Like the Los Angeles Lakers' drama or the wait for the "Arrested Development" movie, football never stops. The Super Bowl is over and players are out hitting the links, but we at numberFire already are crunching the numbers for next year.
Despite impending free agency and the unknowns around the NFL draft, we are digging into our supercomputer to give you a look at what the playoff bracket should look like next season given the trajectory of teams and their efficiency this past season. This isn't just a way-too-early look at the playoffs, because obviously a lot can change from now to next January (see surprises such as the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts this past year). What this does show is which teams are best positioned right now for a playoff campaign in 2013 and which need to do a lot of work in the offseason.
Without further ado, here is the projected 2013 NFL playoff bracket.