NFL standings: Updated AFC, NFC playoff picture after Week 11

Vinnie Iyer

NFL standings: Updated AFC, NFC playoff picture after Week 11 image

Week 11 in the NFL is done and with six weeks left in the 2019 regular season, the league-wide standings take on a lot more meaning in terms of which teams will end up making the playoffs in the AFC and NFC.

It's time again to check in on where every team stands to know where they all might finish later, from top playoff seeds to postseason also-rans who have top draft picks in mind.

Here's an updated look at what each conference field would look like if the playoffs started after Week 11.

NFL POWER RANKINGS:
Ravens, Packers, Vikings head north; Chiefs, Cowboys slip

NFL standings after Week 11

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AFC playoff picture

Who would be in?

1. Patriots, first place, AFC East (9-1) — The Patriots returned to beat the Eagles coming off a bye and their first loss of the season to the Ravens and maintained their only one-game edge for home-field advantage, down a head-to-head tiebreaker. They have one more tough NFC game against the Cowboys before two more critical AFC tests against the Texans and Chiefs.

2. Ravens, first place, AFC North (8-2) — The Ravens got their big win against the Patriots and backed that up by routing the Bengals and Texans. The Ravens have the key tiebreakers in place for the top seed, given the Chiefs, to whom they lost, are solidly behind them.

3. Chiefs, first place, AFC West (7-4) — The Chiefs get up here before their bye thanks to beating the Chargers, now holding a half-game lead over the Raiders for the division lead and a half-game lead over the Colts for the third seed.

4. Colts, first place, AFC South (6-4) — The Colts jumped back up here after beating the Jaguars. They hold the division lead over the Texans again because they beat them. They also beat the Chiefs, so they hold the tiebreaker there.

5. Bills, second place, AFC East (7-3) — The Bills are now returning closer to a tight wild-card hopeful pack, and that loss to the Browns can prove costly, even with a favorable schedule ahead. But taking care of the Dolphins as expected was helpful.

6. Texans, second place, AFC South (6-4) — The Texans fell here after falling hard to the Ravens on Sunday. They stay here coming out of Week 11 because they beat the Raiders.

Who can get there?

7. Raiders (6-4), 8. Steelers (5-5), 9. Titans (5-5), 10. Browns (4-6), 11. Jaguars (4-6), 12. Chargers (4-7)

The Raiders beat the Bengals to stay ahead of the Steelers and right behind the Texans, down only a tiebreaker. The Steelers fell hard to the Browns, who stayed alive after Thursday night. The Chargers are barely alive going into the bye after losing to the Chiefs on Monday night.

Who's likely out?

13. Broncos (3-7), 14. Jets (3-7), 15. Dolphins (2-8)

The Broncos suffered a tough loss at the Vikings, while the Jets got ahead of the Dolphins by beating the Redskins.

Who's out?

16. Bengals (0-10)

The Bengals are still headed to the top pick in the draft.

WEEK 11 NFL PICKS: Against the spread | Straight-up predictions

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NFC playoff picture

Who would be in?

1. 49ers, first place, NFC West (9-1) — The 49ers now have at least one loss like everyone in the league but got out of Week 11 still a game ahead of the Seahawks, to whom they lost in overtime in Week 10. They survived the Cardinals, but for playoff positioning purposes, critical games against the Packers and Saints are around the corner.

2. Packers, first place, NFC North (8-2) — The Packers were able to jump up here after beating the Panthers, while the Saints lost to the Buccaneers in Week 10. The Packers would end up No. 1 ahead of the Seahawks, should the 49ers get upset by the Cardinals.

3. Saints, first place, NFC South (8-2) — The Saints remain here after beating the Buccaneers; a win kept them behind the Packers because of a conference record tiebreaker and two full games ahead of the Cowboys, whom they beat.

4. Cowboys, first place, NFC East (6-4) — The Cowboys took advantage of the get-well game against the Lions to ensure they will stay at least a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Eagles. They probably can't rise higher than No. 4 given they lost to both the Packers and Saints.

5. Seahawks, second place, NFC West (8-2) — The Seahawks got their massive win against the 49ers and were rewarded with a well-deserved bye after going overtime on Monday night. They'll either stay here a little ahead of the Vikings or jump up to No. 2 behind the Packers should the 49ers lose.

6. Vikings, second place, NFC North (8-3) — The Vikings enjoyed a big Week 10 NFC win over the Cowboys that both fortified their wild-card position and put division heat on the first-place Packers, to whom they've lost. The Vikings cut the lead to a half-game with a win over the Broncos.

Who can get there?

7. Rams (6-4), 8. Eagles (5-5), 9. Panthers (5-5), 10. Bears (4-6), 11. Lions (3-6-1)

The Rams are seeing the division get away from them, but they got a much-needed win over the Bears on Sunday night to set up a possible late wild-card surge, despite being two  wins behind both the Seahawks and Vikings. The Eagles, after losing to the Patriots, are probably better off thinking more about how to finish ahead of the Cowboys in the East, now down a full game and a loss to them.

Who's likely out

12. Cardinals (3-7-1), 13. Falcons (3-7), 14. Buccaneers (2-7), 15. Giants (2-8), 16. Redskins (1-9)

Everyone here has a few positives of late — the Cardinals and Giants with their rookie quarterbacks, the Falcons with their defense. The Bucs and Redskins, however, saw more mistakes by their quarterbacks in their respective latest losses.

Vinnie Iyer

Vinnie Iyer Photo

Vinnie Iyer, has been with TSN since 1999, not long after graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He has produced NFL content for more than 20 years, turning his attention to full-time writing in 2007. A native of St. Louis, Mo. but now a long-time resident of Charlotte, N.C. Vinnie’s top two professional sports teams are Cardinals and Blues, but he also carries purple pride for all things Northwestern Wildcats. He covers every aspect of the NFL for TSN including player evaluations, gambling and fantasy football, where he is a key contributor. Vinnie represents TSN as host of the “Locked On Fantasy Football” podcast on the Locked On network. Over his many years at TSN, he’s also written about MLB, NBA, NASCAR, college football, tennis, horse racing, film and television. His can’t-miss program remains “Jeopardy!”, where he was once a three-day champion and he is still avid about crossword puzzles and trivia games. When not watching sports or his favorite game show, Vinnie is probably watching a DC, Marvel or Star Wars-related TV or movie.