Here’s an updated look at the NFL playoff picture entering Week 11:
AFC
1. New England Patriots (8-1; AFC East leader)
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2; AFC North leader)
3. Houston Texans (6-3; AFC South leader)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4; AFC West leader)
5. Buffalo Bills (6-3; first wild card)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4; second wild card)
In the hunt: Oakland Raiders (5-4), Indianapolis Colts (5-4), Tennessee Titans (5-5), Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5), Los Angeles Chargers (4-6)
Long shots: Denver Broncos (3-6), Cleveland Browns (3-6), Miami Dolphins (2-7), New York Jets (2-7), Cincinnati Bengals (0-9)
NFC
1. San Francisco 49ers (8-1; NFC West leader)
2. Green Bay Packers (8-2; NFC North leader)
3. New Orleans Saints (7-2; NFC South leader)
4. Dallas Cowboys (5-4; NFC East leader)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-2; first wild card)
6. Minnesota Vikings (7-3; second wild card)
In the hunt: Los Angeles Rams (5-4), Philadelphia Eagles (5-4), Carolina Panthers (5-4), Chicago Bears (4-5)
Long shots: Detroit Lions (3-5-1), Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6), Atlanta Falcons (2-7), New York Giants (2-8), Washington Redskins (1-8)
Some observations:
— The idle Patriots maintained their grip on first place in the AFC, but Lamar Jackson and the Ravens stayed within striking distance with a 49-13 pummeling of the Bengals. Baltimore, which looks like New England’s toughest competition in an increasingly underwhelming AFC, would own the tiebreaker if the teams finish with identical records.
— The Patriots and Ravens both face fairly tricky schedules down the stretch:
- Patriots: at Philadelphia, vs. Dallas, at Houston, vs. Kansas City, at Cincinnati, vs. Buffalo, vs. Miami
- Ravens: vs. Texans, at Rams, vs. 49ers, at Bills, vs. Jets, at Browns, vs. Steelers
— The last of the undefeated fell Monday night when the Niners lost to the Seahawks in overtime in the Game of the Year thus far.
— The Colts dropped out of playoff position following a bad loss to Brian Flores’ Dolphins. They need Jacoby Brissett back in a hurry. The team that replaced them, the Steelers, has won four and a row and five of its last six.
— Can Buffalo hang onto its wild-card spot? The Bills have lost two of their last three — including a 19-16 clunker in Cleveland on Sunday — and soon will begin a bear of a four-game stretch that includes trips to Dallas, Pittsburgh and New England and a home game against Baltimore. Up first are very winnable games against the Dolphins and Broncos, though.
— All four AFC South teams (Texans, Colts, Titans, Jags) are within one game of a playoff spot, and the Raiders are just a half-game back of the Chiefs in the AFC West. Kansas City’s dramatic loss to Tennessee in Patrick Mahomes’ return was one of the more surprising results in an unexpectedly entertaining weekend slate.
— The most surprising: Atlanta suddenly looking competent in a 26-9 road win over archrival New Orleans.
— The gap in quality between the NFC and the AFC becomes more evident each week.
