We entered Week 7 with two undefeated teams in the NFL and both were playing in marquee games on Sunday. The 5-0 Minnesota Vikings were playing their division rivals, the one-loss Detroit Lions, and the Kansas City has a Super Bowl rematch with the San Francisco 49ers. Only one finished the week still undefeated.
The Chiefs stayed atop the AFC standings while the Lions jumped the Vikings into first place in the NFC. Kansas City is the lone undefeated team in the NFL heading into Week 8.
In the AFC playoff picture, the Houston Texans lost in Week 7, but stayed in second in the AFC thanks to their undefeated conference recoed. Buffalo, for their part, kept pace with a win over the Tennessee Titans. The Baltimore Ravens have yet to play in Week 7, but we will see them on Monday Night Football. While Baltimore rested up for Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers passed them in the standings by defeating the Jets on Sunday night.
The NFC standings had the Washington Commanders win big and the Seattle Seahawks knock off the Atlanta Falcons to keep pace. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Ravens on Monday night in a game of 4-2 teams hoping to move up in the standings.
In the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts and Anthony Richardson hold onto the final Wild Card spot while the Chicago Bears are in seventh in the NFC. Both teams are in the position thanks to the conference record tiebreakers at this point.
Note: In the standings below, only the pertinent tiebreakers are listed.
AFC standings following Week 7
1. Kansas City Chiefs (6-0)
2. Houston Texans (5-2, 4-0 AFC)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2, 4-1 AFC)
4. Buffalo Bills (5-2, 4-2 AFC)
5. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)
7. Indianapolis Colts (4-3, 3-2 AFC)
8. Denver Broncos (4-3, 2-2 AFC)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
10. Miami Dolphins (2-4, 2-3 AFC)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5, 2-3 AFC, .385 strength of victory)
12. New York Jets (2-5, 2-3 AFC, .154 strength of victory)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5, 2-4 AFC)
14. Tennessee Titans (1-5)
15. Cleveland Browns (1-6, 1-2 AFC)
16. New England Patriots (1-6, 1-4 AFC)
NFC standings heading into Week 8
1. Detroit Lions (5-1, win over MIN)
2. Washington Commanders (5-2)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)
4. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
5. Minnesota Vikings (5-1, loss to DET)
6. Green Bay Packers (5-2)
7. Chicago Bears (4-2, 2-0 NFC)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2, 3-2 NFC)
9. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)
10. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
11. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
12. Arizona Cardinals (2-4, win over LAR)
13. Los Angeles Rams (2-4, loss to ARI)
14. New Orleans Saints (2-5, 2-3 NFC)
15. New York Giants (2-5, 1-4 NFC)
16. Carolina Panthers (1-6)
How will ‘Monday Night Football’ impact playoff standings in Week 7?
With the Buccaneers and Ravens facing off, one of them will move to 5-2 while the other will fall to 4-3.
A Ravens win would move them to third, passing the Steelers on division record. The Bucs would fall completely out of playoff position and the Atlanta Falcons will lead the division if Tampa loses.
If the Buccaneers win, they will move up to second in the NFC thanks to conference record. If the Ravens fall to 4-3, they will end up in 7th after the week. The Colts would pass them on conference record, and they would tie Denver. The Ravens would win the tiebreaker thanks to their superior strength of victory; Indianapolis 6th, Baltimore 7th, and Denver 8th.
The Cardinals and Chargers also play Monday night. The Chargers can’t move up in the standings with a win, but they can fall out of playoff position with a loss.
We will update Monday into Tuesday.
