Aaron Feldstein - AccuScore Analyst

It happens every four years. Millions and millions of people run to the polls in hopes to make their voices heard and vote for the leader of the United States.

This past weekend, many football teams tried to make their voices heard and prove they are the real deal. Arizona, Tennessee and Pittsburgh cemented their playoff hopes, with each winning their game and holding well over a 90 percent playoff percentage. Some teams buried themselves with tough losses against underdogs. The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped 21 percent after losing to the winless Cincinnati Bengals.

Then there were teams that have left the NFL audience with more uncertainly than Indiana, Florida and Virginia. Teams that seemed like they had a strong hold on the playoffs now have more questions than the undecided voters.

AFC

Buffalo Bills – Upstate New York was sitting pretty only a few weeks ago. The Bills were on a roll, 4-0 and looking at taking advantage of a Tom Brady-less AFC East. Fast forward five weeks, and Buffalo has lost three of four and sit tied at atop the AFC East with the Patriots and the Jets and are only one game ahead of the Miami Dolphins, a team that beat them just one week ago. In their three losses, Buffalo has only 16.7 points per game and has a turnover ratio of negative-nine. These troubles have caused the Bills playoff percentage to drop 42 points in the last two weeks and turned Ralph Wilson’s team from an AFC favorite to an AFC question mark. Buffalo lost its first two division battles and is hoping not to drop a third to New England this week. A loss could cause the Bills to go from first to worst in the AFC East in just three weeks.

New York Jets – The flipside to Buffalo’s coin in the AFC East is the New York Jets. In their last four games, they have lost the turnover battle (minus-6) but won three of those games and moved into a three-way tie for first place. Brett Favre has had a touchdown to interception ratio of 3:8, and yet Eric Mangini has been able to push the right buttons and take his team from forgotten to potential favorite. This week, the Jets playoff projection jumped 22.3 percent and put them right in the mix. However, upcoming away games against New England and Tennessee still cause New York to sit behind Miami, Buffalo and the Patriots in playoff percentage. Good news, besides the Titans and their in division battles, the rest of their opponents have a combined record of 10-22.

Indianapolis Colts – They may be out of the divisional race, but there are still two wild card spots up for grabs. The Colts sit at 4-4, one game behind New York, Buffalo, New England and Baltimore for those final two playoff spots. A solid, tough defensive win against New England on Sunday night brought Peyton Manning back into the playoff picture. A week ago they dropped seven points and had only a 28 percent chance of playing in January. The next three weeks will tell us whether or not this Colts team is back to form, as they face Pittsburgh, Houston and San Diego. If they can win two of those games, they will have a record of 6-5 and will play three straight games against Detroit, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Right now they are still on the outside looking in with a 44 percent of making the playoffs, but that is a 16.3 percent increase from a week ago. The scary part is the Colts are starting to get healthy.

NFC

New York Giants – The Giants have been a good team all season. But they have flown under the radar because they play in the tough NFC East with a team that thrives on the spotlight – the Dallas Cowboys. Well, how do you make yourself a 68.9 percent favorite to win your division, 57.6 percent more than the second place Philadelphia Eagles? For the Giants, they beat the snot out of a battered Cowboys team. The defense is dominant as they are second in the NFL in sacks (30), fourth in points allowed per game (16.1) and third in NFL in total yards allowed. New York also has the best second best run game in the NFL (behind the Atlanta Falcons). The Giants are 2-0 in the division and the only blemish on their total record was a Monday Night loss to the Browns. A victory over Philadelphia this week could make a playoff bye a forgone conclusion.

Chicago Bears – The Bears lead the NFC North and this weekend’s Green Bay lost should have made them favorites to win the North. Unfortunately the Bears suffered a loss of their own – Kyle Orton. Examinations on the Ohio State alum’s ankle are still being done and no timetable for his return has been determined. Orton was having a solid year with 1,777 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. This means, if Orton is unable to return, Rex Grossman goes back to the starting role he once held. The good news is, it was only a few years ago Lovie Smith and the Bears went “10-2 with Rex as [their] quarterback” and made it to the Super Bowl. Chicago still has two battles with the Packers, another with the Vikings and this week’s game against the undefeated Titans. That is why the Bears only have a 37.1 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Atlanta Falcons – It seemed as though the defense showed up and showed up big this week, as the Falcons held their opponent to negative-two yards in the first half this past Sunday. However, they were playing the Oakland Raiders. But the Falcons have been playing well and are currently 5-3 and right in the playoff hunt. Matt Ryan looks to have a double threat at receiver with Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. Ryan’s rookie season is helped by a running game that averages over 200 yards per win. Mike Smith has this team dialed in and forgetting the days of Michael Vick. Atlanta is still not considered a playoff favorite, but after Sunday’s victory and the NFC East coming back to earth, the Falcons jumped 23 percent and have a 30.4 percent chance of making the playoffs.

As many of the slogans for this year’s president race surround change, it seems the NFL is doing much of the same. A changing of the guard in the AFC South, a change in the favorites of the NFC East, and a change in status for many teams around the league.

One thing is certain my friends, change is a good thing.