NFL playoff picture: Week 10 changes NFC standings heading into Week 11

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals kicked off Week 10 on Thursday night with a bang, and even though the Ravens’ win kept the standings the same, it set the stage for a bunch of potential movement in the AFC playoff picture on Sunday.

Sunday night saw the NFC-leading Detroit Lions throw five interceptions but still beat the the AFC South-leading Houston Texans in a marquee matchup. The Monday Night Football game isn’t as sexy with the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos went back and forth, and it came down to a field goal with one second left. Denver’s attempt was blocked and the Chiefs survived. The Buffalo Bills won easily, defeating the Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won a back-and-forth game over the Washington Commanders.

In the AFC Wild Card, the Ravens and Chargers won and the Denver Broncos lost, so they all stay fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively.

The Detroit Lions somehow found a way to win despite Jared Goff throwing five interceptions. The Commanders lost on Sunday to fall from second all the way to sixth in the playoff picture. The Philadelphia Eagles went the opposite way, heading from sixth to second after their convincing win. The Atlanta Falcons lost but they remain in third place. The Arizona Cardinals round out the division leaders.

In the Wild Card race, the Minnesota Vikings won to stay the fifth seed. The Green Bay Packers stuck in seventh on their bye.

Here are the current NFL playoff standings.

Note: In the standings below, only the pertinent tiebreakers are listed.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (8-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
4. Houston Texans (6-4)
5. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
7. Denver Broncos (5-5)
8. Indianapolis Colts (4-6, 3-4 AFC)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-6, 2-4 AFC)
10. Miami Dolphins (3-6)
11. New York Jets (3-7, 2-1 in NE common games)
12. New England Patriots (3-7, 0-3 in NYJ common games)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-7, 2-3 AFC)
14. Tennessee Titans (2-7, 2-4 AFC)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7, 2-5 AFC)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)

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

The Lions had no business winning on Sunday night. They had five interceptions by Jared Goff, their kicker Jake Bates was selling bricks a year ago and thought he was out of football, they were down by 16 with the Texans in field goal range. Some timely turnovers of their own and the Lions defense rising up gave Goff a chance to start throwing to the correctly colored jerseys , and Bates snuck two long kicks inside the uprights in the last 5:01 of the game. They’ve won seven straight including a win over the Minnesota Vikings, who kept the pressure on by winning their seventh game of the season Sunday. Philadelphia also has seven wins but Detroit still stands above them all in the NFC.

Denver sits at 5-5 after losing to the Chiefs, but they showed some serious fight. They enter a bounce-back opportunity moving forward, facing a shaky Falcons squad and then getting the Raiders and Browns heading into their bye. They need to win those three games to firm up their playoff chances before the home stretch of the season.

Washington and Pittsburgh have been two of the more unexpected division leaders heading into Week 10. Russell Wilson connected with Mike Williams late to stun the Commanders at FedEx Field. Jayden Daniels found Zach Ertz on a long fourth down conversion attempt, but a replay ruled it just short in a wild finish. Both teams remain in first place and have the Ravens and Eagles chasing them down in their respective divisions.

After much discussion about the NFC North potentially sending four teams to the playoffs, Chicago has fallen back to earth in a big way. Losses to the Commanders and Cardinals were explainable. Sunday’s ugly loss to the Patriots was downright embarrassing. They went from 4-2 and in playoff position to now 4-5.

The Buffalo Bills are up five wins on the New York Jets in the AFC East race with seven games left for Buffalo. With the Miami Dolphins at 2-6 and the New England Patriots at 3-7, the Bills can clinch the division by the end of November.

The Commanders lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys, flipping Washington and Philly in the standings. The Eagles move from sixth to second in the conference while the Commanders fall all the way from second to sixth.

After a 1-3 start, the Arizona Cardinals have turned it on. They are 5-1 in their last six and have won four straight. In the last two weeks, they’ve outscored their opponent 60-17. In a tight NFC West, they are also 2-0 to claim tiebreaking wins over the 49ers and Rams at this point. After their bye in Week 11, they face the Seahawks twice in three weeks and could solidify their hold on the division before ending the year with their second shot at the Rams and 49ers.

The Minnesota Vikings are tied for the second-best record in the NFC, but they have looked a bit unstable since their blistering early season. They only managed a 12-7 victory over the reeling Jaguars who didn’t even have their starting quarterback. They don’t have many hard tests on their upcoming schedule, so it may not matter, but the Vikings have shown weaknesses.