The playoff seeding is going as crazy as a wild turkey before Thanksgiving, which is appropriate since the league is reaching that point in the schedule. The NFC West is as unpredictable as ever, with the Seattle Seahawks taking the lead in the division thanks to their victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Los Angeles Rams had a chance to take the lead in the NFC West on Sunday night, but the Philadelphia Eagles took command of the NFC East with their victory.
Let’s not even get started on the race for the NFC’s No. 7 seed, as the Washington Commanders have lost three straight games to make that race even more open. The Cardinals, Rams and 49ers are in that fight with the Commanders for the final playoff spot.
The Miami Dolphins are working their way into contention for the last spot in the AFC (the Denver Broncos currently have it) and there’s still plenty of football left to play.
Below is a breakdown of the conference standings after Week 12:
Image from the AFC playoffs
1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1)
The Chiefs remain first in the AFC after surviving against the Panthers. 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 two games over the Chargers.
Remaining schedule: against Raiders, against Chargers, at Browns, against Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos
2. Buffaloes (9-2)
Buffalo is one game behind Kansas City for first place, but has the tiebreaker head-to-head. The Bills lead the AFC East by four games over the Dolphins.
Remaining schedule: against 49ers, against Rams, against Lions, against Patriots, against Jets, against Patriots
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
The Steelers remain atop the AFC North despite the loss to the Browns, as they have a one-game lead in the loss column over the Ravens (along with the head-to-head tiebreaker over Baltimore). Pittsburgh is one game behind Buffalo for second place.
Remaining schedule: at Bengals, against Browns, at Eagles, at Ravens, against Chiefs, against Bengals
4. Houston Texans (7-5)
The Texans remain in the No. 4 seed in the conference after their loss to the Titans. They still lead the AFC South by two games over the Colts.
Remaining schedule: in Jaguars, goodbye week, against Dolphins, against Chiefs, against Ravens, against Titans
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)
The Chargers are the No. 5 seed, leading the Ravens by one game in the loss column for the top wild-card spot heading into their “Monday Night Football” showdown with Baltimore. They are two games behind the Chiefs in the loss column for the AFC West lead.
Remaining schedule: against Ravens, against Falcons, against Chiefs, against Buccaneers, against Broncos, against Patriots, against Raiders
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
The Ravens are the No. 6 seed in the AFC heading into their “Monday Night Football” matchup with the Chargers. They are one game behind the Steelers in the loss column in the AFC North.
Remaining schedule: in Chargers, against Eagles, goodbye week, in Giants, against Steelers, in Texans, against Browns
7. Denver Broncos (7-5)
The Broncos still hold the final AFC playoff spot after their win over the Raiders. They lead the Dolphins by one game in the loss column.
Remaining schedule: against the Browns, goodbye, against the Colts, on the Chargers, on the Bengals, against the Chiefs
8. Miami Dolphins (5-6)
The Dolphins are in the AFC playoff race after their blowout victory over the Patriots, their third straight victory. Miami is one game in the loss column behind Denver for the final playoff spot.
Remaining schedule: at Packers, against Jets, at Texans, against 49ers, at Browns, at Jets
9. Indianapolis Colts (5-7)
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: in Patriots, goodbye week, in Broncos, against Titans, in Giants, against Jaguars
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
The Bengals are currently the No. 10 seed in the AFC, two games in the loss column behind the Broncos for the final wild card spot. They were off this week.
Remaining schedule: against Steelers, against Cowboys, against Titans, against Browns, against Broncos, against Steelers
Image from the NFC playoffs
| 1 |
lions |
10 |
1 |
0 |
.909 |
| 2 | Eagles | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 |
| 3 | sea hawks | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 |
| 4 |
Falcons |
6 |
5 |
0 |
.545 |
| 5 | vikings | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 |
| 6 | packers | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 |
| 7 | Commanders | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 |
| 8 | Cardinals | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 |
| 9 | buccaneers | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 |
| 10 | rams | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 |
| 11 | 49ers | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 |
| 12 | saints | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
| 13 | bears | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
| 14 | jeans | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
1. Detroit Lions (10-1)
The Lions remain atop the NFC North with their win over the Colts, 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 the Bears, against the Packers, against the Bills, against the Bears, against the 49ers, against the Vikings
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)
The Eagles took control of the NFC East with their win over the Rams, combined with the Commanders’ loss to the Cowboys in Week 12. Philadelphia leads Washington by three games in the loss column in the division and is behind Detroit for a home game. home field advantage in the NFC.
