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Standings, the bubble, and how the playoffs would look if they started today.
There are five games left in the NFL regular season and things are coming down to the wire. — but oddly it’s more or less for positioning at this point, rather than a wild race to see who can get in under the wire.
That’s not to say there aren’t a few teams on the bubble who could find a way in down the stretch, but for the most part it feels like the order is set. This is especially apparent in the NFC, where there’s a very large drop off between the only true bubble team in Washington (7-5-1) and then down to the trio of five win teams in need of a wild collapse. In the AFC there are a lot more teams with a chance to get in, but if you look at the remaining schedule it’s a lot more difficult to picture how some of the teams on the outside find a way to get in.
Current AFC Playoff teams
Buffalo Bills (9-3)
Kansas City Chiefs (9-3)
Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
Tennessee Titans (7-5)
Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)
Miami Dolphins (8-4)
New York Jets (7-5)
On the bubble …
New England Patriots (6-6)
Los Angeles Chargers (6-6)
Las Vegas Raiders (5-7)
Cleveland Browns (5-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)
Current NFC Playoff teams
Philadelphia Eagles (11-1)
Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
San Francisco 49ers (8-4)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)
Dallas Cowboys (9-3)
New York Giants (7-4-1)
Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
On the bubble …
Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
Detroit Lions (5-7)
Green Bay Packers (5-8)
Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
If the playoffs started today:
AFC
First round bye: Buffalo Bills
New York Jets (7) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (2)
Miami Dolphins (6) vs. Baltimore Ravens (3)
Cincinnati Bengals (5) vs. Tennessee Titans (4)
NFC
First round bye: Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks (7) vs. Minnesota Vikings (2)
New York Giants (6) vs. San Francisco 49ers (3)
Dallas Cowboys (5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4)
