NFL Playoff Picture Week 12: Broncos easing in, Bengals in crisis, Jets all but out
The NFL playoff picture is getting clearer by the end. Although no team is mathematically eliminated yet, we already know who's going to be contending for a postseason spot and who's going to watch the January games from the couch.
With seven weeks remaining in the regular season, things heat up with three Thanksgiving games and even a Black Friday contest in Week 12. Let's analyze the playoff picture:
NFL Playoff Picture: Assessing AFC contenders
We have a new team in the top spot! The Baltimore Ravens are sitting alone with eight wins after beating the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday. Although there's a three-way tie behind them and they still have a bye week to come, if the season ended today, the Ravens would have the first-round bye.
Behind them, we have three division leaders sitting at 7-3. The Kansas City Chiefs, the Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars all have their own problems, but they're in prime position to host a January game when it's all said and done. The Chiefs withheld the first seed in the AFC for most of the season, but fell to the Ravens after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11.
The wild card race is the one heating up. Right now, the Cleveland Browns (7-3), the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans (6-4) are leading the pack, but they can't afford any slip: the Buffalo Bills (6-5) will be pushing hard after Ken Dorsey's firing, even though the schedule isn't any easier.
No one can discard the Denver Broncos as well. After a torrid start to the season with a 0-3 record, they steadied the defensive ship and won four straight games, currently holding a 5-5 record. They have an easier schedule than most of the teams ahead and could represent a surprise wild card team later in the season.
The hopes of the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets are basically finished due to quarterback problems - with Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers injured, it's difficult to trust any of these teams.
The same applies to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts, who have their chances but are unlikely to make the playoffs.
NFL Playoff Picture: Assessing NFC contenders
Perhaps the most important win of the Philadelphia Eagles season came on Monday, with the team finally beating Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes for the first time. They still hold a two-game advantage over the second seed in the NFC.
But the race for the first-round bye is far from over. The Detroit Lions are just one game behind at 8-2, and with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys both at 7-3 with a game to play against the Eagles, we could see some changes at the top of the conference very soon.
The other NFC team who should be a division winner is the New Orleans Saints, who had a bye week but saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose, maintaining a one-game advantage in the NFC South lead. Of course, at 5-5, there's no bye week for the Saints to dream of.
The wild card race has two teams basically locked: one is the Seattle Seahawks, with a 6-4 record and two games above the eighth seed but also a better team than any of the other contenders. The other one is whoever loses the NFC East, although it's likely that the Cowboys will be the ones to miss the division title.
The Minnesota Vikings at 6-5 hold the seventh playoff seed currently, with Joshua Dobbs performing admirably in the absence of Kirk Cousins. They're a good team overall and are getting Justin Jefferson back.