NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Latest Playoff Picture

With eight weeks down and nine to go, the once-hazy NFL playoff picture is beginning to take shape—sort of. While there are clear frontrunners in a number of divisions, others aren't so easy to predict.

Like the NFC East, for example. With the New York Giants currently in the lead at 5-2, and the three remaining teams at 3-4, there's no way to guess which of its four teams could reach the postseason after eight weeks.

Every team in the division is inconsistent and thus unpredictable—indeed, one of them will reach the playoffs, but it's incredibly difficult to divine the future of the NFC East.

In a similar situation are the teams of the AFC West. After Monday night's 23-20 overtime win over the San Diego Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs sit atop the division even though they started the year out as clearly one of the league's worst.

Just two weeks ago, I would have pegged the Oakland Raiders as the clear playoff favorites in the division, but because of quarterback Jason Campbell's injury and the addition of Carson Palmer to the roster, they're nothing more than a question mark.

And it's hard to say that the surging Chiefs or the slumping Chargers are either a lock to make the postseason or already out of the picture.

However, there are divisions with teams that are near-guarantees to be taking the field come January, like the 6-1 San Francisco 49ers, who have more wins than the other three teams in the NFC West combined. With two more victories, they will clinch their playoff spot.

In the NFC North, one of the more competitive divisions in the league, it's looking more and more likely that two of its teams will see the postseason—the undefeated Green Bay Packers and the 5-2 Detroit Lions.

The same can be said for the AFC North, the NFL's best division (through eight weeks, of course). While the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals both sit at 5-2 below the No. 1 Steelers, I see the Bengals and not the Ravens reaching the postseason.

I also see it as being quite possible that the Bengals reach the playoffs at the top of the AFC North, with the Steelers entering as a Wild Card team. It will hinge upon how well the Steelers respond to their most recent spate of injuries (plaguing their linebackers rather than their offensive line this time around) and how resilient the young Bengals are in the depths of the season.

The AFC East appears, at this time, poised to ship two of its teams to the playoffs—the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills—though I believe the Bills may just edge out New England as the top team in the division, just based on the fact that Buffalo is a far more balanced team. That balance will pay off as we move later into the season.

The two South divisions are a bit confusing at the moment. The New Orleans Saints just came off of a loss to the St. Louis Rams, and while this is clearly not the end of the road for New Orleans, it certainly doesn't help them in such a competitive division.

And the AFC South is in a two-team race. While it seems that the Houston Texans, at 5-3, have the upper hand, the 4-3 Tennessee Titans are right on their heels. One mistake can cost one of these teams the division.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 9
 
1. Green Bay Packers
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Houston Texans
5. New England Patriots
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Detroit Lions
9. New Orleans Saints
10. Cincinnati Bengals
11. Atlanta Falcons
12. New York Jets
13. Philadelphia Eagles
14. Chicago Bears
15. Tennessee Titans
16. Kansas City Chiefs
17. New York Giants
18. Oakland Raiders
19. San Diego Chargers
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Dallas Cowboys
22. Carolina Panthers
23. Cleveland Browns
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
25. St. Louis Rams
26. Minnesota Vikings
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. Washington Redskins
29. Arizona Cardinals
30. Miami Dolphins
31. Denver Broncos
32. Indianapolis Colts