The following is calculated assuming that all unplayed games are 0-0 ties. That is assumed to make tiebreakers work out better.
And then there was just one ... The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL's only remaining undefeated team. Additionally there is one less remaining winless team bringing it down to two: Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have played one less game. I'd bet on them getting a win before the Jaguars. But there's much more to this season than these teams. Here's a look at the full picture:
Starting off with the AFC East, New England still leads the division but now by just a game over New York (who beat them this weekend). Miami is a half game back on the Jets (the home loss to the Bills this weekend was pretty bad), and Buffalo is a half game back on the Dolphins.
Moving onto the North, the Bengals added another game of separation between them and the Browns and Ravens. They now lead by two. Baltimore has the tiebreaker lead over Cleveland by virtue of having the head-to-head victory. The Steelers are a half game back on Balitmore and Cleveland in fourth.
Down South, Indianapolis was the only team to record a win, and they now lead Tennessee by two. Houston follows a game back. Winless Jacksonville is two games behind the Texans.
With the undefeated tie broken in the West, the Chiefs lead the Broncos by a game. The Chargers are two games back from Denver but have a winning record. Oakland is a game and a half behind San Diego in last.
Moving on to ranking the divisional leaders, Kansas City has a two game lead on all of the other divisional leader. The three way tie between New England, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis is broken by conference record. The Bengals are best in that regard at 3-1 followed by the Colts (3-2) and then the Patriots (2-2).
As for the wild card teams, Denver has the best record of the second place teams at 6-1 and have the #5 seed. The #6 seed comes down to a tie between the Jets and Chargers (both at 4-3). They haven't played, so the head-to-head tiebreaker is out. Both have a 2-3 conference record, so they're even there. They will play 5 common games this year, and keeping in mind that unplayed games are considered ties, New York has a better record in common games: 0-1-4 to 0-2-3. So the Jets get the #6 seed for now. The full AFC playoff picture is:
Over on the NFC side, the Cowboys lead the East by a game over the Eagles (whom they defeated this past weekend). The Redskins are a half game back on Philadelphia. The Giants, who just got their first win, are a game and a half behind Washington at the bottom of the division.
Up North, Green Bay has jumped to the top of the division with a half game lead over Chicago and Detroit. The Lions still has the lead over the Bears based on head-to-head victory. The Vikings are two and a half games between those two.
In the South, the Saints were off but still lead the Panthers by two games. Atlanta is a game back of Carolina, and the winless Buccaneers are two back on the Falcons.
Out West, Seattle still leads San Francisco by a game (and a head-to-head victory). The Cardinals and Rams are tied two games back of the 49ers, and St. Louis has the tiebreaker edge since they have the head-to-head victory.
The NFC's divisional leaders are easier to rank than the AFC's since all are ranked by record. The Seahawks are tops at 6-1 followed by the Saints at 5-1. The 4-2 Packers are third followed by the 4-3 Cowboys.
The wild cards are also easily gathered. The Niners have the first one and the Lions have the second. Here's the current NFC playoff picture:
Looking ahead to next week, nine of the twelve playoff positions are locked up. The Bengals, Colts, Chiefs, Cowboys, Saints, and Seahawks are all guaranteed to be leading their divisions at the end of week 8. Additionally the Broncos and 49ers are locked in as the top wild card on each side. And the Patriots will have a spot either the leader of the AFC East (if New England wins or the Jets lose) or the final wild card in the AFC.
If New England loses and the Jets win, New York will take over the lead in the East. Otherwise, if the Patriots and Jets both win, the Jets will keep the #6 seed. If New York loses, Miami takes the final wild card spot with a win. Otherwise it goes to the Chargers who will be off on a bye.
The NFC North will still be led by the Packers if they win or the Lions lose. Otherwise, Detroit will reclaim the top spot. If the Packers and Lions both win, Detroit keeps the final wild card spot. If at least one of them lose, Carolina takes the wild card spot with a win. If the Lions and Panthers both lose, the Bears take the spot. If Detroit wins and Green Bay and Carolina both lose, the spot goes to the Packers.
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