With nine weeks of the NFL season in the books, that means we’re halfway through the year, which makes right now the perfect time to start talking about the playoffs. 

The beauty of the NFL playoff race heading into Week 10 is that all 32 teams are currently still alive, which means that yes, even the PANTHERS and CARDINALS could still make the postseason. I’m guessing they won’t, but they could, and that’s what matters here. 

To help you figure out who’s going to make the playoffs this year, we’re going to be publishing a projection every week for the rest of the season. These projections will be based on data from number-cruncher Stephen Oh of SportsLine. Each week, Oh will plug some numbers into his SportsLine computer and simulate the rest of the NFL season, and using those numbers, we’ll project the 14 teams we expect to make the playoffs. 

With that in mind, let’s get to the projections. 

AFC playoff projection

Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other AFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Steelers (42.5%), Texans (39.3%), Chargers (36.9%), Jets (14%), Colts (8.2%), Titans (8.2%), Raiders (4.9%), Broncos (2.1%), Patriots (0.6%).

NFC playoff projection

Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other NFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Buccaneers (29%), Falcons (26.2%), Packers (20.7%), Rams (12.3%), Commanders (6.6%), Bears (1.1%), Panthers (0.4%), Giants (0.3%), Cardinals (0.0%). 

Note: The Cardinals aren’t eliminated from playoff contention, but their chances are listed at zero because the computer has given up on them. 

Wild-card round projection

AFC

(7) Bills at (2) Ravens
(6) Browns at (3) Dolphins
(5) Bengals at (4) Jaguars

Bye: Chiefs

NFC 

(7) Vikings at (2) Lions
(6) Seahawks at (3) 49ers
(5) Cowboys at (4) Saints

Bye: Eagles