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The NFL has reached its midway point. The sample size has grown large enough for fans to know which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. There is still plenty of football left in 2014, but here is how the playoff picture looks in the AFC through Week 9. Click here for the NFC.

One Seed: New England Patriots (7-2) - Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have made all us "experts" look silly since claiming them "finished" after the Week 4 blowout on Monday night. New England has won five straight since that night, outscoring opponents, 201-108. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is healthy and has reasserted himself as Brady's No. 1 target over that stretch, catching 36 balls for 516 yards and four touchdowns. When Gronkowski is rolling and demanding double-teams, it opens up space for the rest of the offense. There is no concern regarding Stevan Ridley's injury as Shane Vereen and Jonas Gray are poised to fill that void, but there is still a question mark surrounding the inexperienced offensive line. Even still, New England is the front-runner for home field advantage throughout the playoffs with its victory over Denver in Week 8.

Two Seed: Denver Broncos (6-2) - This team is arguably still the best in the league despite its mishap last Sunday. Denver's offense is short of its record-setting pace it set last year, but it is still in the top five in points per game, yards per game and passing yards per game. The running game hasn't kicked into full gear yet, but it has improved since Ronnie Hillman took over after Montee Ball suffered a groin injury. The defense is much, much better than a season ago with free agent additions DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and draft pick Bradley Roby. The defense is the best in the league at stopping the run and is ranked seventh with 24 sacks. Denver will easily win the AFC West, the question is can it repeat as conference champions.

Three Seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) - There isn't a hotter offense in the conference. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown six touchdowns in each of the last two games, an NFL record. In the last three games, all victories, the offense is averaging over 41 points per game. It's no coincidence rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant was activated at the start of the winning streak. The rookie has five touchdowns in his first three NFL games and with him and second-year wide receiver Markus Wheaton trending upwards, defenses can no longer double-team Antonio Brown. Much like the offense in the first six games, the defense was very inconsistent, but Dick LeBeau's group has also turned the corner. Pittsburgh has seven takeaways in the last three games, which is more than the unit had in the first six games combined. The Steelers play the Bengals twice in the last four weeks of the season, and those games will decide the division.

Four Seed: Indianapolis Colts (6-3) - Another very talented team, Indianapolis will end up as the fourth seed because of losses to Denver and Pittsburgh. The Colts, however, will have a shot to knock off the Patriots in Week 11 and unlike the games against the Broncos and Steelers, Indianapolis gets New England at home. Similar to the days with Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck is carrying the team. He leads the league with 3,085 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. Indianapolis also proved on Monday night their defense is a lot better with cornerback Vontae Davis in the lineup. He went down with a knee injury early in the Steelers lost, and the Colts went on to allow 522 passing yards and 51 points. Against the Giants with Davis back, Eli Manning barely completed 50 percent of his passes. With a weak schedule, the Colts have a chance to move up this list, but in order to be considered a real contender in the conference, they must beat New England at home.

Five Seed: Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1) - The Bengals have the inside track to winning the tough AFC North as they swept the Ravens, but Cincinnati has yet to play either the Browns or Steelers. The Bengals have swept the Steelers just once this century and have swept the entire AFC North only once back in 2009. In order to accomplish those feats, Cincinnati will have to get healthy as arguably the team's three best players, A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard and Vontaze Burfict, have missed significant time this year. Green returned last week against Jacksonville, but Bernard and Burfict will likely sit out again and miss this Thursday night's game versus the Browns. Jeremy Hill replaced Bernard nicely in his first start with 154 yards on 24 carries against the Jaguars. Even when Bernard returns, Hill will remain an important part of the Bengals rushing attack that is ranked ninth in the league. Besides the four division games, Cincinnati has a tough road game in New Orleans Week 11, and then hosts Denver on Monday night right before the season finale in Pittsburgh.

