NFL playoff picture: Standings as Week 10 unfolds

The Bengals and Ravens — both AFC playoff hopefuls — played on Thursday night and that was just the start of Week 10.

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals kicked off Week 10 on Thursday night with a bang, and even though the Ravens’ win kept the standing the same, it set the stage for a bunch of movement in the AFC playoff picture.

Sunday night sees the NFC-leading Detroit Lions face the AFC South-leading Houston Texans in a marquee matchup. The Monday Night Football game isn’t as sexy with the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos went back and forth, and it came down to a field goal with one second left. Denver was blocked and the Chiefs survived.

Here are the current AFC standings.

Note: In the standings below, only the pertinent tiebreakers are listed.

AFC standings during Week 10

1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (8-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
4. Houston Texans (6-3)
5. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
7. Denver Broncos (5-5)
8. Indianapolis Colts (4-6, 3-4 AFC)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-6, 2-4 AFC)
10. New York Jets (3-6)
11. New England Patriots (3-7)
12. Tennessee Titans (2-6, win over MIA)
13. Miami Dolphins (2-6, loss to TEN)
14. Cleveland Browns (2-7, 2-3 AFC)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7, 2-5 AFC, .474 SoV)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)

NFC standings during Week 10

1. Detroit Lions (7-1)
2. Washington Commanders (7-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
5. Minnesota Vikings (7-2)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
8. San Francisco 49ers (5-4)
9. Los Angeles Rams (4-4)
10. Chicago Bears (4-5, 2-2 NFC)
11. Seattle Seahawks (4-5, 1-4 NFC)
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6, 4-2 NFC)
13. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)
14. New Orleans Saints (3-7, 2-3 NFCS)
15. Carolina Panthers (3-7, 1-2 NFCS)
16. New York Giants (2-7, 1-5 NFC)

Every NFL team with a winning record is in playoff position

There are a lot of bad teams and a lot of good teams. There aren’t a lot of them in between. Every team with a winning record is in playoff position right now.

The Broncos are a legit playoff contender

Denver sits at 5-5 after losing to the Chiefs, but they showed some serious fight. They enter a bounce-back opportunity moving forward, facing a shaky Falcons squad and then getting the Raiders and Browns heading into their bye. They need to win those three games to firm up their playoff chances before the home stretch of the season.

Stick a fork in the Bears

After much discussion about the NFC North potentially sending four teams to the playoffs, Chicago has fallen back to earth in a big way. Losses to the Commanders and Cardinals were explainable. Sunday’s ugly loss to the Patriots was downright embarrassing. They went from 4-2 and in playoff position to now 4-5.

NFL Division Standings

AFC East standings

1. Buffalo Bills, 7-2
2. New York Jets, 3-6
3. Miami Dolphins, 2-6
4. New England Patriots, 3-7

AFC North standings

1. Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-2
2. Baltimore Ravens, 7-3
3. Cincinnati Bengals, 4-6
4. Cleveland Browns, 2-7

AFC South standings

1. Houston Texans, 6-3
2. Indianapolis Colts, 4-5
3. Tennessee Titans, 2-6
4. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-7

AFC West standings

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 8-0
2. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-3
3. Denver Broncos, 5-4
4. Las Vegas Raiders, 2-7

NFC East standings

1. Washington Commanders, 7-2
2. Philadelphia Eagles, 6-2
3. Dallas Cowboys, 3-5
4. New York Giants, 2-7

NFC North standings

1. Detroit Lions, 7-1
2. Minnesota Vikings, 6-2
3. Green Bay Packers, 6-3
4. Chicago Bears, 4-5

NFC South standings

1. Atlanta Falcons, 6-3
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-6
3. Carolina Panthers, 2-7 (1-2 NFCS)
4. New Orleans Saints, 2-7 (1-3 NFCS)

NFC West standings

1. Arizona Cardinals, 5-4 (H2H over SF)
2. San Francisco 49ers, 5-4
3. Los Angeles Rams, 4-4
4. Seattle Seahawks, 4-5