“Any given Sunday” isn’t just a popular movie; it’s a popular phrase in the NFL world. Anybody can beat anybody on any given Sunday, but that has never been more true than this year.

Parity around the league is at an all-time high. There really aren’t any teams sticking out at the top outside of maybe the Kansas City Chiefs. But even they’ve lost three games already. It’s been nearly impossible to predict what’ll happen from week to week, which means we have more teams than ever battling for a playoff spot.

Today, we’re going to go through some of the playoff contenders and see if we’re buying or selling their postseason hype.

Bears and Panthers are Wild Card teams: Selling

The Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears are on three and four-game winning streaks respectively. They’ve asserted themselves into the NFC playoff picture after slow starts. But are they really playoff contenders? Personally, I don’t think so.

The opponents the Bears have beaten during their four-game win streak have a combined record of 9-18-1. Likewise, the opponents the Panthers have beaten during their three-game win streak have a combined record of 4-16-1. They’re winning games, which is what really matters, but they’ve yet to do it against any playoff contenders.

I believe in the Bears more than I do the Panthers and believe they have a shot at sneaking in as the 7-seed. However, I don’t think they can make any real noise in the postseason. I think Carolina is an up-and-coming team, but this is not the year they’ll make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

The Patriots can make some noise in the playoffs: Buying

Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are going to make the playoffs, and I can tell you right now that absolutely nobody will want to play them in January.

You can make the case that the Patriots haven’t beaten anybody super special (outside of Buffalo). Their five wins have come against opponents with a combined record of 11-23, but they went to Buffalo and Drake Maye out-dueled Josh Allen and also beat down on the Panthers, 42-13.

This is a team that’s still rebuilding, but they’re far ahead of schedule. Think of the Washington Commanders last year. They had holes all over their roster, but an exciting young quarterback and experienced coach guided them to the NFC Championship. I’m not saying the Pats will make the AFC Championship, but they can win at least one game in the playoffs this year if they stay healthy.

The Colts will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl: Selling

This is not me saying the Indianapolis Colts won’t represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but my money is on the Chiefs as of today. If it’s anybody other than Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City, I think it’ll be Indy, but this is asking if they’ll make the Super Bowl, so for now, my answer is selling.

I love what Shane Steichen is cooking in Indianapolis. Their offense is as balanced and efficient as anybody’s, and their defense is playing well enough to keep them in pretty much every game. I am still a tiny bit concerned about their offense falling off as teams get more tape on Daniel Jones, but as the weeks go on and they keep rolling, that concern is fading.

Right now, I expect the Colts and Chiefs to clash in the AFC Championship, but I have Kansas City coming out on top at the moment.

The Bills are still AFC contenders: Buying

I’m a big proponent of, if you have an elite quarterback, you’ll always have a shot in the playoffs, and that’s exactly why I believe the Buffalo Bills can still contend in the AFC.

I know I just said I think it will be Indy and Kansas City in the AFC Championship, and I do, but I’m still buying some stock on the Bills.

As long as they have Josh Allen under center, they will have a chance in every single game they play.

I don’t think there’s a better all-around quarterback in football at the moment than Allen. And if they go out and add a wide receiver at the trade deadline, I think they’ll start to be a force to be reckoned with once again.

Broncos and Packers are NFC and AFC Champ game contenders: Selling

This might be my hardest sell of the video. The Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers sit at No. 3 and No. 2 in their respective conference standings (this is before Monday Night Football). Some will be quick to dub them as real contenders, but I will gladly sell you all my Packers and Broncos stock.

The Broncos are obviously a very good football team with one of the best defenses in the league, but their offense really needs some work. They need a much more consistent run game and some more receivers to pair with Courtland Sutton. They are 100 percent going to make the playoffs, but I don’t see them winning more than one game, if they can even do that.

The Packers are the team I might be selling the most stock of this week. They’re going to be top 10 in pretty much every power ranking you see on Tuesday. Everyone wants them to be this elite team because they’re the Packers, but they’re just not. They have a very good defense, but their offense just doesn’t pass the eye test. They’re struggling to beat middling teams, and there are just too many good teams in the NFC for them to make a deep playoff push in my eyes.

Just look at their performance since their 2-0 start and tell me you think they’re actually going to contend with Tampa Bay, Detroit, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

I’m not saying Green Bay is a bad team, but they’re not among the elite in the NFC.

The Cowboys will win a playoff game: Buying

The Dallas Cowboys are a fascinating case study. Their offense is one of the best in the league, but as they say, defense wins championships, and their defense is flat out awful.

However, they showed signs of life this weekend, and if they keep playing like that, I think they’re a lock to make the playoffs as a Wild Card.

If Dallas can just make it to the playoffs, they’ll have a shot at winning against any opponent. They are a threat to score 40+ on any given day, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they squeeze into the No. 6 or No. 7 seed and pull off a big round one upset.

Tampa Bay will be the NFC’s No. 1 seed: Selling

This isn’t me saying I don’t think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can be the No. 1 seed, because they very much could be, I’m just playing the odds.

There are too many really good NFC teams this year to go all in on one team – especially one that is very banged up – to win the conference.

I think Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, LA and Detroit all also have a shot at that No. 1 overall seed. Tampa might be the class of the NFC right now, especially when healthy, but I’m playing the field and saying they don’t end up with the No. 1 overall seed.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will win the AFC North: Buying

A lot of people are out on the Pittsburgh Steelers after they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, but that’s fine with me. I’m still taking them to win the AFC North.

Aaron Rodgers has proven he can lead an above average offense in Pittsburgh, and I know their defense didn’t play well on TNF, but I still think they’re one of the better units in the league. They have a pretty large lead on everyone else in their conference, and even when the Baltimore Ravens get healthy, I don’t think their defense is good enough to keep pace with Pittsburgh.

I don’t foresee them making much noise in the postseason, but they should win their division and make the playoffs.

Seahawks, Rams and 49ers could all make NFC Championship: Buying

I think it’s fair to say that the Buccaneers and Lions are the favorites in the NFC at the moment, but I think the next tier are all capable of making a run in the playoffs.

The Seattle Seahawks might be my favorite team this year. They’ve got Sam Darnold slinging the ball around to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who’s cementing himself as a top receiver in this league. Defensively, they’ve been pretty good too. At least good enough to keep them in every game, much like the Colts. If they can get the run game sorted out, there’s no limit to their ceiling.

The San Francisco 49ers are so beat up, and yet they keep on winning. They have playmakers at every single position, so if they can just get somewhat healthy by the end of the year, nobody is going to want to play them in January.

I actually lied about Seattle, the Los Angeles Rams might be my favorite team (outside of the Saints, obviously). Matthew Stafford is just so dang good at football, and once they get Puka Nacua back, they might be the most dangerous offense in the NFC. Plus, they have an elite pass rush, which always travels even when the weather gets cold and the fans get rowdy.

It’s crazy to think these three teams are all in the same division. They’ll take games off each other, which will open the door for other teams to sneak in, but I think all three make the playoffs and could all make some serious noise this postseason.