We're past the halfway point of the NFL's regular season, and we're ready to turn the page on the playoff projections.
We are comfortable now looking at projecting actual playoff matchups. Hey, if the college football people can do it, so can we — and the NFL has more games, so ... boom.
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Here's an early look at how the NFL playoff picture might look, and yeah, yeah, we know that 11 AFC teams have five wins or more and that two (or more) good NFC teams stand to miss the postseason as things are now.
Just enjoy what the opening weekend of the postseason might look like and what the games might entail:
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers: Ice Bowl rematch! And actually, it would be the first Cowboys playoff game at Lambeau since that famous 1967 game — the past four meetings of these two teams outside the regular season (in the 1982, 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons) all happened in Dallas. Obviously, Aaron Rodgers vs. Tony Romo — if he's standing by January — would be the marquee showcase, but there also would be the matchup of two darned good running backs and two defenses that will have to answer the questions of onlookers of whether they are good enough to help propel a Super Bowl run.
Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints: Well, now. The tables would be turned in this fascinating matchup, and we'd have some great pre-game discussions about which environment, Seattle or New Orleans, truly is more rowdy. The Seahawks have had the Saints' number recently, winning the past three head-to-head battles, but the Saints won the last battle at the Superdome ... back in 2010. If the Seahawks are to repeat, given this first-round battle, they truly would have to prove themselves in the lion's den to do so. Drew Brees never has thrown a playoff pick in the Dome.
Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts: Oh, you remember. The Chiefs were whipping the tar out of the Colts, up 38-14 in the second half at the Oil Can, when the wave came. We saw Andrew Luck take over and Andy Reid lose control. We certainly couldn't hope for another game as tidal and stunning as that one in this rematch scenario, but it would be fun to see that Chiefs pass rush against Luck and the throw-first, throw-second Colts.
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsrburgh Steelers: It certainly feels like we could get an AFC North battle in the wildcard round given how tight the division appears right now. We picked the Steelers > Bengals here because of recent momentum, but both teams appear to be very tough to pin down. The Steelers were tested firmly by the Jacksonville Jaguars, beaten at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their now-benched replacement QB, throttled by the Cleveland Browns, and yet they blasted the Colts and Ravens (beating a team by 20 points that previously beat them by 20). The Bengals? They're unbeaten at home, but they appeared to be exposed in big-boy matchups against the New England Patriots and Colts. So how would this mock matchup go? Who in the heck knows?
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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