Sunday’s wild slate of NFL action caused some shakeups in the playoff picture.
Including a team that was the No. 1 seed in the NFC tumbling down the conference standings.
While one game remains this week — Monday Night Football between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals — with both of those teams buried in the standings, we can take a look at how things are shaping up in the postseason.
- Indianapolis Colts (7-2, 1st place AFC South)Week 10: vs. Atlanta (Game in Berlin, Germany)
- New England Patriots (7-2, 1st place AFC East)Week 10: at Tampa Bay
- Denver Broncos (7-2, 1st place AFC West)Week 10: vs. Las Vegas
- Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3, 1st place AFC North)Week 10: at Los Angeles Chargers
- Buffalo Bills (6-2)Week 10: at Miami
- Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)Week 10: vs. Pittsburgh
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3)Week 10: at Houston
- Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)Week 10: Bye
- Houston Texans (3-5)Week 10: vs. Jacksonville
- Baltimore Ravens (2-5)Week 9: at Minnesota
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-6)Week 10: Bye
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)Week 10: at Denver
- Cleveland Browns (2-6)Week 10: at New York Jets
- Miami Dolphins (2-7)Week 10: vs. Buffalo
- New York Jets (1-7)Week 10: vs. Cleveland
- Tennessee Titans (1-8)Week 10: Bye
With the Colts losing to the Steelers, and both the Patriots and Broncos winning, all three teams have matching 7-2 records after Week 9.
Indianapolis remains in the top spot in the conference thanks to a better conference record than both teams. Right now, the Colts have a 6-1 record in AFC play, against a 4-2 record for both Denver and New England. The Patriots currently hold a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker over the Broncos (20-40 versus 19-39-1), so New England sits at No. 2 for now.
Jacksonville’s overtime win over the Raiders, coupled with Kansas City’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, moves the Jaguars into the final playoff spot for the moment, dropping the Chiefs down to No. 8.
At the bottom of the conference, the Jets host the Browns in a game that could go a long way towards determining the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
- Philadelphia Eagles (6-2, 1st place NFC East)Week 10: at Green Bay
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2, 1st place NFC South)Week 10: vs. New England
- Seattle Seahawks (6-2, 1st place NFC West)Week 10: vs. Arizona
- Green Bay Packers (5-2-1, 1st place NFC NorthWeek 10: vs. Philadelphia
- Los Angeles Rams (6-2)Week 10: at San Francisco
- San Francisco 49ers (6-3)Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Rams
- Detroit Lions (5-3)Week 10: at Washington
- Chicago Bears (5-3)Week 10: vs. New York Giants
- Carolina Panthers (5-4)Week 10: vs. New Orleans
- Minnesota Vikings (4-4)Week 10: vs. Baltimore
- Dallas Cowboys (3-4-1)Week 10: Bye
- Atlanta Falcons (3-5)Week 10: vs. Indianapolis (Game in Berlin, Germany)
- Washington Commanders (3-6)Week 10: vs. Detroit
- Arizona Cardinals (2-5)Week 10: at Seattle
- New York Giants (2-7)Week 10: at Chicago
- New Orleans Saints (1-8)Week 10: at Carolina
When Week 9 began the Green Bay Packers were slotted into the No. 1 spot in the NFC.
Before it draws to a close, the Packers are now down in the No. 4 spot.
Green Bay’s last-second loss to the Carolina Panthers dropped the Packers to 5-2-1 on the season, putting them behind the cluster of 6-2 teams atop the NFC. Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles — who were on bye weeks — remain at 6-2, with the Seattle Seahawks joining them after their win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football.
Out of those 6-2 teams, the Eagles have the tiebreaker advantage thanks to a 5-1 record in the NFC. Tampa Bay has a 4-2 conference record, while the Seahawks are 3-2 in NFC play.
While the Seahawks and the Rams have matching 6-2 records, Seattle’s 1-1 record in the NFC West gives them the tiebreaker over Los Angeles, with their 0-1 NFC West record.
As for the final playoff spot, the Lions are in over the Bears right now, thanks to Detroit’s Week 2 win over Chicago.
How can Cowboys-Cardinals impact the NFL Playoff Picture?
Both the Cowboys and the Cardinals are mired at the bottom of the NFC standings, with Dallas sitting at No. 11 in the NFC and Arizona a few spots behind them at No. 14.
The Cowboys are in a better position in their respective division, as Dallas sits second in the NFC with a 3-4-1 record, three games in the loss column behind the 6-2 Philadelphia Eagles.
As for the Cardinals, their 2-5 record has them at the bottom of the NFC West, looking up at three teams with winning records.
