It is that magical time of the year in which the joyous and imminent forthcoming of Christmas mixes perfectly with the intense, exhilarating thrill of the end of the professional football season to create an intoxicating egg nog of happiness as we await the coming coming of Santa Claus and the coming of the NFL Playoffs. That being said, I’m thoroughly excited for two of my favorite holidays: Christmas and Week 17. Moving past these two, we look forward to the seedings of the playoffs and the eventual winner of the Super Bowl. Here are my playoff seedings for each league:

AFC

Sixth Seed: San Diego Chargers (8-5)

San Diego, in my opinion, will finish the season 10-6. This will put them just behind the Ravens in the Wild Card standings despite their head-to-head victory. The Chargers will then face the Colts in the Wild Card Round. This will be a great game against two tough teams with fantastic quarterbacks and slightly above-average rushing attacks. Sorry for all of you Chargers fans, but I do not see San Diego moving too far in these playoffs, especially when they’re the bottom seed.

Fifth Seed: Baltimore Ravens (8-5)

The Ravens are going to win the rest of their games, giving them a solid 11-5 record. This is normally a very good record, but not against the rest of the NFL, as this will be tied for the second-worst record in the playoffs. I really like their future matchup against the Steelers in the Wild Card Round. These two teams have a lot of history and a lot on the line, as the winner will be one step closer to the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl Championship. It will be the Ravens who win this game behind the fantastic right arm of Joe Flacco.

Fourth Seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5)

The Steelers, like the Ravens, will win the rest of their games, putting them at 11-5 to finish this season. The Steelers will win the division because they have a superior record in the conference. That does not mean that the Steelers are the better team, though. Flacco will lead the Ravens up against the Steel Curtain (which is more like the Rusty Curtain nowadays) and get a win for his team. This is not to say that the Steelers don’t have a chance once they enter the playoffs; I could be wrong, it’s happened on sparse occasions before, but I just cannot envision the Steelers putting up too much of a fight against the Ravens’ superior offense, defense, and special teams.

Third Seed: Indianapolis Colts (9-4)

The highest seed of the Wild Card Round for the AFC will be the Indianapolis Colts, yet another team that will win out, giving them a 12-4 record at the end of the season. They will face the Chargers in the first round, which is as good as a win for the developing superstar Andrew Luck. I really feel sorry for Luck. There is very little chance that his team, despite his tremendous talent, will earn a first-round bye in the next few years due to the legends leading the top two teams. In time, Manning and Brady will retire, essentially guaranteeing the Colts a spot in the top two teams that earn bye weeks. Until then, Luck will have to be content with beating sixth seeds.

Second Seed: Denver Broncos (10-3)

The Denver Broncos are a great football team. Sadly, they are not the greatest in the AFC, as they lost the head-to-head matchup with the New England Patriots earlier in this season, sticking them and their 13-3 end-of-season record in the second seed. They will play the highest remaining seed left after the Wild Card Round, which should be the Colts, making this year much harder than last year for the Broncos. They may win. They may not. Only time will tell.

First Seed: New England Patriots (10-3)

Lastly, topping the American Football Conference in 2014 are the New England Patriots. They’ve clearly worked the hardest this season, and it has shown in their tremendous play since Week 4, and, with three divisional games to close out the season, the Patriots can simply coast to the top seed in the AFC, giving them a first-round bye and home field advantage. As I say every year, this is the Patriots’ year, and they have a great opportunity to accomplish what they haven’t since 2004, win the Super Bowl and hoist the coveted Lombardi Trophy.

NFC

Sixth Seed: Detroit Lions (9-4)

Sneaking into the sixth seed of the NFC with a final record of 11-5 are the Detroit Lions. This is a team that has shown that they can win big football games, so they’re my pick as a potential and looming dark horse in the playoffs, but they will have a very tough test right away against the Philadelphia Eagles. This will definitely be a close and hard-fought game, but I think the Lions have a very good shot at winning it. I will even go so far as to say that the Lions will beat the Eagles in the playoffs, propelling them to the next round and one step closer to a Super Bowl appearance.

Fifth Seed: Seattle Seahawks (9-4)

The reigning Super Bowl Champions have fallen off a little bit, but it seems that they are back on track now, as they have won six of their last seven games, and they will likely finish the season 11-5 or better. The Wild Card Round game for the Seahawks almost isn’t fair. At best, the fourth seed will be 8-8 to finish the season, which is not a good mark for a division winner. As much as it hurts, I have to pick the Seahawks to beat the Saints in the Wild Card Round because of their significantly superior skill position players and defensive unit.

Fourth Seed: New Orleans Saints (5-8)

On the subject of poor division winners, we have the New Orleans Saints. I think that they will win out and finish evenly at 8-8. This is really not a good indication of their skill level. The Saints are a much better team than their record indicates, as they have beaten top teams like the Green Bay Packers, but they simply have not been able to put away lesser talent like the Atlanta Falcons or the Cleveland Browns. The Seahawks are a very good team, so Drew Brees and the rag-tag group of derelicts the Saints call a receiving corps will be playing better, but They just won’t be able to defeat the Seahawks and their suffocating secondary.

Third Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)

Of the slew of 10-3 teams that will win out in the NFC, the Eagles are the third best. This will pit them in a dogfight against the Lions. As much as I like Chip Kelly and his up-tempo offense, it simply will not be enough to defeat the potent Detroit defense and the acutely scoring Lion passing attack. That’s pretty much it. The Eagles’ defense is just not good enough to stand up against the Lions’ offense. There will not be much love in the City of Brotherly Love after the Wild Card Round of these playoffs.

Second Seed: Arizona Cardinals (10-3)

Almost there. The Arizona Cardinals are poised to contend for their first Super Bowl appearance since 2008. The only thing in their way is Carson Palmer’s ACL, which he tore in their Week 10 meeting with the St. Louis Rams. Without an experienced man at the helm of the Cardinals’ offense, it will be extremely difficult for them to go anywhere in these playoffs. Their first game isn’t looking too good either, as they, according to my opinion, will face the Seahawks in the Divisional Round. That game is simply too close to call. The Seahawks have more talent, but the Cardinals just seem to know how to shut down every facet of the Seahawks’ offense, and the game would be in Arizona, so it could go either way. One thing is certain: it will be one of the most interesting games to watch in this year’s playoffs.

First Seed: Green Bay Packers (10-3)

I was talking with my father (a die-hard Oakland Raiders fan, sadly) about Super Bowl predictions in the preseason, and we agreed upon the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers. I still believe firmly in that pick, and it seems to be going well, as the Packers have won each of their last five games, and they don’t look like they’re going to be slowing down anytime soon. And, knowing Aaron Rodgers, they will not give up anything in the playoffs. They’ve worked hard to get to the top spot in the NFC, and they will not give it up until Feb. 1, the day of Super Bowl XLIX.