Some surprises and outright upsets upended the playoff brackets in both conferences last week.
The Denver Broncos had the week off and managed to improve from the No. 3 seed up to No. 2. They are just a half-game behind the New England Patriots for that first week bye.
The Colts had a chance to stay in the second slot and all but eliminate the defending conference champions. Indianapolis blew an 11-point lead and lost to the Chiefs in overtime.
They are now just one game ahead in the chase for their division title with six games remaining.
The Ravens completed their amazing turnaround, thanks to the return of Lamar Jackson, and are now in first place in their division. They will likely remain the No. 4 seed by the end of the season.
In the NFC, the Eagles blew a 21-point lead, also missing out on a chance to eliminate a rival, and tumbled out of the No. 1 seed in one fell swoop.
The Los Angeles Rams clobbered Tampa Bay and happily took possession of the top seed.
The Chicago Bears continue to surprise, holding on to their division lead as well as the conference’s No. 3 seed with a win. Here’s how the playoff seedings currently stand after Week 12
The Current AFC Picture
The New England Patriots (9-2) have a bye week this week. No matter what happens this weekend, the Patriots will remain the No. 1 seed in the AFC after this week.
Even if the current No. 2-seeded Broncos (9-2) defeat the Washington Commanders, New England currently holds the tiebreaker with a better divisional record.
A Denver loss on Sunday night, however, opens the door for the Colts (8-3) to move up from the No. 3 seed to No. 2.
However, Indianapolis has a Sunday afternoon game at home against Houston. The Texans, currently one game out of the three wildcard slots, have been playing solid football as of late.
A Colts’ loss, and the Jaguars, currently holding the sixth seed with a 7-4 record, would tie Indianapolis for the AFC South lead and the No. 3 seed.
The current fourth seed, North Division leading Baltimore (6-5), plays tomorrow night at home against the Bengals.
Joe Burrow is expected to play for Cincinnati, putting adding pressure on the Ravens. A loss tonight opens the door for the Steelers to regain first in the division and the No. 4 seed.
Pittsburgh, in eighth in the playoff hunt, is currently a game behind the three current wildcard teams. They will host the current seventh-seed, the Buffalo Bills (7-4) on Sunday.
The fifth seed is currently held by the Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), who will host the reeling Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The Current NFC Picture
The Los Angeles Rams (9-2) put a beating on Tampa Bay on Sunday night and have a one-game lead over the second-seeded Eagles (8-3) and third-seeded Bears (8-3).
But the Rams are facing a dangerous Panthers team in Carolina on Sunday while the Bears and Eagles will square off on Friday afternoon.
A Rams loss and an Eagles’ win and Philadelphia takes over as the top seed. Looks like the schedule maker was dialed in for this week.
Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Buccaneers (6-5) will get a home game against Arizona as they try to keep their playoff position and slim NFC South lead over the Panthers.
Sam Darnold and the Seahawks will host Minnesota in Seattle on Sunday. Darnold will likely enjoy beating his old team.
A Rams loss and a Seattle win would keep Los Angeles in first in the NFC West.
But they would be tied with a showdown in Seattle ahead on Dec. 18th.
The sixth-seeded Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) are only a half-game behind the Bears. Detroit, currently eighth, is only a game back of Chicago.
The Packers and the Lions play each other tomorrow at noon.
Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded 49ers (8-4) will play at the Browns on Sunday. San Francisco wants to secure its hold on its wildcard slot and stay in the hunt for the NFC West title too.
They trail Seattle (8-3) by just a half-game and the Rams by 1.5 games with the 49ers bye coming in Week 14.
The Outsiders
In the NFC, there are three teams at or above .500 but still on the outside looking in on the top seven playoff spots.
In addition to Detroit (7-4) and Carolina (6-6), the Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1) dealt themselves back into the mix by upsetting the Eagles on Sunday.
Dallas plays Kansas City tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
The Chiefs (6-5) are also sitting in 10th in their conference playoff picture. The Texans, also 6-5, are currently ninth while the Steelers (6-5) sit in eighth.