Remaining schedule: in Ravens, against Panthers, against Steelers, in Commanders, against Cowboys, against Giants
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
The Seahawks lead the NFC West after Sunday’s win over the Cardinals and the Rams’ loss to the Eagles. Seattle owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Arizona for the division lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta for third place from its Week 7 victory.
Remaining schedule: at Jets, at Cardinals, against Packers, against Vikings, at Bears, at Rams
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
The Falcons lead the NFC South by one game over the Buccaneers, but have also swept Tampa Bay and own the season tiebreaker. They are off this week.
Remaining schedule: against Chargers, against Vikings, against Raiders, against Giants, against Commanders, against Panthers
5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
Minnesota is the fifth seed in the NFC, one game behind Detroit for the division lead. The Vikings are the conference’s top wild card team.
Remaining schedule: against Cardinals, against Falcons, against Bears, at Seahawks, against Packers, at Lions
6. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
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 two games over the Cardinals.
Remaining schedule: against Dolphins, against Lions, against Seahawks, against Saints, against Vikings, against Bears
7. Washington Commanders (7-5)
The Commanders are three games behind the Eagles in the loss column in the NFC East after their loss to the Cowboys on Sunday. Washington clings to the final playoff spot by a half-game.
Remaining schedule: vs Titans, goodbye week, in Saints, vs Eagles, vs Falcons, in Cowboys
8. Arizona Cardinals (6-5)
The Cardinals fell out of the NFC West lead (and out of the current playoff field) after Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks. Regardless, they are in contention for the division title and the final playoff spot. The Cardinals own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the 49ers by defeating them in Week 5 and the Rams by defeating them in Week 2, but lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Seahawks for the division lead by virtue of their Week. 11 defeats.
Remaining schedule: at Vikings, against Seahawks, against Patriots, at Panthers, at Rams, against 49ers
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)
The Buccaneers are ranked No. 9 in the NFC, one game behind the Falcons for first place in the NFC South. Tampa Bay was swept by Atlanta and is also one game out of the loss column for the final playoff spot. The Buccaneers own the three-way tiebreaker for the No. 9 seed in the NFC thanks to having a better conference record (5-3) than the Rams (3-5).
Remaining schedule: on Panthers, against Raiders, on Chargers, on Cowboys, against Panthers, against Saints
10. Los Angeles Rams (5-6)
The Rams missed a chance to take the lead in the NFC West after losing to the Eagles. Instead, they are the No. 10 seed and have the division record tiebreaker against the 49ers due to their win over the 49ers in Week 3.
Remaining schedule: at Saints, against Bills, at 49ers, at Jets, against Cardinals, against Seahawks
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-6)
The 49ers’ loss to the Packers keeps them one game back in the loss column for the final playoff spot, even though they are last in the NFC West and in 11th place. leadership of the NFC West. The 49ers lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Rams for the No. 10 seed (the divisional tiebreaker was used to break the three-way tie between the Buccaneers, Rams and 49ers).
Remaining schedule: at Bills, against Bears, against Rams, against Dolphins, against Lions, against Cardinals
12. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
The Saints move up to 12th despite being on a bye this week, being two games in the loss column out of the last playoff spot. New Orleans (3-4) owns the conference record tiebreaker over Chicago (2-4) and Dallas (2-5) for the No. 12 seed.
Remaining schedule: against Rams, against Giants, against Commanders, against Packers, against Raiders, against Buccaneers
13. Chicago Bears (4-7)
The Bears are two games back in the loss column for the final NFC playoff spot. Chicago loses the conference record tiebreaker to New Orleans for 12th place, but is ahead of Dallas by the same tiebreaker.
Remaining schedule: at Lions, at 49ers, at Vikings, against Lions, against Seahawks, at Packers
14. Dallas Cowboys (4-7)
The Cowboys are ranked 14th in the NFC, even after their upset win over the Commanders. They lose the conference record tiebreaker to the Saints and Bears.
Remaining schedule: against Giants, against Bengals, against Panthers, against Buccaneers, against Eagles, against Commanders
