As the National Football League (NFL) playoffs quickly approach, the 2018-19 season has been one to remember because of emerging star quarterback (QB) Patrick Mahomes, dominant running back (RB) Todd Gurley and the rewriting of history made by QB Drew Brees.

As of week 15, the National Football Conference (NFC) playoff picture would have the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints be the division winners, with the Rams and Saints receiving first round byes. The wildcard teams for the NFC would be the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks.

The American Football Conference (AFC) playoff picture would have the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans as the division winners, with the Patriots and the Chiefs receiving first round byes. The wildcard teams for the AFC would be the Los Angeles Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens.

“I believe that the Rams will do well this year, and they are a definite super bowl contender,” physical education teacher Raymond Trail said.

The NFL has also come with many surprises including the Houston Texans. As of week 15, the Houston Texans have won nine games in a row after starting the season off 0-3, though the streak was recently broken by the Indianapolis Colts in week 14.  Part of their success is because of DeAndre Hopkins who has been one of the the best receivers by far in the NFL having 13.7 yards per reception.

Their defense has been dominating, with players like defensive end J.J. Watt, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and strong safety Tyrann Mathieu helping the Texans become the fifth best defense in the league in terms of points  allowed with 259 points allowed throughout the season.

“[Their] defense is really good and may be the best defense in the whole league,” sophomore Brandon Carlson said. “[J.J.] Watt has been a big impact player for that team,”.

The Indianapolis Colts have also been a big surprise this season despite having a horrendous 3-13 season last year. Their defense has grown tremendously with the addition of linebacker Darius Leonard who currently leads the league in tackles.

 QB Andrew Luck has had a great season and is a candidate for the comeback player of the year award after missing all of the previous season with a shoulder injury. As of week 15 Andrew Luck has thrown for 3,759 yards with 34 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions

“Andrew Luck is for sure the most valuable player to his team, he makes a huge impact to the Colts,” junior Vincent Du said. “This season really showed me that he is an elite quarterback.”

This post-season is looking to be amazing and the Super Bowl can go to any team this year. The amount of variety in the league is incredible this year and makes the NFL the must-watch league in January.