The Broncos haven't lost since a Week Five trip to New England and, as great as the offence has been under the direction of QB Peyton Manning, the defence has come on strong too, ranking third against both the run and the pass this season.
Key Injuries: C J.D. Walton (ankle), RB Willis McGahee (knee).

The Patriots' only loss in the last 10 games was their Week 15 home loss to San Francisco, a game in which they rallied to tie the score in the fourth quarter after trailing 31-3 midway through the third. With TE Rob Gronkowski back in the lineup, the Pats have their full offensive lineup ready for the postseason.
Key Injuries: None.

Won seven of eight to finish the regular season, but will take their show on the road to Washington for the first round of the playoffs. The Seahawks have the playmakers to make life difficult for RGIII and Co., but that 3-5 road record is troubling, especially when one considers that includes an OT win at Chicago and a neutral site win in Toronto against the Buffalo Bills.
Key Injuries: None.

There were a couple of unsightly losses along the way, including in Week 16 at Seattle, but the 49ers have earned a first-round bye and have a blossoming passing attack (WR Michael Crabtree has 538 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the last five weeks) to complement their ferocious defence and strong ground game.
Key Injuries: WR Mario Manningham (knee).

Getting FS Charles Woodson back for the postseason adds a veteran playmaker, who has a knack for being around the ball, but the Packers will have to man up against Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, who gashed them for 199 rushing yards in Minnesota during Week 17's Vikings victory.
Key Injuries: ILB Desmond Bishop (hamstring), RB Cedric Benson (foot), OLB Nick Perry (knee), RB James Starks (knee).

Will the Falcons' mediocre ground game trip them up (same question could be asked of the Packers)? They have the weapons in the passing game to beat anyone, but their recent playoff track record isn't terribly impressive, so it's a big leap from qualifying for the postseason dance to being a bona fide contender for the crown.
Key Injuries: SS William Moore (hamstring), CB Brent Grimes (Achilles).

Losing three of four to finish the regular season cost the Texans a bye and makes them an uninspiring lot as they host Cincinnati this week. The talent is here to make a run, but if QB Matt Schaub has an off day, they could also be one and done.
Key Injuries: ILB Brian Cushing (knee).

Won seven straight to finish the season and win the NFC East title. The Redskins led all NFL teams in rushing yardage (169.3 per game) and rookies QB Robert Griffin III and RB Alfred Morris give them a chance to keep going, but the Seahawks aren't an easy matchup right out of the gate.
Key Injuries: OLB Brian Orakpo (shoulder), DT Adam Carriker (quad), TE Fred Davis (Achilles).

Won seven of eight to earn a playoff berth and could be a lively underdog in Houston. The unheralded (in some parts) difference maker for the Bengals has been DT Geno Atkins, the best interior defensive lineman in the game this year and if he can collapse the Texans' pocket, that will greatly improve the Bengals' chances.
Key Injuries: None.

ILB Ray Lewis will be active for this week's game against Indianapolis and the future Hall of Famer, who has beem out since Week Six due to a torn tricep, has announced that he will be retiring at season's end. He'll have to turn back the clock if he's going to help a Ravens defence that is a shell of its former glory.
Key Injuries: CB Lardarius Webb (knee), ILB Jameel McClain (back).

RB Adrian Peterson may have come nine yards shy of Eric Dickerson's rushing record, but it's hard to imagine a better season, especially considering that Peterson tore his ACL last January. His superhuman powers give the Vikings a puncher's chance, but only if QB Christian Ponder can provide an efficient passing game with few mistakes.
Key Injuries: WR Percy Harvin (ankle).

It's a tough business getting fired with a 10-6 record, but the Bears missed the playoffs, through tiebreaker, so Lovie Smith was bounced out the door. There's a decent core of talent, though the windows are closing on the established playmakers on the roster, so it may not be long before a real overhaul is needed.

Maddeningly inconsistent, the defending champs had some quality wins and scored at least 35 points six times, but they laid one too many eggs this year, so they'll watch the playoffs from home. With injuries plaguing the offence, and Eli Manning taking a step back (okay, maybe half a step back) in his development, there is work to be done going forward.

The only playoff team to surrender more points than they scored, the Colts won nine of their last 11 games, with losses at New England and Houston, so they're equipped to give the Ravens all they can handle. They could use a bit more accuracy from rookie QB Andrew Luck, who hasn't completed more than 50.0% of his passes since Week 12 at Buffalo.
Key Injuries: WR Austin Collie (knee), CB Jerraud Powers (toe), RB Donald Brown (ankle).

