NFL Playoffs 2015-16: Bracket Predictions, Odds for AFC and NFC Before Week 16

The NFL playoff picture is still wide-open. While there are some certainties—the Carolina Panthers have clinched a first-round bye, for one, as have the New England Patriots—plenty is still up in the air. 

And that means projecting a Super Bowl winner is still a murky business. Here are the current Super Bowl odds for teams still able to qualify for the postseason, per Odds Shark:

Team	Odds
New England Patriots	+333
Carolina Panthers	+400
Arizona Cardinals	+650
Seattle Seahawks	+650
Pittsburgh Steelers	+650
Green Bay Packers	+1000
Denver Broncos	+1400
Kansas City Chiefs	+1800
Cincinnati Bengals	+1800
Minnesota Vikings	+5000
Washington Redskins	+6600
New York Jets	+7500
Houston Texans	+7500
Philadelphia Eagles	+7500
New York Giants	+7500
Indianapolis Colts	+10000
Jacksonville Jaguars	+50000
Atlanta Falcons	+50000

Let's make projections for the NFC and AFC playoffs.

NFC

Here are my predictions for the NFC playoffs:

Seed	Team
1	Carolina Panthers
2	Arizona Cardinals
3	Green Bay Packers
4	Philadelphia Eagles
5	Seattle Seahawks
6	Minnesota Vikings

While many of the choices here are pretty obvious and don't require much explanation, there will probably be one major question about my projections: Why the Philadelphia Eagles?

In the dreadful NFC East, Washington is currently 7-7, while the Eagles and New York Giants are each 6-8. If the Eagles win out against Washington and the Giants, they'll win the division. They've also been one of the league's most inconsistent teams this year. 

But here's the thing. Washington is great at home (6-2) and dreadful on the road (1-5). They play at Philly and at Dallas to close the season. Playing Washington at home is a major advantage for the Eagles. 

Then there are the Giants, one of the NFL's best teams for 58 minutes each game and one of the league's worst teams for the final two minutes. The Giants have to travel to Minnesota for a tough matchup against the Vikings—and will likely have to do so without the suspended Odell Beckham Jr., pending his appeal—before traveling to face an Eagles team that trounced them in October, 27-7.

For the Vikings, that Giants game will be huge, since they'll be traveling to face the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, potentially with the division on the line. A win against the Giants will guarantee Minny a playoff spot and a shot at the NFC North crown. Losing two straight to close the season could push the Vikings out of the playoffs, however. 

AFC

Here are my predictions for the AFC playoffs:

Seed	Team
1	New England Patriots
2	Denver Broncos
3	Cincinnati Bengals
4	Houston Texans
5	Kansas City Chiefs
6	Pittsburgh Steelers

Two key games this weekend will determine much about the playoff picture. First, the big one: The Denver Broncos hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. 

There are three reasons I like the Broncos in this one: For starters, the Broncos still have the league's best defense. Secondly, they are at home. Thirdly, I'll take Brock Osweiler over AJ McCarron at quarterback any week. 

Plus, a loss for the Broncos would be catastrophic. Not only would a loss and a win by the Kansas City Chiefs knock the Broncos out of the top spot in the AFC West, it could also knock the Broncos out of the playoffs altogether if the Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets all win out. 

Which brings us to the second huge game of the weekend: The New England Patriots traveling to play the Jets. It's always tough to bet against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots in this type of game late in the year—especially with home-field advantage throughout the postseason up for grabs—and the Pats did win the first meeting between these teams. 

The Jets are at home, however, and have won four games in a row. But the Patriots only looked vulnerable this year when Rob Gronkowski was hurt. With Gronk healthy and in the lineup, the Patriots—despite all of their injuries on offense—still look like the AFC's top team, so I expect them to pull out a win in New York and all but end the Jets' playoff hopes.