Six Seed: Baltimore Ravens (5-4) - Quite honestly, Baltimore has been the most well-rounded, consistent team in the AFC North the first half of the season. The offensive line has made major improvements and has turned Joe Flacco back into a good quarterback. Fans also have to give this team credit for avoiding a collapse in light of the Ray Rice fiasco. Despite those great things, the Ravens are in last place. A couple balls didn't bounce their way in both games against Cincinnati, and then they lost twice on the road to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. It doesn't really matter Baltimore is in last place at the moment, but what does matter is that 2-3 division record. In order to win the division, Baltimore is going to have to win it outright because they won't own any tiebreakers. After their bye week, the Ravens play at New Orleans, San Diego, and at Miami. If they can win two of those games, particularly the ones against San Diego and Miami, the Ravens will win at least 10 games and have the wild card tiebreak over the Chargers and Dolphins.

The NFL has reached its midway point. The NFC has three playoff teams from last season on the outside looking into the playoff picture. There is still plenty of football left, but is there enough time for those teams to make a run? Here's what the NFC playoffs picture looks like after Week 9. Click here for the AFC.

One Seed: Arizona Cardinals (7-1) - It's hard to believe the Arizona Cardinals are the only team left in the league with one loss, and that came on the road to the reigning AFC Champions when the Cardinals were resorted to playing rookie quarterback Logan Thomas for a good portion of the second half because of injuries. Arizona swept the entire NFC East, beating Philadelphia and Dallas the last two weeks. Nothing really pops out at you about this team on the stat sheet. The Cardinals are 28th in rushing and dead last in stopping the pass. Running back Andre Ellington's yards per carry is down from 5.5 his rookie season to 3.8 this year, and Larry Fitzgerald has caught just two touchdowns. But there isn't a more aggressive team in the NFL. Coach Bruce Arians runs a relentless vertical passing attack and no one blitzes more on defense. The players have bought into Arians' tactics and have responded. Two games against a desperate Seattle team will be tough, but keep in mind, the Cardinals are the only team to beat the Seahawks over the last 20 games in Seattle.

Two Seed: Green Bay Packers (5-3) - With Green Bay's three toughest games left on their schedule at home, it isn't unrealistic to see Aaron Rodgers and company run the table. They have won four of their last five, losing only in the loud Superdome. Rodgers has 14 touchdowns versus just two interceptions in the last five games. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson have been on fire during that stretch as well. Cobb has 452 yards and six touchdowns while Nelson has 386 yards and five touchdowns in those five games. After Chicago this week, Green Bay plays Philadelphia in a game that has huge implications for which team wins the second bye. If Rodgers is clicking on all cyclinders, Mark Sanchez will not be able to keep up. The other true test for the Packers will be the Patriots in Week 13. That game, along with the season finale against the current division-leading Lions, is at Lambeau Field. 

It is probably a surprise to many to leave the 6-2 Detroit Lions off this list as they have already beaten the Packers. Detroit, however, faces Miami and then visits the Cardinals and Patriots the next three weeks. Then, the Lions finish the season on the road the last two weeks at Chicago and Green Bay. Like last season, Detroit will falter again.

Three Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) - Two weeks ago, the Eagles were probably the best pick as Super Bowl favorites in the NFC, but two injuries in Week 9 will likely derail their season. Quarterback Nick Foles cracked his collar bone and is out at least six weeks while linebacker DeMeco Ryans torn his Achilles' tendon and is out for the season. Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez now has the keys to Chip Kelly's offense. With so many offensive weapons, Sanchez is capable of leading the Eagles to a division title. Receiver Jeremy Maclin has 790 yards and eight touchdowns this season, and behind a now healthy offensive line, running back LeSean McCoy has rushed for over 100 yards twice in the last three games. Actually, the Ryans' injury is probably more concerning for the Eagles' faithful. He had 45 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception through eight games. Without him, the Philadelphia run defense is softer and loses leadership in the middle. The Eagles face the Cowboys twice in the last five weeks of the season, which will decide the winner of the NFC East. 

Four Seed: New Orleans Saints (4-4) - There is no doubt the NFC South is the weakest division in the NFL, but it doesn't help the NFC South is matched up against the AFC North, perhaps the best division in the league. New Orleans has already lost to Cleveland, and after it welcomes the 49ers to the Superdome, the Saints face the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers in three straight weeks. These next three weeks before the Pittsburgh game, however, will be the Saints best chance to make a move in the standings because all three games are home. The Saints offfense has been better the last two weeks in large part to tight end Jimmy Graham, who has two touchdowns in those games. After that tough stretch, the Saints play three division opponents in the last four weeks. Drew Brees and the offense has moved the ball effective this season, so Brees and company just need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. The emergence of Mark Ingram is paying huge dividends. After never rushing for 100 yards in a game during his first three seasons, Ingram has posted back-to-back 100-yard contests.