Won their last four games to finish with a more respectable record, but it also showed what the Panthers can do, that they were probably better than their 3-9 start suggested. They could still use their running game much more effectively, but if they fill a few holes this offseason, they could be in the playoff mix for 2013.

A non-playoff season for the Steelers will be plenty of reason to examine the roster in order to figure out what's needed to get back to the postseason next year. The running game and offensive line are a few areas of need and the future of WR Mike Wallace may not be in the Steel City either.

QB Tony Romo threw for a career-high 4,903 yards, yet his job could be in jeopardy because he came up short, throwing three interceptions, in Week 17 at Washington to prevent Dallas from reaching the playoffs again. Of course, Romo's play, coupled with the emergence of WR Dez Bryant as a week-in-week-out threat was really what gave Dallas a chance in the first place, since injuries decimated the Cowboys' defence.

Lost five in a row before winning a game that the Atlanta Falcons weren't that concerned about in Week 17, so there is room for improvement, but the Bucs have some interesting pieces around which to build, especially if QB Josh Freeman plays more like he did early in the season.

Even the top passing offence in the league (312.3 yards per game) wasn't enough to offset the Saints' disastrous defensive season. With Sean Payton back in charge next season, look for New Orleans to come back with a vengeance.

Even if the Rams were generally mediocre, they were competitive and that's a step forward. Now, they need to provide more weapons for QB Sam Bradford so that their offence gives them a shot when they're going against other high-powered attacks.

Lost their last eight games, just about the right note for a season that was a colossal disappointment after progress in 2011. One piece of good news, WR Calvin Johnson had a record 1,964 receiving yards...so it's the rest of the Lions that need to be better.

A new era is coming in San Diego. The Chargers won three of their last four games to finish with a better record than their season might have deserved, but they didn't beat a team with a winning record all year and QB Philip Rivers appears to be regressing, so a new approach is necessary.

It was a year of development for rookie QB Ryan Tannehill, who was good, although not to the level of more touted rookie quarterbacks. To take the next step, he can establish a reliable red zone connection with one of his wide receivers since not one Dolphins wideout had more than one receiving touchdown on the season.

Times are changing in Philadelphia, as Andy Reid has been let go, and QB Michael Vick isn't expected to return in 2013, but the Eagles lost 11 of the last 12 games, so they need more than few small tweaks to get better.

While it was another hum-drum 5-11 season, that cost head coach Pat Shurmur his job, the Browns do have some reason for optimism, given the significant roles played by rookies in 2012. If QB Brandon Weeden, RB Trent Richardson and WR Josh Gordon can build on what they did this year, the Browns can improve.

RB Chris Johnson rushed for 1,243 yards, but it still seemed like a disappointing year and QB Jake Locker didn't improve as dramatically as some would have hoped so, while they have some potential, Tennessee still has plenty of uncertainty heading into 2013.

Presumably whomever takes over in Buffalo will consider getting RB C.J. Spiller more touches, but they will also need to find a starting quarterback because they aren't winning anything if Ryan Fitzpatrick is under centre for 16 games. That's not to pin all of the Bills' woes on Fitzpatrick, either -- he obviously isn't the reason they ranked 31st against the run this year.

It seems that a fresh start is necessary for both QB Mark Sanchez and the Jets. Even with a new quarterback, the Jets have a glaring lack of playmakers on the roster, so re-stocking the cupboard is the priority this offseason.

Lost eight of nine to finish the season in typical Raiders fashion. They had no running game to speak of (RB Darren McFadden averaged 3.3 yards per carry) and if they are pinning their hopes on a passing game headed by Carson Palmer, well, that may not be enough.

On the hunt for a GM, preferably one that won't mind having QB Tim Tebow dropped into his lap, if the rumour mill is to be believed. The good news is that whomever is coming in can feel comfortable improving just about every position on the roster, perhaps with the exception of running back if Maurice Jones-Drew is healthy.

This isn't a bad coaching job because it will be awfully difficult to be as inept as the Chiefs were in 2012, particularly offensively, as they scored 13 points or fewer in 10 of the last 12 games.

Change is coming in the desert too, as would be expected when a team loses 11 of its last 12 games. Lots of work to do for whomever gets the nod.