We’re deep enough into the regular season to know that the race for NFL postseason spots will be intense. There will be ample suspense riding on the divisional races — only Buffalo and Kansas City have the kinds of leads that are comfortable — while determining the wild-card teams will once again be a wild ride. This is a league that has long prided itself on parity. As we wrap up Week 10, it’s fair to say we haven’t seen this level of competitive balance in quite some time.

At this stage, five AFC teams legitimately have a shot at earning a wild-card spot. That number increases to eight in the NFC. And those figures don’t even include all of the clubs that mathematically still have a chance at reaching the playoffs. There’s a good reason for that: It’s not worth devoting the time and energy to the notion that the Jets or Cowboys could still make the postseason tournament if they somehow go on a run.

Determining the true playoff field in early November is never an easy exercise, but it’s particularly challenging this time around. That’s why it will be so much fun to dig into it for this week’s edition of The First Read. We already have a pretty good idea of some teams that currently aren’t winning their divisions but have a strong shot of landing in the playoffs (think: Baltimore, Washington, Minnesota and Green Bay). Here are some other squads that, in this writer’s humblest opinion, are likely to keep the wild-card races interesting until the dust clears in early January …