December has arrived in the NFL, which means the playoff races are heating up significantly across the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in command of the AFC North thanks to their win and the Baltimore Ravens’ loss, while the Philadelphia Eagles are a significant threat to home-field advantage in the NFC after their win over Baltimore.
The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team to clinch a playoff berth in the league, while the Buffalo Bills joined them in clinching the AFC East crown on Sunday night. The Denver Broncos maintained their spot as the No. 7 seed in the conference by beating the Cleveland Browns.
Below is a breakdown of the conference standings after Week 13:
Image from the AFC playoffs
y-split assured
x- guaranteed place in the playoffs
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
The Chiefs remain the AFC’s No. 1 seed after surviving in the last second against the Raiders. They lead the Bills by one game in home-field advantage in the conference, even though the Bills own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Kansas City leads the AFC West by three games over the Chargers.
Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Browns, vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos
2. Buffaloes (10-2)
Buffalo is one game behind Kansas City in home-field advantage, but has the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Bills won the AFC East division title with Sunday night’s victory over the 49ers.
Remaining schedule: at Rams, at Lions, against Patriots, against Jets, at Patriots
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
The Steelers increased their AFC North lead by two games in the loss column over the Ravens with their win over the Bengals and the Ravens’ loss to the Eagles (they also have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Baltimore). Pittsburgh is one game behind Buffalo for second place.
Remaining schedule: against the Browns, against the Eagles, against the Ravens, against the Chiefs, against the Bengals
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
The Texans remain in the No. 4 seed in the conference after their win over the Jaguars. They still lead the AFC South by two games over the Colts.
Remaining schedule: Goodbye, against Dolphins, at Chiefs, against Ravens, at Titans
5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
The Chargers jump to No. 5 in the AFC after their win over the Falcons and the Ravens’ loss to the Eagles. Baltimore holds the head-to-head tiebreaker should the two finish tied.
Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, against Buccaneers, against Broncos, against Patriots, against Raiders
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
The Ravens drop to No. 6 in the AFC after their loss to the Eagles. They are two games behind the Steelers in the loss column in the AFC North (Pittsburgh owns the tiebreaker). Baltimore has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Denver by virtue of its Week 9 win.
Remaining schedule: Goodbye, to the Giants, against the Steelers, against the Texans, against the Browns
7. Denver Broncos (8-5)
The Broncos still hold the final playoff spot after their win over the Browns, leading the Colts for seventh place by two games. Denver loses the head-to-head tiebreaker with Baltimore for sixth place.
Remaining schedule: Goodbye, against the Colts, at the Chargers, at the Bengals, against the Chiefs
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
The Colts are two games out of the final AFC wild card. They remain two games behind the Texans for the division lead.
Remaining schedule: Goodbye, to the Broncos, against the Titans, to the Giants, against the Jaguars
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
The Dolphins’ AFC playoff hopes took a hit with their loss to the Packers on Thursday. Miami is two games in the loss column behind Denver for the final playoff spot.
Remaining schedule: against Jets, at Texans, against 49ers, at Browns, at Jets
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
The Bengals remain the 10th seed in the AFC, three games in the loss column behind the Broncos for the final wild card spot. Their loss to the Steelers was a blow to their playoff hopes.
Remaining schedule: in Cowboys, in Titans, against Browns, against Broncos, in Steelers
Image from the NFC playoffs
1. Detroit Lions (11-1)
The Lions remain atop the NFC North with their win over the Bears, leading the division by one game over the Vikings (and own the head-to-head tiebreaker). They are also the number one seed in the NFC, with a one-game lead over the Eagles.
Remaining schedule: against Packers, against Bills, against Bears, against 49ers, against Vikings
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)
The Eagles are still in the hunt for home-field advantage thanks to their big win over the Ravens. Philadelphia leads Washington by three games in the loss column in the division and trails Detroit by one game in home-field advantage in the NFC.
Remaining schedule: against Panthers, against Steelers, in Commanders, against Cowboys, against Giants
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
The Seahawks remain in the lead of the NFC West after their victory over the Jets, now by one game over the Cardinals and Rams. Seattle holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Arizona for the division lead as the two play next week.
Remaining schedule: at Cardinals, against Packers, against Vikings, against Bears, against Rams
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
The Falcons and Buccaneers are tied for the NFC South lead, but they have also swept Tampa Bay and own the season tiebreaker. They have lost three in a row.
Remaining schedule: in Vikings, in Raiders, against Giants, in Commanders, against Panthers
5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
Minnesota remains the fifth seed in the NFC after its win over Arizona, one game behind Detroit for the division lead. The Vikings are also the conference’s top wild card team.
Remaining schedule: against Falcons, against Bears, at Seahawks, against Packers, at Lions
6. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
The Packers hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC by two games in the loss column over the Commanders and hold the last playoff spot by three games. They will play the Lions on Thursday.
Remaining schedule: at Lions, at Seahawks, against Saints, at Vikings, against Bears
7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
The Commanders are three games behind the Eagles in the loss column in the NFC East, even after their win over the Titans. Washington is one game up in the loss column for the final playoff spot.
Remaining schedule: Goodbye, to the Saints, against the Eagles, against the Falcons, against the Cowboys
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
The Buccaneers are tied for the NFC South lead with the Falcons, but Atlanta swept Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers own the three-way tiebreaker for the No. 8 seed in the NFC thanks to having a better conference record (6-3) than the Cardinals (3-5). Arizona holds the tiebreaker over Los Angeles based on head-to-head winning percentage.
Remaining schedule: against Raiders, against Chargers, against Cowboys, against Panthers, against Saints
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
The Cardinals have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams by beating them in Week 2, which is how they get the No. 9 seed. They are one game out of the NFC West lead, but lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Seahawks by the division lead by virtue of their loss in Week 11.
Remaining schedule:against Seahawks, against Patriots, against Panthers, against Rams, against 49ers
10. Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
The Rams are the No. 10 seed, losing the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Cardinals. They are one game out of the lead in the NFC West.
Remaining schedule: at Saints, against Bills, at 49ers, at Jets, against Cardinals, against Seahawks
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
The 49ers’ slim playoff hopes took a big hit with their loss to the Bills on Sunday night. They are two games behind in the loss column for the final playoff spot. They have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Dallas for 11th place.
Remaining schedule: against Bears, against Rams, at Dolphins, against Lions, at Cardinals
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)
The Cowboys have the 12th seed in the NFC and remain in the playoff hunt, as they are two games behind the Commanders in the loss column for the final playoff spot.
Remaining schedule: against Bengals, against Panthers, against Buccaneers, against Eagles, against Commanders
