The 2016 season of the National Football League has turned it to be far more interesting than most people realize. Highlights include the Colin Kaepernick National Anthem sit down, high profile injuries in J.J. Watt and Teddy Bridgewater, and teams that have both surprised and disappointed the league.
The NFC has seen their reigning champs the Carolina Panthers fall to 1-5 on the season after they went undefeated on route to a super bowl last year. Almost no one could have predicted a nearly unstoppable team a year ago would turn into such a mess. Cam Newton has faced concussions and the defense has left a lot to be desired.
The unquestioned leaders of the NFC half way through the year has been the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, both of them coming in at 5-1. The Cowboys have been led by the unlikely leader in Dak Prescott, the rookie quarterback filling in for the injured Tony Romo, while the Vikings have seen a resurgence of power under the arm of Sam Bradford who seems to have finally hit his stride after having been in the league a number of years already.
The AFC on the other hand has had surprises of their own. While the New England Patriots are leading the conference once again at a record of 6-1, the unlikely heroes have been the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are at 5-2 and are continuing to shock the NFL with their steady play under the 3rd year arm of Derek Carr.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos are also at a record of 5-2 under new quarterback Trevor Siemian. The AFC is looking to have another championship game between the Patriots and the Broncos, but teams like the Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers at 4-3 could spoil the party.
Eight weeks into the 2016 season and eight weeks left go, and now seems like a pretty good time to have some mid-season playoff predictions:
AFC DIVISION WINNERS (seed):
New England Patriots (1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3)
Houston Texans (4)
Denver Broncos (2)
AFC Wild Card: Oakland Raiders (5) ,Kansas City Chiefs (6)
NFC DIVISION WINNERS (seed):
Dallas Cowboys (1)
Atlanta Falcons (4)
Seattle Seahawks (2)
Minnesota Vikings (3)
NFC Wild Card: Green Bay Packers (6), Arizona Cardinals (5)
AFC Division Games: Patriots vs. Steelers, Broncos vs. Raiders
NFC Division Games: Cowboys vs. Packers, Seahawks vs. Cardinals
AFC Championship: Patriots vs. Broncos
NFC Championship: Cowboys vs. Seahawks
Super Bowl: Patriots vs. Seahawks
WINNERS: New England Patriots
There you have it folks, this humble writer feels that the Patriots are going to be Super Bowl champs once more, much to my dismay. The NFL is no stranger to incredible plays and memorable games, and there is still a lot of season left to play. One thing is for sure though: the second half of the season will be exciting!
