Mid-season playoff rundown heading into week 11
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Week 10 is over, and we are now heading into the second half of the NFL season. The race to the playoffs is on and heating up.
Currently, the teams leading their divisions are the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, and Denver Broncos.
Leaders of conferences in the NFC: East is the Philadelphia Eagles, North is tied with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, South is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and West is tied with the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams
The teams that are on track to win their divisions could change by the time the playoffs come around. There are still many teams trailing their division leaders by just a few points. For example, in the AFC North, the Steelers are 5-4 and the Baltimore Ravens are 4-5. In the AFC West, the Broncos are 8-2 and the Los Angeles Chargers are 7-3. In the NFC North, the Lions and Bears are both 6-3, and the Packers are 5-3-1- 1. And in the NFC West, the Seahawks and the Rams are both 7-2, and the San Francisco 49ers are 6-4. The leaders are not set in stone yet; other teams still have a shot to win their divisions.
No team has been officially eliminated yet. However, the Cleaveland Browns (2-7), Las Vegas Raiders (2-7), Miami Dolphins (3-7), New Orleans Saints (2-8), New York Giants (2-8), New York Jets (2-7), Tennessee Titans (1-8), and Washington Commanders (3-7) have less of a chance to continue to the playoffs and could be eliminated soon.
The 2024 playoff picture looked quite different than this year’s. In the AFC the playoff teams included the Chiefs, Houston Texans, Chargers, Ravens, Steelers, Bills, and Broncos. Then, in the NFC, the teams included the Lions, Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Buccaneers, Commanders, Eagles, and Packers.
Some of those teams have had a rough start to the new season. For example, the Chiefs are 5-4, the Texans, Ravens, and Vikings are 4-5, and the Commanders are 3-7.
The 2025 playoff picture is still changing week by week. As of now, the seven AFC teams in the playoff picture, in order, are the Colts, Broncos, Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Buffalo Bills, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The next three teams that are in the hunt and have the chance to make the playoffs if they continue to win their next couple games are the Chiefs, Texans, and the Ravens.
As for the NFC, the seven playoff teams, in order, are the Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams, Lions, and the Bears. The following three teams that are in the hunt for their own playoff spot are the 49ers, the Carolina Panthers, and the Vikings.
This year’s playoffs are looking to be very competitive. If the AFC playoff picture stays the way it is, this would be the first time since 2014 that the Chiefs have missed the playoffs. This year also gave quarterback Patrick Mahomes his first three-game losing streak, starting with the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.
This will also be the first time since 2020 that the Bears have made the playoffs. Although the Panthers are still in the hunt for their playoff spot, if they did make it to the playoffs, it would be the change the franchise needs for the next season. The team’s last playoff appearance was in 2017.
We still have another half of the season, which means that many things can change by the time the playoffs get around. No matter the changes, the playoffs and the rest of the 2025 season are going to be very exciting to watch.
