NFL Power Rankings: Breaking Down Playoff Chances for Every Team

We are at the halfway point of the 2013-14 NFL season, and it's a perfect time to start looking at where each team stands in the playoff hunt.

If the playoffs started today, the Kansas City Chiefs would be the improbable top seed in the AFC after a 2-14 season last year. In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks own the best record and would enjoy a huge home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

But nothing is set in stone just yet, and with nine weeks left to be played on the schedule, several things can change with the playoff races in both conferences being so tight.

Let's take a look at the full power rankings going into Week 9 and where each team sits in its respective playoff race.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)

KC keeps the wins coming—albeit by close margins—but clearly this is a team that knows how to win tight games as evidenced by another narrow win in Week 8, this time over the Cleveland Browns.

Not only are the Chiefs primed to make the playoffs a year after going 2-14, but head coach Andy Reid's team would have home-field advantage on the AFC side if the playoffs started today.

2. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)

Because of high-profile wins over teams like Seattle, San Francisco and most recently Denver in Week 7, the Colts have earned the No. 2 spot coming off a bye in Week 8. However, a loss in any capacity to Houston in Week 9 will undoubtedly drop the Colts down the rankings in this super competitive group.

Indy owns the No. 3 spot in the playoff chase and can guarantee its spot in the NFL's postseason by wrapping up the AFC South.

3. Denver Broncos (7-1)

The AFC's supremacy on this list continues with the Broncos taking this spot. Things got a bit dicey for Denver in Week 8 versus the lowly Washington Redskins, but Peyton Manning and company turned things around in the fourth quarter to grab a four-score win.

The Broncos are breathing down the neck of the Chiefs in the AFC West, trailing by just one game, but interestingly enough the Broncos would be forced to take the fifth seed should they fail to overcome the small divisional deficit.

4. New Orleans Saints (6-1)

The Saints took care of business in Week 8 by doubling up on the Buffalo Bills, 35-17. It was a nice win for New Orleans coming out of a bye week and a loss to New England the week before.

New Orleans is the NFC South leader by two games and will get an automatic bid should that continue to be the case. In the NFC, the Saints are the No. 2 seed.

5. Seattle Seahawks (7-1)

After a narrow 14-9 win over the St. Louis Rams in Week 8, the Seahawks were exposed on defense, allowing a ton of rushing yards to running back Zac Stacy. For now, we can let it slide as a down game, which happens to every team no matter how good it is.

Seattle's lead in the NFC West is small but still relevant, as it would guarantee a spot in the playoffs. Overall in the NFC, the Seahawks have a slim lead for the best record and No. 1 seed and will be a wild-card team at worst.

6. San Francisco 49ers (6-2)

The Niners have won five games in a row now and did exactly what they were expected to do in their last game versus Jacksonville, in which San Francisco dominated to the tune of a 42-10 final score.

San Francisco remains just one game behind the Seahawks for the NFC West. Even if they can't catch up to the Seahawks, the 49ers figure to grab a wild-card seed and be in the No. 5 position.

7. Green Bay Packers (5-2)

Despite losing a ton of receivers this season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Packers is still getting it done and winning games. Green Bay's victory over the Minnesota Vikings won't score extra respect points, but this team is red hot, having won four games in a row, and look unstoppable on offense.

The Pack are at the top of the NFC North heading into Week 9 and are just one game up in the loss column. A loss could spell trouble for Green Bay as it would push them into the wild-card race, which is a tight one at that.

8. New England Patriots (6-2)

Offensive struggles continue for the Patriots this season despite a 27-17 win over Miami. The win was no thanks to Tom Brady as the Hall of Fame QB threw for just 116 yards with one touchdown and one pick.

As the AFC East leaders, New England owns the No. 2 seed in the conference, but poor play and numerous injuries to the defense in 2013-14 certainly doesn't ensure this team will finish that high.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (6-3)

Thursday games stink, and I think the Bengals would agree with me. Cincy didn't look so hot against Miami, and quarterback Andy Dalton was brought back down to earth after three stellar games in a row. We'll give the Bengals a pass after a short week.

Cincinnati is no doubt the class of the AFC North and should have no issue closing out that division and making the playoffs. However, the Bengals are also right in the thick of things for one of the top seeds in the AFC playoff hunt.

10. Detroit Lions (5-3)

Matthew Stafford and company gained a huge, last-second win over Dallas in Week 8 and continue to show signs of being a top-flight team in this league.

The Lions are just one game behind the Packers in the loss column for the NFC North title and own the last playoff spot, which could be another avenue if winning the division doesn't pan out.

