NFL playoff picture: A new team tops the AFC standings

 

Kansas City Chiefs v Denver Broncos - NFL 2025
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Mark Schofield
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.

As the 2025 NFL season rounds into the closing stretch, the playoff picture is taking shape.

Sunday’s slate of games changed the picture in a few different ways, in both the AFC and the NFC. Let’s dive in.

What are the AFC playoff standings?

Here are the current AFC playoff standings, with a new team at the top of the pile.

  1. Denver Broncos (9-2)
  2. New England Patriots (9-2)
  3. Indianapolis Colts (8-2)
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)
  5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)
  6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)
  7. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4)
  8. Houston Texans (5-5)
  9. Kansas City Chiefs (5-5)
  10. Baltimore Ravens (5-5)
  11. Miami Dolphins (4-7)
  12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-7)
  13. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
  14. New York Jets (2-8)
  15. Cleveland Browns (2-8)
  16. Tennessee Titans (1-9)

At the top of the standings, Denver’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs moved them to 9-2, and atop the AFC standings. Both the Broncos and the Patriots have matching 9-2 records, but Denver’s record in conference play (6-2 versus 5-2 for New England) gives them the tiebreaker edge for now.

Idle Indianapolis dropped down to the No. 3 spot after leading the way the past few weeks.

Pittsburgh remains in the No. 4 spot as the leaders in the AFC North, while the Buffalo Bills would be the first Wild Card team along with the Chargers and the Jaguars.

As Week 11 draws to a close the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens — all playoff teams from a year ago — would be out. The Texans have the tiebreaker edge over the other two teams right now, as Houston beat Baltimore and has a better AFC record than the Chiefs (4-2 versus 2-4).

Baltimore then slides down to the No. 10 spot behind Kansas City, thanks to the Chiefs’ win over the Ravens earlier this year.

What would the AFC playoffs look like?

If the NFL playoffs began today, the Broncos would have the top seed in the AFC, and the lone bye week in the conference. These would be the three Wild Card Weekend matchups on the AFC side:

What are the NFC playoff standings?

Here are the current NFC playoff standings.

  1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)
  2. Los Angeles Rams (8-2)
  3. Chicago Bears (7-3)
  4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4)
  5. Seattle Seahawks (7-3)
  6. Green Bay Packers (6-3-1)
  7. San Francisco 49ers (7-4)
  8. Detroit Lions (6-4)
  9. Carolina Panthers (6-5)
  10. Minnesota Vikings (4-6)
  11. Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1)
  12. Arizona Cardinals (3-7)
  13. Atlanta Falcons (3-7)
  14. Washington Commanders (3-8)
  15. New Orleans Saints (2-8)
  16. New York Giants (2-9)

With their win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams moved into first place in the NFC West. That also bumped the Rams up to the No. 2 seed.

But despite having the same record as the Eagles, the Rams sit at No. 2 thanks to Philadelphia’s win over Los Angeles earlier this season. Yes, a pair of blocked field goals late in that game are the difference right now.

Sunday night’s loss by the Detroit Lions not only dropped them into third place in the NFC North, it dropped the Lions out of the playoffs for the moment. Yes, the Chicago Bears are your current division leaders, followed by the Green Bay Packers, who slot in at the No. 6 spot. If the playoffs began today, Dan Campbell would be watching along with the rest of us.

What would the NFC playoffs look like?

If the NFL playoffs began today, the Eagles would have the top seed and the bye week. These would be the three NFC games on Wild Card Weekend:

What about Cowboys-Raiders?

What impact will Monday night’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders have on the playoff picture?

Not much. Dallas could inch closer to the Eagles in the NFC East with a win, while the Raiders already avoided one elimination scenario this week, as a Broncos win combined with a Chargers win would have ended any hope of the Raiders winning the division. So they live on to fight on for the AFC West title — as far as their chances go — for at least one more week.

But both teams would need a world of help to truly get back in the playoff picture.

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