On Sunday Jan. 3rd, the NFL regular season ended and even though it was the last week of the season, nothing was set in stone. Here are the 12 teams that made in to the playoffs:

In the NFC:

1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton led his team to an amazing 15-1 record. The Panthers got a first round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

   

2.  Arizona Cardinals: With a great 13-3 record, Carson Palmer led his team to a first round bye. The Cardinals are arguably one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the NFL.
3. Minnesota Vikings: Certainly one of the most surprising teams on this list. The Vikings made the playoffs with an 11-5 record after beating the Packers in their final game and thus securing the top spot in their division. However, this might be a bad thing as the Vikings will have to play the high-powered Seahawks.
4. Washington Redskins: Maybe one of the worst teams to make the playoffs, the Redskins got in with a 9-7 record and will play the Packers in the first round of the playoffs.
5. Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers has led Green Bay to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. However, the Packers haven’t been playing all that well and have to pull it together if they want to do well in the postseason.
6. Seattle Seahawks: After having started with a terrible record, everybody thought that the “legion of boom” was done, and it kind of is. The Seahawks have become Russel Wilson’s team as he carried them to the playoffs with a 10-6 record.

“I think that the Seahawks will go to the Super Bowl because they have a very good defense and have been playing very well,” freshman Kevin Alvarez said.

In the AFC:

1. Denver Broncos: The Broncos won home-field advantage and a first round bye after being led by both Brock Osweiler and Peyton Manning to a 12-4 record. After being injured for a big part of the regulars season, Manning came in on the final game to help the Broncos defeat the Chargers.
2. New England Patriots: Tom Brady’s Patriots got a first round bye and lost home-field advantage

   

   after losing on their final game against the Miami Dolphins. After having an entire season with plenty of injuries to top players like star wide receiver Julian Edelman, the Patriots need the extra week from their first round bye to pull their act together.

3. Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals started off with excellent performances and were looking at a first round bye. However, after losing starting quarterback Andy Dalton, they lost that advantage and will now have to face the dangerous Steelers with Big Ben (Ben Roethlesberger) and Antonio Brown.
4. Houston Texans: When looking at the Texans, it is clear to see that it’s JJ Watt’s team. He is one of the best defensive players in the league and is a big reason why the Texans made the postseason. The Texans secured a playoff spot with a 9-7 record and will have to face the Chiefs, who have been playing very good football.
5. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs started off the season poorly, losing five of their first six games. However, they have since played very well and surprisingly have made it to the playoffs. In order to do this, they won 10 games in a row!
6. Pittsburgh Steelers: After having surprisingly lost to the Ravens, few people thought that Roethlesberger could carry his team into the playoffs because of poor performances where he threw several interceptions. However, it all came together on the last week of the regular season. With the New York Jets’ loss and a win against the Browns, the Steelers miraculously squeezed in with an ending record of 10-6.

“I see [the Playoffs] as a four horse race between the Seahawks, and Cardinals in the NFC and the Patriots and Steelers in the AFC,” freshman Julius Telleria said.

The Playoffs are crazy, and there is no way of knowing which two teams are going to the Super Bowl. However, the games will surely be amazing and worth watching.