Eight games are now left, and the calendar year has flipped to November. A lot can still transpire, but Sunday’s games left an imprint and shakeup on the current race NFL playoff race. Among the shakeups include an entire division now in the playoff picture. Let’s take a look at the AFC and NFC playoff pictures during Week 9.
AFC Playoff Picture
1) Kansas City Chiefs 7-2
2) Baltimore Ravens 7-2
3) Jacksonville Jaguars 6-2
4) Miami Dolphins 6-3
5) Pittsburgh Steelers 5-3
6) Cleveland Browns 5-3
7) Cincinnati Bengals 5-3
In the hunt:
8) Buffalo Bills 5-4
9) New York Jets 4-3
10) Houston Texans 4-4
11) Indianapolis Colts 4-5
12) Las Vegas Raiders 4-5
13) Los Angeles Chargers 3-4
14) Tennessee Titans 3-5
15) Denver Broncos 3-5
16) New England Patriots 2-6
Kansas City Chiefs Reclaim AFC Lead All the Way From Germany
Even overseas, the Chiefs reminded NFL fans that all roads to the AFC and the Vince Lombardi Trophy go through them.
And it was a game that saw both Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa throw for under 200 yards.
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Mahomes was bottled to a season-low 185 passing yards. He still threw two touchdown passes and helped build an early 21-0 lead before settling for the 21-14 victory. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, was sealed to 193 yards and just one touchdown pass.
The Chiefs, though, proved they can turn to their defense even against a high-powered offense like the one Miami possesses. With DC Steve Spagnuolo calling the defense, KC capped the Dolphins at just 292 yards of offense. The Super Bowl-winning coordinator even got his unit to hold beloved former Chief Tyreek Hill to eight catches for 62 yards.
As for the Dolphins, can they still reclaim the AFC lead? The loss dropped them to the fourth seed. And the next eight games don’t get any easier. Only three sub-.500 teams remain, and all are still mathematically alive for the playoffs. There’s also that brutal three-game stretch to end the year — with the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and the Buffalo Bills to close out the regular season.
Speaking of the Ravens, Baltimore continued to show its mettle and dominant side. This time, with the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks in town, the Ravens breezed past the ‘Hawks 37-3 at home. And Baltimore broke out of an early 0-0 tie by scoring 30 in the second and third quarters.
Elsewhere in the morning slate, the Cleveland Browns remained in the early postseason race by welcoming back DeShaun Watson at quarterback in their shutout win. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans not only won in thrilling fashion 39-37 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but at 4-4, they’re in the postseason hunt right away under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans.
As for the afternoon, the Indianapolis Colts managed to stay in the wildcard race with their romp of the Carolina Panthers, placing them at 4-5. But speaking of 4-5 teams, the Las Vegas Raiders showed a much more rejuvenated side after the firing of Josh McDaniels — pouring a season-best 30 points in the Silver and Black’s 30-6 trouncing of the Giants.
But the nightcap resulted in the AFC North now having this claim: all four teams are in the playoff hunt. With the Bengals holding off the Buffalo Bills 24-18 on Sunday Night Football, it slid Cincy into the No. 7 wildcard spot. Now, all three wildcard seeds have an AFC North team leading the way.
NFC Playoff Picture
1) Philadelphia Eagles 8-1
2) Detroit Lions 6-2
3) San Francisco 49ers 5-3
4) New Orleans Saints 5-4
5) Dallas Cowboys 5-3
6) Seattle Seahawks 5-3
7) Minnesota Vikings 5-4
In the hunt:
8) Washington Commanders 4-5
9) Atlanta Falcons 4-5
10) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-5
11) Green Bay Packers 3-5
12) Los Angeles Rams 3-6
13) Chicago Bears 2-7
14) New York Giants 2-7
15) Carolina Panthers 1-7
16) Arizona Cardinals 1-8
Crowded NFC South Race Sees the Saints Enter Playoff Picture
The NFC South is one of the more unpredictable divisions so far, as it’s the most crowded.
But the New Orleans Saints have emerged as the new sole leader of the NFC South following their 24-17 home win over the Chicago Bears. By virtue of the Atlanta Falcons falling in the final seconds against the Minnesota Vikings, the Saints leapfrog Atlanta atop the division.
The Commanders, meanwhile, are making their trek upward and into the playoff picture. By beating the Patriots 20-17, Washington is now nearing the seventh and final Wild Card spot.
As for teams in this conference that dropped the ball, Seattle severely fell on its face in Charm City. Had they beaten Baltimore, the Seahawks would’ve been in position to snatch the lead for the No. 2 spot. But now, their 34-point loss ties them with the sliding San Francisco 49ers at 5-3. And guess who now takes the NFC West lead? The Niners.
As for the marquee NFC battle of the day, the Eagles managed to pull off one last stand by snatching CeeDee Lamb in front of the end zone in their 28-23 win. And with the victory, the Eagles kept the league’s best record at 8-1.
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