The playoffs are an unpredictable beast in today's NFL, with teams' fortunes changing rapidly and a middle class of teams that bounce in and out of the postseason. Because of that, it can be difficult to predict from year-to-year who will be in, but that's exactly what we're going to try to do today.
A reminder: This was the field of teams a year ago.
2014 Playoff Teams
NFC
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks
AFC
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
The AFC playoff picture is easier to figure out than the NFC one. The Ravens, Broncos, Colts and Patriots should all be back unless something goes terribly awry, which leaves potential turnover at two spots. In the NFC, meanwhile, only the Packers and Seahawks can be considered surefire locks to make it into the postseason, which leaves a ton of opportunity for others. The Cowboys and Panthers certainly have enough talent to make their way back, too, and the Cardinals are dangerous with a living, breathing NFL quarterback.
Given that more than half of the playoff teams often turn over from year to year, forecasting who's going to be in and who's going to be out is tricky. Here's my wild ass guess for the weekend.
NFC
Atlanta Falcons
Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams
AFC
Baltimore Ravens
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
Share your soothsaying in the comments.