NFL standings: Updated AFC, NFC playoff picture for Week 9

Vinnie Iyer

NFL standings: Updated AFC, NFC playoff picture for Week 9 image

The beginning of November games marks Week 9 in the NFL, so that means we arrived at the league's midseason point of 2019. There still is plenty yet to determined in terms of the standings and what teams will end up making the playoffs in the AFC and NFC with the second half yet to played. 

It's still important, however, to check in on where every team stands now to know where they might finish later, from top playoff seeds to those certainly heading toward missing the postseason.

Here's an updated look at what each conference field would look like if the playoffs started in Week 9.

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NFL standings for Week 9

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AFC playoff picture

Who would be in?

1. Patriots, first place, AFC East (8-1) — They're no longer a perfect team and their loss to the Ravens on Sunday was the start of a very tough stretch that will also include the Eagles, Cowboys, Texans and Chiefs after a Week 10 bye.

2. Ravens, first place, AFC North (6-2) — They beat the Patriots in Week 9 to have a real shot at the top seed and also open up a two-game lead over the Steelers in the division that also includes a head-to-head tiebreaker.

3. Texans, first place, AFC South (6-3) — They jumped the Colts for the division lead on Sunday with their win in London over the Jaguars before a Week 10 bye.

4. Chiefs, first place, AFC West (5-3) — They are staying alive for bigger things while Patrick Mahomes is out, and the win against the Vikings did that. In terms of tiebreakers, they've beaten the Ravens, lost to the Texans and have yet to play the Patriots.

5. Bills, second place, AFC East (6-2) — They had a setback against the Eagles but at least it was an NFC opponent. They need to keep taking care of business in games they should win against plenty of lesser competition ahead, like the Redskins in Week 9.

6. Colts, second place, AFC South (5-3) — The Colts couldn't win a second-straight game on a last-second field-goal attempt and also lost QB Jacoby Brissett against the Steelers to drop behind the Texans with the goal to retake the lead when they play the Dolphins next week.

Who can get there?

7. Steelers (4-4), 8. Raiders (4-4), 9. Jaguars (4-5), 10. Titans (4-5), 11. Chargers (4-5), 12. Broncos (3-6)

The Steelers stayed in the AFC North race by beating the Colts and also got on the verge of wild-card position. The Raiders also have a win over the Colts. The Chargers got a much-needed straight win to come into the picture.

Who's likely out?

13. Browns (2-6), 14. Dolphins (1-7), 15. Jets (1-7), 16. Bengals (0-8)

The Browns joined this club after losing badly to the Broncos. The Bengals now lead for the No. 1 overall pick after the Dolphins beat the Jets.

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NFC playoff picture

Who would be in?

1. 49ers, first place, NFC West (8-0) — They show no signs of slowing down offensively and defensively with the bye in the rear-view mirror. But they have plenty of tough games left including the Packers, Saints, Rams (again) and Seahawks (twice).

2. Saints, first place, NFC South (7-1) — They might end up being the NFC's best regular-season team again and get their shot at the 49ers in December.

3. Packers, first place, NFC North (7-2) — They have wins over the Bears, Vikings and Lions already but they missed a chance to jump the idle Saints with a bad AFC loss at the Chargers.

4. Cowboys, first place, NFC East (4-3) — They don't get a shot at the 49ers but losing to the Packers and Saints already may cap them here no matter what.

5. Seahawks, second place, NFC West (7-2) — They also get their cracks at the 49ers to try to take the division from them and the Rams.

6. Vikings, second place, NFC North (6-3) — The Vikings can feel somewhat comfortable about their spot behind the Packers but the division might get out of reach.

Who can get there?

7. Rams (5-3), 8. Panthers (5-3), 9. Eagles (5-4), 10. Lions (3-4-1), 11. Bears (3-5), 12. Cardinals (3-5-1) 

The Rams and Eagles are the most dangerous of this bunch given their recent playoff qualifying history. It looks really bad for a Bears return as they've gone from first to worst.

Who's likely out

13. Giants (2-6), 14. Buccaners (2-6), 15. Falcons (1-7), 16. Redskins (1-8)

The Giants are ahead of the Buccaneers going into Monday night with the head-to-head win. The Falcons are a little ahead of the Redskins beyond one fewer game because their one win is a conference win while the Redskins have none.

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.