Five Seed: Dallas Cowboys (6-3) - It is hard to believe the Cowboys are the most well put-together team in the league this season, but it could all fall apart because of one injury. Dallas is dedicated to running the ball behind perhaps the best offensive line in the league and controlling the time of possession has benefitted the defense. But without Tony Romo last week, the Cowboys did very little on offense. It is clear backup quarterback Brandon Weeden will not keep the Cowboys a contender in the NFC East let alone a Super Bowl contender. That means the offense will rely even more heavily on running back DeMarco Murray, who is already on pace for over 450 touches. It is difficult to believe Murray can handle an even bigger workload, and it is conceivable to think Murray will wear down by the end of the year. Dallas' season hinges on Romo returning under center and staying healthy.

Six Seed: Seattle Seahawks (5-3) - Seattle has quite a bit of work to do if it wants a shot at defending its title this January. Two of the following four: Eagles, Cowboys, Packers and Lions, will be in the wild card race not to mention the 49ers, who will get a lot of defensive players back from suspension and injury in the second half of the season. Even without Percy Harvin, Seattle has the tools to make a deep run. The Seahawks are fourth in rushing yards and rank in the top six in yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and receiving yards allowed per game. They also rank tenth in points allowed. The Seahawks problems are lack of takeaways and the abandonment Marshawn Lynch. In the team's three losses, Lynch has carried the ball on average just 11 times, and Seattle has just 10 takeaways, which limits the defense's big-play ability. Despite lackluster wins over Carolina and Oakland, Seattle controls its own destiny with two games against San Francisco and Arizona. They also play at Kansas City, at Philadelphia and then home versus the Rams, who upset the Seahawks in Week 7.

The NFL has reached its midway point. The sample size has grown large enough for fans to know which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. There is still plenty of football left in 2014, but here is how the playoff picture looks in the AFC through Week 9. Click here for the NFC.

One Seed: New England Patriots (7-2) - Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have made all us "experts" look silly since claiming them "finished" after the Week 4 blowout on Monday night. New England has won five straight since that night, outscoring opponents, 201-108. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is healthy and has reasserted himself as Brady's No. 1 target over that stretch, catching 36 balls for 516 yards and four touchdowns. When Gronkowski is rolling and demanding double-teams, it opens up space for the rest of the offense. There is no concern regarding Stevan Ridley's injury as Shane Vereen and Jonas Gray are poised to fill that void, but there is still a question mark surrounding the inexperienced offensive line. Even still, New England is the front-runner for home field advantage throughout the playoffs with its victory over Denver in Week 8.

Two Seed: Denver Broncos (6-2) - This team is arguably still the best in the league despite its mishap last Sunday. Denver's offense is short of its record-setting pace it set last year, but it is still in the top five in points per game, yards per game and passing yards per game. The running game hasn't kicked into full gear yet, but it has improved since Ronnie Hillman took over after Montee Ball suffered a groin injury. The defense is much, much better than a season ago with free agent additions DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and draft pick Bradley Roby. The defense is the best in the league at stopping the run and is ranked seventh with 24 sacks. Denver will easily win the AFC West, the question is can it repeat as conference champions.

Three Seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) - There isn't a hotter offense in the conference. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown six touchdowns in each of the last two games, an NFL record. In the last three games, all victories, the offense is averaging over 41 points per game. It's no coincidence rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant was activated at the start of the winning streak. The rookie has five touchdowns in his first three NFL games and with him and second-year wide receiver Markus Wheaton trending upwards, defenses can no longer double-team Antonio Brown. Much like the offense in the first six games, the defense was very inconsistent, but Dick LeBeau's group has also turned the corner. Pittsburgh has seven takeaways in the last three games, which is more than the unit had in the first six games combined. The Steelers play the Bengals twice in the last four weeks of the season, and those games will decide the division.

