the running for a wild-card spot.

The worst team in the AFC West will once again be the Oakland Raiders, a team in turmoil that just simply lacks talent. They lost two of their best receivers in Darrius Heyward-Bey and Brandon Myers, and running back Darren McFadden has been fragile ever since coming into the league.

If there is a positive for Oakland this year, it will (surprisingly) be at the quarterback position. The Raiders are a team that hasn't had a franchise quarterback since the Rich Gannon days, but may have found their guy in Terrelle Pryor. It's clear that there's still room for improvement with Pryor, but he showed some flashes of being a good starter last week, totaling over 300 yards offensively. 

In the North, the Baltimore Ravens are tops in one of the most competitive divisions in the league. Although the Browns aren’t too good these days, the Pittsburgh Steelers are always a tough outing, while the Bengals are a young playoff team and are only going up.

Baltimore stays atop the North through their gritty offense and matured defense. Their secondary is of slight concern after Peyton Manning lit them up on Thursday Night Football, but it will straighten up as these new pieces get more comfortable in their defensive roles.

Another reason why the Ravens will have another division-clinching year is their schedule. Their hardest game this season came in Week 1; now that they're past that, it should be smooth sailing for the most part. 

The three toughest teams that Baltimore has yet to play are the Texans, Packers and Patriots. Even though they've beaten all three of these teams in recent years, their biggest advantage will be that all of these games will be played on their home turf. Baltimore has a clear path to the playoffs.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be staying home at the bottom of the AFC barrel with the equally-unimpressive Browns. These two teams will be in desperate need of solid quarterback play after suffering through the year with Blaine Gabbert and Brandon Weeden. Both teams will finish last in their respective divisions for the second year in a row, and big changes will follow after another horrid season. 

Speaking of teams who need solid quarterback play, the AFC East is littered with unproven quarterbacks, with Tom Brady being the obvious anomaly.

Although the division has seemingly improved now that rookie passers E.J. Manuel and Geno Smith have taken over their respective teams, the Patriots will still reign supreme under Bill Belichick. Even with the loss of Wes Welker, Brady is still Brady, and Belichick always has a backup plan.

Similar to the AFC, the NFC playoff teams are the usual suspects; the division winners are the same from last year, as is one of the wild-card teams. The New Orleans Saints will take control of the other wild-card spot after coming in second to Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons in their division. 

The NFC South is terribly top-heavy between the Saints and Falcons, with the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers bringing up the rear. The Panthers are certainly an improving team, but they just don’t have enough weapons on offense for Cam Newton to succeed. Steve Smith and Greg Olsen are great, but outside of those two it’s pretty much a dry well. 

The Bucs will be at the very bottom of the South following a 2012 season that held much promise. Doug Martin will put up big numbers once again, but Josh Freeman’s shaky quarterback play will run this team into the ground. 

They were pretty heavily favored over the Jets this past weekend but lost in the final minutes due to an avoidable penalty on defense. Now that he’s been stripped of his captain status, Freeman’s days in Tampa could be numbered.

Ever since Aaron Rodgers took over in Green Bay, the Packers have dominated the NFC North. However, they’ll run into some trouble this year with some familiar opponents. They'll win their division, but they will be experiencing much more divisional competition, with the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions both having improved. 

Jay Cutler had a solid game against the Bengals’ fierce defense last week, completing 64 percent of his passes. But the biggest note that stands out about Chicago’s last game is the protection Cutler had. 

Woes on the offensive line tore down the Bears last year, but with the addition of Kyle Long, Chicago has shored up their front lines. In fact, Cutler was not sacked at all against Cincy last week, which is especially impressive given the Bengals' athletic and talented front seven.

Although they were a wild-card team last season, the Minnesota Vikings will fall out of the playoff race early, largely due to their glaring hole at quarterback. It’s almost unfathomable to think that Minnesota brought in Matt Cassel for quarterback competition considering how his season went last year in Kansas City. 

No matter who’s taking the snaps, whether it be Cassel or Christian Ponder, offseason additions like Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson will be useless; the Vikings don't have a good enough quarterback for them to be effectively used. It won’t matter if Adrian Peterson does in fact run for 2,500 yards; the Vikings are a one-sided offense and just can’t win without a passing game.

The NFC West will once again show why they are the best division in football, with three of the division’s four teams boasting double-digit wins. The 49ers and Seahawks will be neck-and-neck all year, but Colin Kaepernick and the vaunted San Fran defense will prove to be the better team overall. 

Russell Wilson is surely one of the league’s brightest young stars and also has a stellar defense, but his receivers aren't nearly as good as Kaep's are. Especially with Anquan Boldin already putting up big numbers, the Niners are set for another great year. 

Aside from San Francisco’s expected success, the Arizona Cardinals will be one of the biggest surprises in the NFC. Carson Palmer will be instrumental in the Cards' success this year and will have a great season under Bruce Arians.

Between Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald, Palmer has the best pair of receivers he's had since his days in Cincy with Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Cardinals will narrowly miss the playoffs  this year, but the future's bright. 

Another surprise team will be Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles. Kelly’s NFL debut resulted in a convincing win over the division-rival Redskins on Monday Night Football, setting the tone for their season. 

The NFC East is one of the most rivalrous and dog-eat-dog divisions, but Philly will shock the world and snatch the division away from the struggling Washington Redskins. Even with Robert Griffin III back, it’s clear the Redskins still have work to do on both offense and defense if they want to win the division for a second year in a row. 

The Giants will be a less dangerous team than most thought they'd be, because they don't have the running back they need for their offense to be fully effective. Hopes were high for David Wilson as the team's featured back, but two fumbles will put you in any coach's doghouse. They did just re-sign Brandon Jacobs, but considering that Jacobs feels that the Giants don't respect him, one has to consider how good of a fit this even is anymore. 

The Redskins and even the Dallas Cowboys will keep it competitive, but the Eagles will take the NFC East crown. Philly has the perfect personnel for Kelly’s timing- and speed-based offense, and that is what will help them to consistently put points on the board throughout the season.