The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns played Thursday Night Football in a snow globe, and the rest of the AFC was watching with bated breath. The Steelers entered the week in third place in the AFC and they will leave in third place, but the door opened for several teams with their loss.
NFL playoff picture: Steelers’ loss ripples through AFC standings on Thursday night
Thursday night’s Steelers vs Browns game was in the snow, and the rest of the AFC felt the impact.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Matt Warren is Associate Director of NFL coverage for SB Nation and previously covered the Buffalo Bills for Buffalo Rumblings for more than a decade. If it has to do with math, he covered it, from NFL playoff standings to salary cap analysis.
With the loss, the Buffalo Bills opened up a full game lead over the Steelers for second place in the conference. Buffalo is on a bye this week, so the top four spots won’t change in Week 12.
The Baltimore Ravens moved within striking distance of the Steelers for first place in the AFC North. Pittsburgh has the tiebreaker, but Baltimore is now just one game back and the two teams have another battle on the schedule.
For Cleveland, they are still three games out of a playoff spot and unlikely to climb into the hunt with a rough schedule down the stretch. They still play the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers (again), Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens.
Here are the current NFL playoff standings following Thursday night’s AFC North showdown.
Note: In the standings below, only the pertinent tiebreakers are listed.
AFC North standings
- Pittsburgh Steelers, 8-3
- Baltimore Ravens, 7-4
- Cincinnati Bengals, 4-7
- Cleveland Browns, 3-8
AFC standings during Week 12
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
4. Houston Texans (7-4)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
7. Denver Broncos (6-5)
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
9. Miami Dolphins (4-6)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
11. Cleveland Browns (3-8, 3-3 AFC)
12. New York Jets (3-8, 2-1 vs. common NE opponents, 3-5 AFC)
13. New England Patriots (3-8, 0-3 vs. common NYJ opponents)
14. Tennessee Titans (2-8, 2-4 AFC)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8, 2-6 AFC)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
NFC standings following Week 11
1. Detroit Lions (9-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)
3. Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
5. Minnesota Vikings (8-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (7-3)
7. Washington Commanders (7-4)
8. Los Angeles Rams (5-5, 2-1 NFCW)
9. Seattle Seahawks (5-5, 1-2 NFCW, win over SF)
10. San Francisco 49ers (5-5, 1-3 NFCW, loss to SEA)
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6, 4-3 NFC)
12. Chicago Bears (4-6, 2-3 NFC)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
14. Carolina Panthers (3-7, 2-4 NFC)
15. Dallas Cowboys (3-7, 1-5 NFC)
16. New York Giants (2-8)
NFL Division Standings
AFC East standings
- Buffalo Bills, 9-2
- Miami Dolphins, 4-6
- New York Jets, 3-8
- New England Patriots, 3-8
AFC North standings
- Pittsburgh Steelers, 8-2
- Baltimore Ravens, 7-4
- Cincinnati Bengals, 4-7
- Cleveland Browns, 2-8
AFC South standings
- Houston Texans, 7-4
- Indianapolis Colts, 5-6
- Tennessee Titans, 2-8
- Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-9
AFC West standings
- Kansas City Chiefs, 9-1
- Los Angeles Chargers, 7-3
- Denver Broncos, 6-5
- Las Vegas Raiders, 2-8
NFC East standings
- Philadelphia Eagles, 8-2
- Washington Commanders, 7-4
- Dallas Cowboys, 3-7
- New York Giants, 2-8
NFC North standings
- Detroit Lions, 9-1
- Minnesota Vikings, 8-2
- Green Bay Packers, 7-3
- Chicago Bears, 4-6
NFC South standings
- Atlanta Falcons, 6-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-6
- New Orleans Saints, 4-7
- Carolina Panthers, 3-7
NFC West standings
- Arizona Cardinals, 6-4
- Los Angeles Rams, 5-5
- Seattle Seahawks, 5-5
- San Francisco 49ers, 5-5
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