11. San Diego Chargers (4-3)

Thanks to wins over Dallas and Indianapolis, the Chargers have established themselves as a formidable foe. Coming off a bye, this tough team is well-rested and ready to build on a two-game winning streak after a Week 7 win over Jacksonville.

Incredibly enough, the Chargers are the third team from the AFC West to own a playoff seed at the moment. It must be noted that with how well the Chiefs and Broncos are playing, it looks like No. 6 seed or bust for the Chargers.

12. Carolina Panthers (4-3)

The jury is still out on the Panthers even though they are in the middle of a three-game winning streak. Carolina has gained those wins over mediocre to bad teams such as Minnesota, St. Louis and Tampa Bay. The silver lining there is that they were all by convincing margins, and the Panthers showed just how good they can be on both sides of the ball.

Playoffs looked to be wishful thinking after a 1-3 start, but this winning streak has catapulted the Panthers into the conversation as they sit one game behind the Lions in the win column for the final playoff spot and two games behind the Saints for the division lead.

13. Miami Dolphins (4-4)

Miami's losing streak finally ended after a huge 22-20 win over a top team in the Bengals. It was exactly the type of win this squad needed as controversy surrounds the team at this point in the season.

The Dolphins are just one game out in the loss column for the final playoff spot and will need a bit of help from the teams in front of them in order to get there. As far as the division goes, anything can happen with the Pats having a lot of issues and just two games ahead.

14. Chicago Bears (4-3)

Having lost three of their last four, the Bears are in a bad way right now, and that's before mentioning the injury to starting QB Jay Cutler. That's especially true considering Chicago's defense allowed the lowly Redskins to score 45 points on it in Week 7.

No matter their struggles of late, the Bears are still in playoff contention as they sit just one game behind the Lions in the win column for the last playoff spot and are one full game behind the Packers in the division.

15. Dallas Cowboys (4-4)

A typical Cowboys loss in Week 8 saw this team on the brink of beating a high-quality opponent only to succumb to a last-second loss at the hands of a Stafford fake spike turned QB sneak.

The Cowboys' up-and-down play this season is saved by the fact that their division is horrible and that has allowed them to stay in first place. Still, even with that distinction, the Cowboys hold the No. 4 seed and have only a one-game advantage in the division.

16. Arizona Cardinals (4-4)

Beating Atlanta nowadays isn't exactly a tough feat, but the Cardinals did enjoy a nice and convincing win over the Falcons in which defense was the theme.

Arizona's 4-4 mark leaves them one game behind Detroit for the final playoff spot, and in an extremely competitive NFC West, that spot is the best chance Arizona has of making the playoffs.

17. New York Jets (4-4)

It's abundantly clear that the Jets come to play every other week, or so it would seem. One week they are beating a good team like the Patriots, and the next the Jets are getting smoked by the Bengals like they did in Week 8, 49-9.

Regardless of their inconsistency, the Jets are just one game back in the loss column for the final playoff spot in the AFC. And, like Miami, New York still has a realistic shot at the division with New England faltering on a weekly basis.

18. Oakland Raiders (3-4)

The Raiders have a chance to get back to .500 with a win in Week 9 following a Week 8 performance that saw them grab an early first-half lead that was almost squandered in a bad second half against Pittsburgh.

Like the Chargers, the Raiders are in the highly competitive AFC West that features elite teams like the Chiefs and Broncos. The only shot Oakland has at a playoff spot is the wild card, and the Raiders are just one game back of the Chargers with five teams to pass.

19. Tennessee Titans (3-4)

The bye week was a much-needed rest for the Titans, who have lost three games in a row. Those three losses all came against elite opponents (Chiefs, Seahawks and 49ers), though, and things are looking up with matchups against St. Louis and Jacksonville in the next two weeks.

Tennessee's skid has certainly hurt its playoff chances. At 3-4, the Titans are one game behind the Chargers for the last playoff spot and will need Indy to hit a bad stretch as the Colts own a two-game lead in the division.

20. Cleveland Browns (3-5)

Cleveland scores some respect points after almost beating the undefeated Chiefs in Week 8. If quarterback Jason Campbell can continue to look as good as he did in that game, the Browns have a good shot to make some noise when combined with their solid defense.

The Browns are two out in the loss column for the No. 6 seed and have a lot of work to do as there are five other teams in front of them when factoring in tiebreakers. If it's the playoffs they seek, the Browns' path will likely go through the wild card, with the Bengals looking good this season and having a two-game advantage in the loss column.

