NFL Week 13 is all but in the books, and so many playoff races got a whole lot more interesting as a result. There are only five weeks left, and for some teams, only four games to be played. We are officially in the stretch run, and here’s how the playoff picture looks right now.
NFL playoff picture could get absolutely wild
Before the season, if someone had said there is a world where Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen all miss the playoffs, they would’ve been laughed at. Sadly, this world is getting precariously close to that world.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a minuscule shot at the postseason after losing on Thanksgiving. They’re 6-6, and they need to pass a few teams to get a wild-card spot. With five games left, things are not looking good for Mahomes and company.
Allen and the Buffalo Bills are in the playoff picture, but at 8-4, they’re clinging to a one-game lead over the surging Houston Texans. The same Texans that beat them last week and hold the tiebreaker.
The Baltimore Ravens lead the AFC North, but they’re in a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers after Jackson’s dud on Thursday. With two head-to-head matchups left, it’s impossible to decide who’ll separate in that division, but the Ravens are certainly not in an ideal spot. Will all three QBs miss out? Probably not, but the fact that it’s a possibility is shocking at this point.
The Denver Broncos got another close victory over a bad team, so their 10-2 record implies a better team. Still, barring New England’s game tonight against the New York Giants, the Broncos hold the top seed in the AFC and the best record in the NFL.
The surging Jacksonville Jaguars got a big win on Sunday, and by virtue of the Texans beating the Indianapolis Colts, the Jags now lead the AFC South. The Colts are fading fast, and the Jaguars have stepped up.
The wild card is pretty complicated in the AFC, too. Right now, the Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills hold the three spots. The Chiefs, Texans, and Steelers are all a game or two back of the final spot, though.
Over in the NFC, the South is shaping up to be an absolutely thrilling race. Thanks to their shocking upset over the Los Angeles Rams, the Carolina Panthers are still alive. They’re a half-game back of the division lead, and they will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice in the final three weeks of the season.
Because of that win over the Rams, the Chicago Bears usurped the top seed in the NFC from the Rams. The Bears are 9-3, and they lead the North. The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are both within two games of them, though.
The Philadelphia Eagles have struggled as of late and lost on Black Friday, which helped shrink their division lead and dropped them to the three seed. However, the Dallas Cowboys are still a good bit back, so the Eagles can afford to struggle a bit. They’re still a safe pick to win that division.
The NFC West is complicated, too. The Rams still hold the lead because they beat the Seattle Seahawks, but the San Francisco 49ers are only a half-game back as well. It’s very tight, and all three are likely to make the playoffs.
The Seahawks and 49ers hold two of the three wild-card spots, with the Packers taking the third. Not far behind them are the Panthers, Cowboys, and Lions, but the Cowboys and Panthers are not as legitimate in this hunt.
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