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Although there's a long way to go in the 2011 season, the playoff picture is certainly starting to take shape: we have a fairly good idea of who is going to be playing after New Year's and who is not.
The seeding (who will be hosting whom, when and where), however, is a completely different matter. Nothing is given. Nevertheless, it's always fun to try to guess.
So without further ado, here is a stab at which teams will qualify, where they'll fall in the playoff positioning, and how each week's games will play out.
And don't forget, that as important as playoff seeding or home field advantage can be, three of the previous six Super Bowl champions (Pittsburgh in 2005, the Giants in 2007 and Green Bay in 2010) won the Lombardi trophy without ever playing a single home game.
AFC and NFC Playoff Seeding
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National Football Conference:
Green Bay Packers (NFC North Champion)- San Francisco 49ers (NFC West Champion)
- New Orleans Saints (NFC South Champion)
- New York Giants (NFC East Champion)
- Detroit Lions (Wild Card)
- Chicago Bears (Wild Card)
American Football Conference:
- Houston Texans (AFC South Champion)
- New England Patriots (AFC East Champion)
- Baltimore Ravens (AFC North Champion)
- Oakland Raiders (AFC West Champion)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (Wild Card)
- New York Jets (Wild Card)