21. Baltimore Ravens (3-4)

A week after losing to Pittsburgh, Baltimore got the week off to think about such a dreadful loss and will need that motivation to help them beat the Browns in Week 9.

Baltimore may be two games out of the division at the moment, but with all their issues, the Ravens don't belong in the same sentence as the division-leading Bengals at the moment, who have three more wins and a one-game lead in the loss column. Being one game out of the No. 6 seed, the Ravens' playoff hopes will rest on the wild card this season.

22. St. Louis Rams (3-5)

St. Louis came close, but at the end of the day, it was unable to overcome the loss of its quarterback and barely dropped a game to an elite Seattle squad.

The playoffs are a long shot for the Rams, who lost quarterback Sam Bradford for the season and will have to get it done with career backup Kellen Clemens behind center. After a lackluster performance for Clemens in Week 8, the Rams' four-game deficit in the division and two-game deficit for the last postseason spot both look insurmountable to say the least.

23. Buffalo Bills (3-5)

You can't take too much away from the Bills after a Week 8 loss to a top team in the Saints. Save for a couple of huge plays from the arm of Drew Brees, the Bills defense wasn't entirely bad, while the offense simply couldn't do enough to keep up.

Things are not looking good for Buffalo no matter how you slice it. The Bills are three games in back of the Patriots in the division, and even though they are one game behind for the No. 6 seed, they have to jump over seven teams to get there.

24. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)

Injuries at the quarterback position are quickly derailing the Eagles' season. A Week 8 loss to the lowly New York Giants was a very bad sign for this team.

Philly is still one game out of the top spot in the NFC East after Dallas dropped its Week 8 game. To get into a playoff spot otherwise, the Eagles will need to gain two games on the Lions and jump over some teams in front of them.

25. Washington Redskins (2-5)

At the very least, the Redskins put up a fight for three quarters against a great team in the Broncos. That all ended in the fourth quarter, though, after the Broncos put up 31 in the final frame.

It's division or nothing for the Redskins this season. A horrid start has placed them two games out in the loss column and behind seven teams for the second wild-card spot. In the division, the inconsistent Cowboys have allowed the Redskins to remain just one game out in the loss column.

26. Atlanta Falcons (2-5)

Atlanta just can't get out of its own way this season after the Falcons saw their quarterback, Matt Ryan, throw four picks in a losing effort to the Cardinals.

The Falcons trail the Saints by four games for the division lead, which will never be made up with how bad the Falcons are playing this season. A wild-card berth is a better option, although that looks about as bleak with Atlanta three games behind the No. 6 seed with a bunch of teams owning tiebreakers over them.

27. Houston Texans (2-5)

The Texans are going for the most dysfunctional team award this season as they are in the midst of a five-game losing streak and are coming off a bye week following a tight, 17-16 loss to the Chiefs in Week 7.

Houston can't hope to make up the three-game deficit in the AFC South with its poor play. In the wild-card chase, the Texans have two more losses than the No. 6 seed and must pass eight teams to make an improbable playoff run.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5)

Pittsburgh was unable to build on its two-game winning streak after a Week 8 loss to the Raiders that saw the Steelers score just 18 points.

Three games out of the loss column, the Steelers aren't looking like competitors for the AFC North title or a wild-card spot in the AFC.

29. New York Giants (2-6)

New York is out of the winless cellar with two wins in a row, although its latest was against an Eagles team that is a mess with injuries behind center, and the Giants only mustered up 15 points against their lackluster defense.

Believe it or not, the Giants' best chance of making the playoffs lies in the divisional race. They stand just two games behind the Cowboys for first place, while they trail the Lions by three games with eight total teams in front of them for that spot.

30. Minnesota Vikings (1-6)

The Vikings continued their losing ways in Week 8 after getting drubbed by a Packers offense that scored 44 points.

Minnesota will be lucky to get a second win this season, let alone a playoff spot. It is clearly the worst team in its division, and a wild-card position is about as realistic as seeing pigs fly.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7)

Zero wins through eight weeks is not exactly what the Bucs had in mind when the season started as their revamped secondary was supposed to help this team compete, but the Panthers proved otherwise in Week 8.

Making the playoffs should be the least of Tampa's concerns for the moment. Getting a win should be priority No. 1, with firing the head coach a close second, as this team keeps failing week in and week out.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-8)

As the NFL's punching bag, the Jags continue to take beatings and did so at the hands of the Niners last week. At least they can't lose in Week 9 as they will enjoy a bye.

The Jags are another team that just needs to focus on getting a win as any hopes of a playoff run are long gone.