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The NFL constantly tracks everything that they can about the NFL. One of those things is the current NFL playoff picture, if, for some reason, the league decided to end the season today. Why do we care about a playoff picture 10 weeks before the end of the season? Because the Miami Dolphins are in the playoffs as of right now, of course.
The current AFC playoff teams are:
- Houston Texans (6-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
- New England Patriots (4-3)
- Denver Broncos (3-3)
- San Diego Chargers (3-3)
- Miami Dolphins (3-3)
That's right, not only would the Dolphins make it into the playoffs, but, following the NFL's playoff seeding rules, they would be playing the New England Patriots, their AFC East division rival, in the first round.
Behind the Dolphins, NFL.com lists the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3), Indianapolis Colts (3-3), New York Jets (3-4), and Tennessee Titans (3-4) as the other teams "in the hunt." After that, the Buffal Bills (3-4), Cincinnati Bengals (3-4), Oakland Raiders (2-4), Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5), Kansas City Chiefs (1-5), and Cleveland Browns (1-6) complete the conference.
Over in the NFC, the current playoff picture looks like:
- Atlanta Falcons (6-0)
- Chicago Bears (5-1)
- New York Giants (5-2)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-2)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-2)
- Green Bay Packers (4-3)
The rest of the NFL has the Arizona Cardinals (4-3), Seattle Seahawks (4-3), Philadelphia Eagles (3-3), and Dallas Cowboys (3-3) in the "hunt," with the St. Louis Rams (3-4), Washington Redskins (3-4), Detroit Lions (2-4), New Orleans Saints (2-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4), and the Carolina Panthers (1-5) rounding out the conference.
Of course, this is way too early to really be putting any stock into the playoff picture - but it sure is nice to see Miami making the cut.