NFL Catch Up – Who Is Shining Bright And On The Wane In The NFL This Season?

We have now played through eight weeks of the NFL 2021-22 season and although we are not quite at the midway point of the season, due to teams playing an expanded 17-game season for the first time this year, we have still played enough games to get a good idea of who is performing well and who isn’t.

It is the time of the year when fans start to think about the end of season playoffs and whether or not their team will eventually make it into them and then, how far can they go, perhaps even winning the Super Bowl.

Of course, fans have been betting on the outcome of games with bet365 Sport since the season began and hopefully you have enjoyed a wager on the games too. Remember, you can enjoy a wide range of NFL bets with the site, including extensive In Play betting when the games are in progress.

If you live in the United States, then BetRivers Sportsbook is another good option to consider as it is available across multiple states and also offers great value betting on the NFL as well as a host of other sports.

So let’s start our look through the league with a quick review of how each of the divisions currently stand in the AFC and NFC.

AFC East

1. Buffalo Bills – 5-2
2. New England Patriots – 4-4
3. New York Jets – 2-5
4. Miami Dolphins – 1-7

AFC West

1. Las Vegas Raiders – 5-2
2. Los Angeles Chargers – 4-3
3. Kansas City Chiefs – 4-4
4. Denver Broncos – 4-4

AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens – 5-2
2. Cincinnati Bengals – 5-3
3. Pittsburgh Steelers – 4-3
4. Cleveland Browns – 4-4

AFC South

1. Tennessee Titans – 6-2
2. Indianapolis Colts – 3-5
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – 1-6
4. Houston Texans – 1-7

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys – 6-1
2. Philadelphia Eagles – 3-5
3. Washington Football Team – 2-6
4. New York Giants – 2-6

NFC West

1. Arizona Cardinals – 7-1
2. Los Angeles Rams – 7-1
3. San Francisco 49ers – 3-4
4. Seattle Seahawks – 3-5

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers – 7-1
2. Minnesota Vikings – 3-4
3. Chicago Bears – 3-5
4. Detroit Lions – 0-8

NFC South

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-2
2. New Orleans Saints – 5-2
3. Carolina Panthers – 4-4
4. Atlanta Falcons – 3-4

So how does all this translate into the current playoff standings in the NFL? Well, it certainly makes for interesting reading at the present moment, although plenty will change over the forthcoming weeks I am sure.

Current Playoff Seedings

AFC

1. Tennessee Titans – 6-2 (First Round Bye)
2. Las Vegas Raiders – 5-2
3. Baltimore Ravens – 5-2
4. Buffalo Bills – 5-2
5. Cincinatti Bengals – 5-3
6. Pittsburgh Steelers – 4-3
7. Los Angeles Chargers – 4-3

On the Fringes

• New England Patriots 4-4
• Kansas City Chiefs – 4-4
• Cleveland Browns – 4-4
• Denver Broncos – 4-4
• Indianapolis Colts – 3-5

It is an incredibly open situation in the AFC. Tennessee’s big win this week over the Colts not only saw them become the top seed in the AFC, it also gave them an effective four-game lead over the Colts, which puts them in a very strong position to finish no lower than fourth seed in the NFL.

However an injury to Derrick Henry could derail their season and the likes of the Bills, Ravens, Raiders and Bengals, who were the number 1 AFC seed last week, Chargers and Steelers are all ready to pounce.

However, with four teams just one game outside the playoff places, and the Colts just two back, with 9 games of the season left for some teams (ten for others due to the staggered bye weeks) so much could still change over the next few weeks.

Our AFC Playoff Predictions

1. Buffalo Bills – 12-5
2. Baltimore Ravens – 12-5
3. Tennessee Titans – 11-6
4. Los Angeles Chargers 10-7
5. Las Vegas Raiders – 9-8
6. Pittsburgh Steelers – 9-8
7. New England Patriots – 9-8

NFC

1. Green Bay Packers – 7-1 (First Round Bye)
2. Arizona Cardinals – 7-1
3. Dallas Cowboys – 6-1
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-2
5. Los Angeles Rams – 7-1
6. New Orleans Saints – 5-2
7. Carolina Panthers – 4-4

On the Fringes

• Minnesota Vikings 3-4
• San Francisco 49ers – 3-4
• Atlanta Falcons – 3-4
• Philadelphia Eagles – 3-5
• Seattle Seahawks – 3-5
• Chicago Bears – 3-5

Things do seem much more clear cut in the NFC at the moment, and I think this set of teams looks well set to be the amongst those that qualify for the playoffs and it is hard to see anyone breaking into that top six teams.

It is probably the seventh spot in the playoffs that is going to be the one that is most likely up for grabs and in truth, I think the Panthers will do well to hang on to that position as I can see a couple of teams emerging from the pack on the fringes of the playoffs over the remainder of the season.

However, I think those top six teams in the NFC will be those competing in the playoffs, though not necessarily in the seeding order that they are now.

Our NFC Playoff Predictions

1. Arizona Cardinals – 14-3
2. Green Bay Packers – 13-4
3. Dallas Cowboys -12-5
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 11-6
5. Los Angeles Rams – 13-4
6. New Orleans Saints – 10-7
7. San Francisco 49ers – 9-8

This Weeks NFL Games

Matchday 9

Thursday 4^th November

• New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts

Moneyline Tips – The Jets had a great win last week, but the Colts are starting to look stronger now and tey should pick up the win here. Take then at 4/21

Sunday 7^th November

• Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars
• Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
• Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals
• Denver Broncos @ Dallas Cowboys
• Houston Texans @ Miami Dolphins
• Las Vegas Raiders @ New York Giants
• Minnesota Vikings @ Baltimore Ravens
• New England Patriots @ Carolina Panthers
• Los Angeles Chargers @ Philadelphia Eagles
• Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
• Green Bay Packers @ Kansas City Chiefs
• Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Rams

Moneyline Tips – There’s plenty of interesting games on Sunday, but looking purely at the moneyline bets for the games I think the best bets are the Saints (5/13), the Bills (1/11), the Cowboys (2/9), Ravens (20/49), Patriots (25/48), Chargers (4/5), Cardinals (10/11), Rams (5/18) and the Packers (evens).

I really like the look of a Chargers/Cardinals/Packers treble bet which at the current odds at bet365 Sport would return at 5.87/1.

Monday 8^th November

• Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Moneyline Tips – The Steelers have hit form at the right time winning their last three and they are a very solid option at 5/14 here. Justin Fields has the X-Factor but he doesn’t have enough support around him as yet to worry the Steelers in this Monday night game.