The Lions and Packers strengthened their playoff positions, while the Giants became the first NFL team to be mathematically eliminated on Thanksgiving. Here’s what the NFL playoff picture looks like for Week 13 heading into Black Friday:
NFC Playoff photo
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Detroit Lions (11-1): Holden to beat the Bears.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2): 2.5-game lead in the NFC East.
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5): Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Falcons and Cardinals.
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5): One game lead in NFC South.
WILD CARDS
5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2): Lost at home to the Lions.
6. Green Bay Packers (9-3): Lost at home to the Lions and Vikings.
7. Washington Commanders (7-5): Need to reverse their recent decline.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Arizona Cardinals (6-5): Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks was a big one.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6): Own the NFC record tiebreaker over the Rams.
10. Los Angeles Rams (5-6): Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the 49ers.
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-6): NFC preseason favorites are at risk of missing the playoffs.
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7): Thanksgiving win kept them alive.
13. New Orleans Saints (4-7): Two games out in the division.
14. Chicago Bears (4-8): Deep in last place in the NFC North.
15. Carolina Panthers (3-8): Playing much better football lately.
16. New York Giants (2-10): Mathematically eliminated.
AFC Playoff photo
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1): The reigning champs sit atop the conference.
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2): If they can catch the Chiefs in the standings, they’ll have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3): Beating the Ravens head-to-head was big.
4. Houston Texans (7-5): They’re not playing well, but they should win the AFC South by default.
WILD CARDS
5. Baltimore Ravens (8-4): Big win over the Chargers on Monday night.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4): Big loss to the Ravens on Monday night.
7. Denver Broncos (7-5): Bo Nix has led them to a two-game lead in the wild-card race.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-7): Catching the Texans in the AFC South will be a gamble.
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7): Losing to the Packers on Thanksgiving hurt any hopes they had of making a late-season run.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7): Probably needs to run the table to reach the playoffs.
11. Cleveland Browns (3-8): Deshaun Watson dug a hole that Jameis Winston the Browns won’t be able to dig out of.
12. New York Jets (3-8): Aaron Rodgers’ experience is trending toward disaster.
13. Tennessee Titans (3-8): A big upset over the Texans on Sunday.
14. New England Patriots (3-9): Drake Maye is showing promise, but this team is a long way from being in contention.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9): Doug Pederson is on the hot seat.
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9): Antonio Pierce is on the hot seat.
Clinch Scenarios
Buffalo notes (9-2) vs. San Francisco 49ers (5-6); Sunday night, 8:20 PM ET, NBC
Buffalo takes the AFC East division title with:
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BEF wins
Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9); Friday, 3pm ET, Prime Video
Kansas City has qualified for the playoffs:
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KC victory
NFC
Detroit Lions (10-1) vs. Chicago Bears (4-7); Thursday, 12:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Detroit clinches a playoff berth with:
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SF loss or draw + ARI loss or draw + SEA loss + TB loss or draw
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SF loss or draw + ARI loss + SEA draw + TB loss or draw
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SF loss or draw + ARI loss or draw + SEA loss + WAS loss or draw + ATL loss
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SF loss or draw + ARI loss or draw + SEA loss + WAS loss + ATL draw
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SF loss or draw + ARI loss + SEA draw + WAS loss or draw + ATL loss
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SF loss or draw + ARI loss + SEA draw + WAS loss + ATL draw
Note: There are additional scenarios where Detroit can clinch a playoff spot with a tie and other outcomes where the Lions can leverage the power of a victory tiebreaker.