Four Seed: Indianapolis Colts (6-3) - Another very talented team, Indianapolis will end up as the fourth seed because of losses to Denver and Pittsburgh. The Colts, however, will have a shot to knock off the Patriots in Week 11 and unlike the games against the Broncos and Steelers, Indianapolis gets New England at home. Similar to the days with Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck is carrying the team. He leads the league with 3,085 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. Indianapolis also proved on Monday night their defense is a lot better with cornerback Vontae Davis in the lineup. He went down with a knee injury early in the Steelers lost, and the Colts went on to allow 522 passing yards and 51 points. Against the Giants with Davis back, Eli Manning barely completed 50 percent of his passes. With a weak schedule, the Colts have a chance to move up this list, but in order to be considered a real contender in the conference, they must beat New England at home.

Five Seed: Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1) - The Bengals have the inside track to winning the tough AFC North as they swept the Ravens, but Cincinnati has yet to play either the Browns or Steelers. The Bengals have swept the Steelers just once this century and have swept the entire AFC North only once back in 2009. In order to accomplish those feats, Cincinnati will have to get healthy as arguably the team's three best players, A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard and Vontaze Burfict, have missed significant time this year. Green returned last week against Jacksonville, but Bernard and Burfict will likely sit out again and miss this Thursday night's game versus the Browns. Jeremy Hill replaced Bernard nicely in his first start with 154 yards on 24 carries against the Jaguars. Even when Bernard returns, Hill will remain an important part of the Bengals rushing attack that is ranked ninth in the league. Besides the four division games, Cincinnati has a tough road game in New Orleans Week 11, and then hosts Denver on Monday night right before the season finale in Pittsburgh.

Six Seed: Baltimore Ravens (5-4) - Quite honestly, Baltimore has been the most well-rounded, consistent team in the AFC North the first half of the season. The offensive line has made major improvements and has turned Joe Flacco back into a good quarterback. Fans also have to give this team credit for avoiding a collapse in light of the Ray Rice fiasco. Despite those great things, the Ravens are in last place. A couple balls didn't bounce their way in both games against Cincinnati, and then they lost twice on the road to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. It doesn't really matter Baltimore is in last place at the moment, but what does matter is that 2-3 division record. In order to win the division, Baltimore is going to have to win it outright because they won't own any tiebreakers. After their bye week, the Ravens play at New Orleans, San Diego, and at Miami. If they can win two of those games, particularly the ones against San Diego and Miami, the Ravens will win at least 10 games and have the wild card tiebreak over the Chargers and Dolphins.

The NFL has reached its midway point. The NFC has three playoff teams from last season on the outside looking into the playoff picture. There is still plenty of football left, but is there enough time for those teams to make a run? Here's what the NFC playoffs picture looks like after Week 9. Click here for the AFC.

One Seed: Arizona Cardinals (7-1) - It's hard to believe the Arizona Cardinals are the only team left in the league with one loss, and that came on the road to the reigning AFC Champions when the Cardinals were resorted to playing rookie quarterback Logan Thomas for a good portion of the second half because of injuries. Arizona swept the entire NFC East, beating Philadelphia and Dallas the last two weeks. Nothing really pops out at you about this team on the stat sheet. The Cardinals are 28th in rushing and dead last in stopping the pass. Running back Andre Ellington's yards per carry is down from 5.5 his rookie season to 3.8 this year, and Larry Fitzgerald has caught just two touchdowns. But there isn't a more aggressive team in the NFL. Coach Bruce Arians runs a relentless vertical passing attack and no one blitzes more on defense. The players have bought into Arians' tactics and have responded. Two games against a desperate Seattle team will be tough, but keep in mind, the Cardinals are the only team to beat the Seahawks over the last 20 games in Seattle.

