With the Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals competing in the early window on Sunday, and the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens in the late window, you knew there were at least three NFL teams playing on day in the playoffs will lose. The results shake up the standings in the NFC and AFC.

Despite the Falcons’ loss, they remain in first place in the NFC South. They win the season series against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and win the tiebreaker if both teams finish the week at 6-6.

The NFC West remains close as the Arizona Cardinals lost, falling to 6-6 and remaining one game back in the division and Wild Card. The Seattle Seahawks won 7-5 and took control of the division.

Speaking of the NFC Wild Card, the late win puts the Minnesota Vikings firmly in control of this race, one game behind the Lions in the NFC North and one game ahead of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North and Wild card. The Washington Commanders also won and remained in the seventh and final spot in the NFC, 2.5 games ahead of the Cardinals, who are entering Washington’s bye.

Both AFC division leaders in action Sunday afternoon won their games, with the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers defeating their division opponents to remain in fourth and third place in the AFC, respectively.

In the AFC Wild Card race, the Indianapolis Colts stayed within one game of the Denver Broncos with a gutsy late-game win.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday featured the NFL’s top two teams, with the NFC-leading Detroit Lions and AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs each picking up wins. The win secured the Chiefs a playoff spot, the first in the NFL in 2024.

Here is the current status:

AFC rankings in Week 13

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (8-4, win over LAC)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4, loss to BAL)
7. Denver Broncos (7-5)
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
10.Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
11. Cleveland Browns (3-8, 3-3 AFC)
12. New York Jets (3-9, win over TEN)
13. Tennessee Titans (3-9, loss to NYJ)
14. New England Patriots (3-10)* eliminated
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)*
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)* eliminated

NFC rankings in Week 13

1. Detroit Lions (11-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
8. Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6, 5-3 NFC)
10. Los Angeles Rams (5-6, win over SF, 3-5 NFC)
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-6, loss to LAR)
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
14. Chicago Bears (4-8)*
15. Carolina Panthers (3-8)
16. New York Giants (2-10)* eliminated

Teams with an asterisk are eliminated from their division races.

Key playoff images from Week 13

Which NFL teams have secured playoff spots?

With 11 wins, the Kansas City Chiefs became the first NFL team in the NFL to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Buffalo Bills can secure victory by winning their game on Sunday night. The Detroit Lions need help.

The Chargers consolidate their wild card position, the Falcons slip down the division

The Chargers held off a late push by the Falcons to secure a decisive road win. LA is in a tie with the Ravens for now, but most importantly, they have solidified their wild card positioning. The Falcons’ loss gives the Bucs a chance for a tie. Atlanta has the direct tiebreaker, but the Bucs have an easier schedule to finish the season.

Stallions become brave and it pays off

The Colts struggled all day against a terrible Patriots team, but it looked like they were going to force overtime in the final seconds. Anthony Richardson led them on a 19-play drive and found Alec Pierce to potentially tie the game. Instead of kicking the extra point, Anthony Richardson went up the middle to score the two-pointer and take home the must-win game.

The Vikings are coming off a comeback win over the Cardinals

Arizona seemed like the better team most of the day, but they struggled so much in the red zone that it cost them in the end. The Vikings scored late, took the lead and stopped Kyler Murray on the final drive to earn a decisive win. Minnesota improved to 10-2 and remains one game behind Detroit in the NFC North.

The Seahawks take “control” of the NFC West

The Seahawks won an ugly win over the Jets and with the Cardinals’ loss, Seattle is now in first place in the NFC West. They hold a one-game lead over the Cardinals and are waiting for results from the Rams and 49ers to see if they can make up more ground.

Commanders secure the final wildcard spot

The Commanders had no problems with the Titans, earning a 42-19 victory at FedEx Field. Washington needs help in the division but has a 1.5 game lead for the final wild card spot. They need help getting into sixth place as Green Bay is 1.5 games ahead of them there.

