Believe it or not, the football season is already halfway over. While another seven weeks of action remain, it’s never too early to take a look at the award races and division battles around the league. With the contenders starting to separate from the pretenders, let’s discuss some of the outstanding players and teams from around the NFL.

After his thrashing of the highly ranked Broncos defense, Tom Brady has emerged as the clear MVP this year. After a shaky start to the season, Brady has been on an absolute tear, throwing 18 touchdowns against just one interception over the past five games. With a supporting cast that is, aside from Rob Gronkowski, average at best, Brady still leads one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL. There’s no doubt that his elite level of play this year has been worthy of the MVP.

While the Cardinals have been playing at a very high level this season, the most surprising team so far has to be the Browns. While the Cardinals were 10-6 last season, the Browns finished a rather pathetic 4-12. Before the season, people were wondering if (and when) it would become so bad that the team would start Johnny Manziel at quarterback. Instead, Brian Hoyer has performed remarkably, and the team remains afloat in the AFC North.

The most disappointing team in the NFL is, without a doubt, the 49ers. The Panthers were very good last season; however, many experts predicted regression looming from a team that outperformed itself in 2013. Nobody, on the other hand, predicted it for the 49ers, who have played in the NFC championship game each of the past three seasons. Their once-dominating running game has stalled, their defense gives up too many points, and competing in the NFC West will just make it more challenging for them to reach the playoffs.

The best team in the AFC right now is the Patriots. After their thrashing of the Broncos at home in week nine, the Patriots cast away any doubt of their downfall. The only negative against the Patriots is their relatively light schedule, but upcoming dates with Indianapolis, Detroit, and Green Bay should provide the Patriots with a chance to prove their worthiness atop the AFC.

The best team in the NFC is much harder to pick. Dallas has struggled as of late, and Philadelphia’s Nick Foles will miss the rest of the season (did somebody say Mark Sanchez?), so that leaves two teams remaining: the Cardinals and the Packers. Of the two, the Cardinals are playing at a much higher level. Despite a slew of injuries, the defense sits in the top five in terms of points allowed per game. The offense, directed by veteran Carson Palmer, provides just enough points to win. This team finds ways to win, a characteristic shared by the best teams across all of sports.

However, for this year’s Super Bowl I predict the Patriots over the Packers. If Brady gets home-field advantage in the play-offs, he won’t lose, and the Packers are the only “play-off proven” team besides Seattle in the NFC. In the end, the Patriots are just too experienced and balanced for any team to beat in the play-offs.