Updated NFL Playoff Predictions

Week 10 of the 2011 NFL season is nearing it's conclusion, and while the weekend's action helped to clarify the playoff picture in some areas it just muddied the waters even more in others.

With that said here's an updated look at the teams that, when all is said and done, will play on when the regular season concludes and the march to Super Bowl XLVI begins.

1. AFC East: New England Patriots

Tonight's battle between the New England Patriots and New York Jets will go a long way towards determining the AFC East's eventual champion, but regardless of the outcome look for the Patriots to find a way to scratch and claw their way to a division title.

2. AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens dropped another headscratcher Sunday, falling to the Seattle Seahawks, and even though the Ravens swept both meetings with the Steelers this season their maddening inconsistency is going to open the door for the Steelers to sneak past them and emerge as division champions.

3. AFC South: Houston Texans

The Texans are easily the best team in a bad division, and it appears that 2011 will finally be the year that the Texans get over the proverbial hump and make the first postseason appearance in franchise history.

4. AFC West: Oakland Raiders

I have absolutely no idea who is going to win the AFC West, so it only seemed fitting to pick the National Football League's most bizarre team to win the NFL's most bizarre division this year.

5. AFC Wild Cards: Baltrimore Ravens and New York Jets

The Baltimore Ravens Jekyll and Hyde act may cost them the AFC North but their stellar defense should still carry them into the playoffs.

The Cincinnati Bengals brutal second half schedule should take enough of a toll to allow the Jets to slip past them and into the second wild card spot.

6. NFC East: New York Giants

The New York Giants loss to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday cut their lead in the NFC East in half, but the Dallas Cowboys are just too inconsistent to make the run necessary to pass them for the division title.

7. NFC North: Green Bay Packers

When an undefeated team opens up a three game lead in a division (which Green Bay will do with a victory over the Vikings Monday night) with seven to play it's a pretty safe bet that that team is going to win their division.

8. NFC South: New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday gave them a two game edge in the division, and that's a gap that the Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be hard pressed to close by season's end.

9. NFC West: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have the same number of wins as every other team in the NFC West.

Combined.

That is all.

10. NFC Wild Cards: Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys

With the Chicago Bears thrashing of the Detroit Lions Sunday the Bears take the driver's seat for one of the NFC's wild card spots, while the Lions lack of a ground game may well cause enough of a late season swoon to allow Jerry's Boys to sneak into the playoffs.