Peyton Manning has emerged as one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in only his second season.

Through the first half, however, no completely dominant team has emerged in the AFC -- even though there are a couple of possibilities as we embark on the final eight weeks.

The question is, who's truly contending and who's pretending?

The contender class of the conference appears to reside in Florida, with the Dolphins and Jaguars.

Miami, fresh off its 17-0 whipping of Tennessee, sits tied with Jacksonville for the best record in the NFL at 7-1. Both teams are playing suffocating defense as we hit midseason.

But let's remember that only two weeks ago, the Rams looked invincible in the NFC before they showed a few weaknesses during their current two-game losing streak.

The belief here is there will be no dominant team -- certainly no one like the Broncos of the last few years -- in the second half because the AFC contenders are all very close, and they'll knock off each other.

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH

ESPN.com's Mark Cannizzaro picks five games in the second half that will have a big impact on the AFC race: Dolphins at Bills, Nov. 14: This is the first of seven crucial AFC East showdowns among the four contenders, and it's particularly important because if the Bills don't slow down Miami, the Dolphins could start a run toward the division title. Steelers at Titans, Nov. 21: This one might determine the wild-card team from the AFC Central. A Tennessee victory should catapult the Titans toward the postseason. A loss by the Steelers would set them back significantly. The two teams play again in the regular-season finale, but the playoff berths should be decided by then. Colts at Dolphins, Dec. 5: These are the two best teams in the AFC East. With Miami already owning a win over the Colts, an Indy victory is essential for a run at the title. Bills at Patriots, Dec. 26: This one will surely have a significant say in the wild-card race -- and possibly the race for the division crown. Jaguars at Titans, Dec. 26: If the Titans have managed to stay close enough to the Jags by late December, this game should decide the AFC Central title.

Miami and Jacksonville do remain among the elite of the conference, and both should have little problem making the playoffs.

The Jaguars, in fact, based on their powder-puff schedule the rest of the way, should glide to the AFC Central title with a record of at least 13-3 and possibly as good as 15-1. Those numbers alone would suggest the Jags would be unbeatable in the playoffs.

But, considering their remaining games -- two against the Ravens, one against the expansion Browns, one against the hapless Bengals and one each against the somewhat formidable Steelers, Broncos and Titans -- the Jaguars won't be truly tested until the postseason.

Because of the intense competition that's going to play out in the AFC East -- the strongest division by far in the NFL -- someone's going to emerge from there battle-hardened, and that will be the team that advances to Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta.

Look for the upstart Indianapolis Colts to emerge from the pack as the best in the AFC.

The natural argument is that it's a little early for the Colts -- and it might be -- but the rest of the top teams in the conference have their fair share of blemishes, and the Colts are playing as if pressure is their friend.

Indianapolis is 6-2 and should be 8-0. The Colts blew a 28-0 lead at New England in Week 2 and then were robbed of a win against Miami when an apparent fumble by Dan Marino was ruled a forward pass.

The offensive trio of Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison is the conference's most formidable, and Indy will continue to score points almost at will. If the Colts defense holds up, it's going to be a special postseason for a franchise that is off to its best since 1977.

Look for the Colts to do what the Jets did last year -- win the AFC East and advance to the conference title game. Unlike the Jets, however, the Colts will win the AFC Championship Game, emerging triumphant in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars believe they're invincible.

The Titans should claim one of the three wild-card spots, ending a five-year playoff drought that has included three consecutive 8-8 seasons. Tennessee has a somewhat favorable final eight games, including meetings with Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore.

The Titans, however, had better sew up a wild-card spot early, because their final two games are against the Jaguars at home and the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers, despite their impressive showing in San Francisco against the struggling 49ers, should fall back to pack in the second half. Their offense, particularly quarterback Kordell Stewart, will hold the Steelers back from the playoffs.

In the AFC West, Seattle seems to have emerged as the best team in the division, although Kansas City remains intriguing.

Like the Steelers, however, the Chiefs might be held back by their quarterback. Look for Mike Holmgren to lead the Seahawks into the postseason for the first time since 1988, ending the longest current drought in the league.

	FULL AFC COVERAGE
	This is a sneak peek at Mark Cannizzaro's AFC notebook, which is part of the Insider area of ESPN.com. Click here to sign up to get Cannizzaro's coverage throughout the second half of the season and the NFL playoffs.

Four teams in the AFC East race hit midseason with six wins, but one of that quartet likely won't reach the playoffs. And that will be a shame, because all four are worthy of the postseason.

The Bills, who have been the most inconsistent of the bunch, likely will be the odd-team out. Even Doug Flutie, with all his magic, has been somewhat hit or miss this season.

Miami's defense, which hasn't allowed a touchdown in its last 14 quarters, will keep the Dolphins in the hunt regardless of whether Marino comes back healthy or not. However, the Dolphins will not seriously challenge in the postseason unless Marino is back.

The Patriots, who are 6-2 entering Monday night's game against the Jets, have too much firepower on offense to miss the playoffs. The thing to watch with New England is to see if the Pats win the games they should win -- such as Monday night's matchup with the hated Jets. If the Patriots take steps back and lose to the less talented clubs, then they could have problems.

One thing is for certain about the AFC East -- the four contending teams will all have ample opportunity to win the division. The second half of the schedule is filled with divisional showdowns for all four teams.

Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post writes a weekly AFC notebook for ESPN.com that appears each Thursday.