NFL Playoff Picture 2017: Week 8 Wild-Card Hunt, Standings and Super Bowl Odds

The season is approaching the halfway point for a fair percentage of NFL teams, and nothing has been decided. Based on the tightness of the standings and the NFL's tendency for parity, it's easy to say nearly every team is a contender for the playoffs.

The New York Giants (1-6), Cleveland Browns (0-7) and San Francisco 49ers (0-7) appear to be down and out when it comes to making the playoffs, even as wild-card teams.

The other 29 teams appear to have at least half a chance of making the postseason.

Here's a link to the standings in the league, with Sunday's action included.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs are leading their divisions by a game or more in the AFC and would appear to have the best chances of making the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings lead their divisions by at least one game and would appear to be in good shape on the NFC side.

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Here's a look at the odds for winning the Super Bowl, according to Joe Osborne of OddsShark:

New England Patriots +450 (wager $100 to win $450)
Pittsburgh Steelers +800
Kansas City Chiefs +850
Philadelphia Eagles +850
Seattle Seahawks +1,100
Atlanta Falcons +1,400
Green Bay Packers +1,600
Minnesota Vikings +2,000
Dallas Cowboys +2,200
Denver Broncos +2,500
Carolina Panthers +2,500
Los Angeles Rams +2,500
Houston Texans +2,800
Detroit Lions +3,300
Washington Redskins +3,300
New Orleans Saints +3,300
Tennessee Titans +4,000
Oakland Raiders +,4,000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +5,000
Cincinnati Bengals +5,000
Arizona Cardinals +5,000
Buffalo Bills +6,600
Baltimore Ravens +6,600
Jacksonville Jaguars +6,600
Miami Dolphins +7,500
New York Giants +7,500
Indianapolis Colts +10,000
Los Angeles Chargers +10,000
New York Jets +20,000
Chicago Bears +20,000
San Francisco 49ers +500,000
Cleveland Browns +500,000

The New England Patriots (5-2) appear to have righted the ship after a slow start that included some poor performances by the defense. New England played its best game of the year in its 23-7 victory over the suddenly vulnerable Atlanta Falcons Sunday night.

While the Patriots only lead the AFC East by one game over the Buffalo Bills (4-2), they are likely to put some distance between themselves and Buffalo. Head coach Sean McDermott's Bills have played well, they don't have the weapons on offense that the Patriots do, and that's why New England should gain a bigger edge as the season progresses.

The Miami Dolphins (4-2) are playing well and would appear to be legitimate contenders for a wild-card spot, and the New York Jets (3-4) have also exceeded expectations.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) looked like the team that might be able to knock the Patriots off of their Super Bowl perch at the start of the season. While they played a pair of unimpressive games against the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars, they are on course once again after strong performances against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Baltimore Ravens (3-4) are an offensive funk, and quarterback Joe Flacco has regressed, while the Bengals (2-4) have lacked consistency.

The Jaguars (4-3) and Tennessee Titans (4-3) are atop the division in the AFC South, and both are motivated to fight it out for the title. While Jacksonville has gotten strong play from a defense that meets at the quarterback nearly every week, the Titans may have the edge because of quarterback Marcus Mariota's excellence and ability to deliver memorable performances.

The Houston Texans (3-3) have found their quarterback in Deshaun Watson, but major injuries to defensive stars J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus have hurt them badly. The Indianapolis Colts (2-5) are playing the survival game this year without franchise signal-caller Andrew Luck, and they are losing it.

The Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) roared out of the gate with five straight wins, but they have lost their past two games and will have to correct their course quickly. The Denver Broncos (3-3) looked like they had the best defense in the league early on, but they have also lost their past two games.

The Los Angeles Chargers (3-4) and Oakland Raiders (3-4) are both moving in the right direction.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) are the only team in the league with one loss as they prepare to host the Washington Redskins (3-2) on Monday. The Dallas Cowboys  (3-3) have the Ezekiel Elliott suspension looming over their heads, and they have not been the smooth machine they were a year ago.

The Minnesota Vikings (5-2) have found a way to get to the top of the division despite injuries to starting quarterback Sam Bradford and rookie running back Dalvin Cook, and their defense is playing quite well.

The Green Bay Packers (4-3) are trying to find a way to remain a playoff team without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, while the Detroit Lions (3-3) have the best signal-caller in the division in Matthew Stafford. The Chicago Bears (3-4) have been one of the biggest surprises in the league because their defense has picked up considerably. They are hopeful that rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky can help them win games.

The surprising New Orleans Saints (4-2) have a number of options on offense and have improved a bit on defense, and that takes pressure off of quarterback Drew Brees. The Carolina Panthers (4-3) have been the most unpredictable team in the league, beating the Patriots on the road but losing badly to the Bears.

The defending NFC champion Falcons (3-3) are suffering from the loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who left to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Steve Sarkisian is struggling as Shanahan's replacement, and the offense has weakened considerably. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) may be the most talented team in the NFC South, but they don't know how to finish games.

The Los Angeles Rams (5-2) have become a dangerous team this year, as signal-caller Jared Goff has improved considerably and running back Todd Gurley has played like a superstar. The Seattle Seahawks (4-2) are rounding into strong form as the defense punishes opponents, but the Arizona Cardinals (3-4) suffered a huge blow with the loss of QB Carson Palmer to a broken arm Sunday.

Predicitons

Look for the Patriots, Steelers, Titans and Chiefs to win their respective divisions in the AFC, with the Bills and Raiders emerging as wild-card teams.

The Eagles, Vikings, Falcons and Seahawks should win their respective divisions in the NFC, with the Rams and Redskins earning wild-card spots.

New England and Pittsburgh appear to be on a collision course for the AFC championship, and this time Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell will find a way to get past the Super Bowl champions.

The NFC appears more wide open, and while the Eagles are playing sharp football to this point, second-year quarterback Carson Wentz still has to learn about winning playoff football. Look for the Seahawks and the Redskins to meet for the NFC championship, and Seattle should find a way to survive that game.

A nasty, hard-hitting Super Bowl is on tap, and the Steelers have more offensive weapons and will outlast the Seahawks.