AFC Playoff Picture

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts came under scrutiny for resting players despite an undefeated record. Now many wonder how the Colts will go forward without that momentum. Despite this scrutiny, it was an entirely justified decision. Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai have both been listed on the injury report for several weeks. Both continue to play, but they clearly are a bit nicked up. What's important is winning a Super Bowl, not going undefeated. Many say that now you can't compare this team to the 1972 undefeated Dolphins, but last time I checked the '72 Dolphins aren't in the playoffs. Ask the New England Patriots if they would rather keep their 16-0 season or trade it for the 2008 Super Bowl and they'll all say the same thing, the lost the one game that mattered most. Despite the controversy surrounding the Colts, they still remain the team to beat (yes even over the Chargers).

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers head into the playoffs as the hottest team in the NFL, winning eleven straight. Philip Rivers has played well enough to gain some MVP attention and they have the ever dangerous Ladainian Tomlinson. Despite a history of great seasons and terrible post seasons, the Chargers head into the playoffs motivated to win it all. The question is whether LT can remain healthy enough to remain a serious threat. The Chargers have Darren Sproles as backup, but this team needs a healthy LT to really make a Super Bowl run. With LT injured at the beginning of the season, the Chargers could barely beat Oakland. A bye week is a huge asset for this team so they can get healthy for the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals surprised a lot of people this season, but it's little wonder now that they have a healthy Carson Palmer back. Cedric Benson has been one of the best players this entire season and of course, there's always Ochocinco who proved he doesn't need TJ Houshmanzadeh playing opposite in order to get open. They really stepped up when it came to divisional play, but they can't quite get it straight against other big opponents winning only one game against a team with a winning record outside of their division. I think you'll see them step up against the Jets, but I don't seem them going much farther than that.

New England Patriots: The Patriots seemed to have a lot of internal struggles despite having a 10-6 record. With Tom Brady back and Bill Bellichick at the helm, you can never count this team out (unless of course they go for it on 4th down). Losses against both the Colts and the Saints make me think they can't beat the real Super Bowl contenders and I doubt they will make it past the divisional round.

Baltimore Ravens: Any question about the Ravens' chances can be answered by watching the game against Pittsburgh in which they completely self-destructed in a game they desperately needed to win. Costly penalties, dropped balls, you name it. This team has no chance. Maybe an upset against the Patriots, but that's as much as they can hope for.

New York Jets: Not sure really what to expect from his team. Despite having a rookie quarterback and head coach the Jets managed a 9-7 record. They really don't have any big wins this season excluding the 37-0 win over the Bengals last week in which the Bengals had no reason to show their potential playoff opponents anything. I don't see any surprises from either wildcard team in the playoffs.