Two Seed: Green Bay Packers (5-3) - With Green Bay's three toughest games left on their schedule at home, it isn't unrealistic to see Aaron Rodgers and company run the table. They have won four of their last five, losing only in the loud Superdome. Rodgers has 14 touchdowns versus just two interceptions in the last five games. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson have been on fire during that stretch as well. Cobb has 452 yards and six touchdowns while Nelson has 386 yards and five touchdowns in those five games. After Chicago this week, Green Bay plays Philadelphia in a game that has huge implications for which team wins the second bye. If Rodgers is clicking on all cyclinders, Mark Sanchez will not be able to keep up. The other true test for the Packers will be the Patriots in Week 13. That game, along with the season finale against the current division-leading Lions, is at Lambeau Field. 

It is probably a surprise to many to leave the 6-2 Detroit Lions off this list as they have already beaten the Packers. Detroit, however, faces Miami and then visits the Cardinals and Patriots the next three weeks. Then, the Lions finish the season on the road the last two weeks at Chicago and Green Bay. Like last season, Detroit will falter again.

Three Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) - Two weeks ago, the Eagles were probably the best pick as Super Bowl favorites in the NFC, but two injuries in Week 9 will likely derail their season. Quarterback Nick Foles cracked his collar bone and is out at least six weeks while linebacker DeMeco Ryans torn his Achilles' tendon and is out for the season. Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez now has the keys to Chip Kelly's offense. With so many offensive weapons, Sanchez is capable of leading the Eagles to a division title. Receiver Jeremy Maclin has 790 yards and eight touchdowns this season, and behind a now healthy offensive line, running back LeSean McCoy has rushed for over 100 yards twice in the last three games. Actually, the Ryans' injury is probably more concerning for the Eagles' faithful. He had 45 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception through eight games. Without him, the Philadelphia run defense is softer and loses leadership in the middle. The Eagles face the Cowboys twice in the last five weeks of the season, which will decide the winner of the NFC East. 

Four Seed: New Orleans Saints (4-4) - There is no doubt the NFC South is the weakest division in the NFL, but it doesn't help the NFC South is matched up against the AFC North, perhaps the best division in the league. New Orleans has already lost to Cleveland, and after it welcomes the 49ers to the Superdome, the Saints face the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers in three straight weeks. These next three weeks before the Pittsburgh game, however, will be the Saints best chance to make a move in the standings because all three games are home. The Saints offfense has been better the last two weeks in large part to tight end Jimmy Graham, who has two touchdowns in those games. After that tough stretch, the Saints play three division opponents in the last four weeks. Drew Brees and the offense has moved the ball effective this season, so Brees and company just need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. The emergence of Mark Ingram is paying huge dividends. After never rushing for 100 yards in a game during his first three seasons, Ingram has posted back-to-back 100-yard contests.

Five Seed: Dallas Cowboys (6-3) - It is hard to believe the Cowboys are the most well put-together team in the league this season, but it could all fall apart because of one injury. Dallas is dedicated to running the ball behind perhaps the best offensive line in the league and controlling the time of possession has benefitted the defense. But without Tony Romo last week, the Cowboys did very little on offense. It is clear backup quarterback Brandon Weeden will not keep the Cowboys a contender in the NFC East let alone a Super Bowl contender. That means the offense will rely even more heavily on running back DeMarco Murray, who is already on pace for over 450 touches. It is difficult to believe Murray can handle an even bigger workload, and it is conceivable to think Murray will wear down by the end of the year. Dallas' season hinges on Romo returning under center and staying healthy.

Six Seed: Seattle Seahawks (5-3) - Seattle has quite a bit of work to do if it wants a shot at defending its title this January. Two of the following four: Eagles, Cowboys, Packers and Lions, will be in the wild card race not to mention the 49ers, who will get a lot of defensive players back from suspension and injury in the second half of the season. Even without Percy Harvin, Seattle has the tools to make a deep run. The Seahawks are fourth in rushing yards and rank in the top six in yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and receiving yards allowed per game. They also rank tenth in points allowed. The Seahawks problems are lack of takeaways and the abandonment Marshawn Lynch. In the team's three losses, Lynch has carried the ball on average just 11 times, and Seattle has just 10 takeaways, which limits the defense's big-play ability. Despite lackluster wins over Carolina and Oakland, Seattle controls its own destiny with two games against San Francisco and Arizona. They also play at Kansas City, at Philadelphia and then home versus the Rams, who upset the Seahawks in Week 7.