NFL playoff odds 2015, Week 9: Wild card battles will already have impact on postseason race

The Green Bay Packers entered Week 8 as the favorite to win Super Bowl 50, according to Football Outsiders, but a domination at the hands of the Denver Broncos cut the team's chances from 23.1 to 12.3 percent. Now, a matchup with the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 will again be one of the biggest in the NFL for impact on the postseason picture.

Despite the loss, the Packers' chances of making the playoffs dropped from 99.6 to 98.5 percent, which is still higher than the 97.8 percent for the Panthers. With the NFC East struggling to get going, it's the Packers and Panthers currently battling with the Arizona Cardinals for the top seeds in the conference.

However, the game that could have the biggest impact on the teams participating in the postseason, is a game between the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. Only six teams in the NFC have winning records and the Rams and Vikings are two of only three with winning records that don't have a division lead. The winner will be in the driver's seat for a spot in the playoffs, while the loser will likely be on the outside looking in -- especially if the Atlanta Falcons are able to improve to 7-2 with a win over the San Francisco 49ers.

In the AFC, the headlining matchup is a meeting of two division leaders when the Denver Broncos look to improve to 8-0 against the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos have a 98.1 percent chance at the postseason, but with both the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots still undefeated, every week is a battle to stay in contention for a first-round bye in the postseason.

For the Colts, a win would be huge for the pillow fight that is the AFC South. Indianapolis has a chance to improve to 4-5 which would break a tie with the Houston Texans, who are on bye in Week 9, while a loss would hand the division lead over to the Texans, and possibly the Jacksonville Jaguars, as well.

The Jaguars will travel to face the New York Jets, who are clinging to a Wild Card spot after back-to-back losses. Thanks to plenty of poor records in the AFC, the Jets are still one of only five teams in the conference with a winning record and are tied with the Oakland Raiders for the wild card. The Jets have a 65.6 percent chance at earning one of those spots, while the Raiders are at 55.2 percent after earning a win over New York in Week 8.

The Pittsburgh Steelers at 4-4 have a 31.4 percent chance at the wild card and are the most immediate threat to the Raiders, so a Week 9 matchup between the two teams will have a large impact on the AFC postseason picture. While both the Steelers and Raiders look like they are out of their divisional races, the winner will be fast-tracked to a Wild Card spot and the loser will have a hole to climb out of.