NFL Playoff Odds: Who’s most likely to make the postseason?
By Keith Myers
AFC East
| Team | W | L | Pct. | Dif | GB | Odds | W. Odds |
| Buffalo Bills | 2 | 2 | .500 | 4 | — | 45.3% | 30.0% |
| Miami Dolphins | 2 | 2 | .500 | -1 | — | 34.0% | 23.0% |
| New England Patriots | 2 | 2 | .500 | -10 | — | 25.2% | 36.6% |
| New York Jets | 1 | 3 | .250 | -17 | 1 | 12.4% | 21.0% |
Neither NFL playoff odds prediction model currently loves any team in the AFC East. That should be too much of a surprise though, since no team has played particularly well yet. This division is currently wide open, and any team could feasibly make the playoffs.
The Bills have the best chance to make the playoffs according to the classic model. This is mildly entertaining since they’ve recently benched their starting quarterback due to poor play.
AFC North
| Team | W | L | Pct. | Dif | GB | Odds | W. Odds |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 47 | — | 84.3% | 94.3% |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3 | 1 | .750 | 43 | .5 | 72.6% | 60.0% |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 2 | .500 | -2 | 1.5 | 20.3% | 25.2% |
| Cleveland Browns | 1 | 2 | .333 | -3 | 2 | 13.4% | 10.2% |
The AFC North is currently a division of “haves” and “have-nots.” Two teams both have over a 50 percent chance of making the playoffs according to both models, while the other two don’t appear to have much of a shot at all.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are an interesting case at this point. They are still a .500 team and are close to having a neutral point differential. Still, neither model gives them much of a chance to be a playoff team. This will be interesting to watch in the weeks ahead.