NFL playoff standings 2016: Cowboys and Raiders lead the way

There are some tight races — both between good teams in good divisions and bad teams in bad divisions — going into Week 12.

by James Brady

Updated Nov 22, 2016, 5:19 AM UTC

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

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So far this season, the stronger conference in the NFL has been the AFC. The NFC is starting to make a push, though. The Dallas Cowboys have the best record in the NFL at 9-1, and two other NFC East teams are almost as hot. The New York Giants (7-3) won their fifth straight game, and after a win over the Green Bay Packers, Washington is right behind them at 6-3-1.

The Giants and Washington hold the two wild card spots in the NFC. The two AFC wild card teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, are sitting at 7-3.

Oakland looks like one of the best teams in the league, and the Raiders moved into first place in the AFC at 8-2 after beating the Houston Texans on Monday night in Mexico City. They own the tiebreaker over the Patriots based on best win percentage in common games.

But nothing is really settled in either conference except that there’s no postseason hope left for the winless Cleveland Browns. They lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11, and the Browns have become the first team this season to be eliminated from playoff contention.

New England Patriots (8-2) also rebounded from a loss to the Seahawks last week to topple the hapless San Francisco 49ers (1-9).

The only big divisional matchup on Sunday was a game between the Tennessee Titans (5-6) and Indianapolis Colts (5-5). Both teams have struggled this season, but even after the Titans lost to the Colts, both remain well within reach of the Texans (6-4) in the AFC South.

Here’s what the playoff standings look like for Week 12:

AFC