Texans conduct business in the AFC South

Houston nearly blew a 23-6 lead against Jacksonville, but they held on late into the night and scored some key conversions in the ground game to secure the win. They hold a two-game lead over the Colts at the top of the division.

Steelers retain division lead with shootout win over Bengals

Cincinnati gave Pittsburgh a tough time, but the Steelers’ offense was too strong in a 44-38 win. Pittsburgh will be watching the Ravens-Eagles this afternoon to see if they can extend their lead beyond half a game.

How the Buffalo Bills can win the AFC East in Week 13

With a win, the Bills can win the AFC East in Week 13 Football on Sunday evenings. Buffalo has nine wins, the Miami Dolphins five, but the Bills have a direct comparison with the Dolphins thanks to two wins. Since Miami lost on Thanksgiving, the best they can achieve is 10-7. The Bills win every tiebreaker 10-7, so Sunday’s win puts Buffalo over the finish line with 10 wins and a home playoff game and its fifth straight AFC East title.

The Lions will have to wait another week to secure a spot in the playoffs

With the Detroit Lions at 11-1, one might expect easy win scenarios like in the AFC, but that’s not the case. The second-place Minnesota Vikings are just one game behind the Lions in the NFC North, meaning they won’t be able to win the division for a while. Detroit had a wild card champion scenario, but they needed the Seahawks to lose or tie the Jets. Seattle won in the Meadowlands, so Detroit will wait another week to punch its postseason ticket.

Which NFL teams have been eliminated from the playoffs?

With their loss on Thanksgiving Day, the Giants dropped to 10 losses on the year and were officially eliminated from the playoff race. They are the first team to be eliminated in 2024. On Friday, the Raiders joined them with their 10th loss of the season and they are also eliminated. On Sunday, the Patriots followed up with a loss and wins against the Chargers and Texans.

If the Denver Broncos win on Monday night, they will eliminate the Jacksonville Jaguars from the playoffs.

The Miami Dolphins play a simple schedule but have to be perfect to make the playoffs

The Miami Dolphins need to pretty much top the standings at 5-7 to make the postseason in a crowded AFC that sits at 10-7. They only face one team with a winning record for the rest of the game, so it’s doable, but they’ve lost their margin for error.

The Green Bay Packers have the NFC North under control

The NFC North remains very crowded, with only two games between game one and game three. There are still several divisional contests to be played, adding to the intrigue, and the Lions face the superlative Buffalo Bills in a few weeks and a potentially desperate 49ers squad in Week 17. This is far from over.

NFL division rankings

AFC East standings

1. Buffalo Bills, 9-2
2. Miami Dolphins, 5-7
3. New York Jets, 3-9
4. New England Patriots*, 3-10

AFC North standings

1. Pittsburgh Steelers, 9-3
2. Baltimore Ravens, 8-4
3. Cincinnati Bengals, 4-8
4. Cleveland Browns, 3-8

AFC South standings

1. Houston Texans, 8-5
2. Indianapolis Colts, 6-7
3. Tennessee Titans, 3-9
4. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-10

AFC West standings

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 11-1
2. Los Angeles Chargers, 8-4
3. Denver Broncos, 7-5
4. Las Vegas Raiders*, 2-10

NFC East standings

1. Philadelphia Eagles, 9-2
2. Washington Commanders, 8-5
3. Dallas Cowboys, 5-7
4. New York Giants*, 2-10

NFC North standings

1. Detroit Lions, 11-1
2. Minnesota Vikings, 10-2
3. Green Bay Packers, 9-3
4. Chicago Bears, 4-8

NFC South standings

1. Atlanta Falcons, 6-6
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 5-6
3. New Orleans Saints, 4-7
4. Carolina Panthers, 3-8

NFC West standings

1. Seattle Seahawks, 7-5
2. Arizona Cardinals, 6-6
3. Los Angeles Rams, 5-6
4. San Francisco 49ers, 5-6