NFL Playoff Bracket 2019: Standings after Sunday in Week 13
The Baltimore Ravens have taken over the AFC while the race atop the NFC has tightened up as we eye the NFL Playoff bracket after Sunday in Week 13.
Many people were billing the Week 13 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers as a potential Super Bowl LIV preview. It lived up to the billing in that regard as these two heavyweights delivered haymaker after haymaker to one another in a rainy, cold and sloppy environment. Ultimately, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens prevailed, shaking up the NFL Playoff bracket in the process.
Baltimore winning and the New England Patriots losing on Sunday Night Football to the Houston Texans now has the Ravens atop the AFC. Meanwhile, the Pats’ position is much less secure and Houston is in a spot to make a move.
On the flip-side in the NFC, the 49ers are still in line for a first-round bye for now but that is less than certain. They could be gone from the No. 1 spot in the conference by the end of Monday Night Football or could lose next week to the sleeping New Orleans Saints and drop off then. Either way, the NFL Playoff picture is fluid as can be with four full weeks remaining.
Taking everything that happened on Sunday into account, let’s take a look at the NFL Playoff bracket by diving into each conference and look at how things are playing out.
AFC Playoff Picture
6 Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) vs. 3 Houston Texans (8-4)
5 Buffalo Bills (9-3) vs. 4 Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
First-Round Byes: 1 Baltimore Ravens (10-2), 2 New England Patriots (10-2)
Still in the Hunt: 7 Tennessee Titans (7-5), 8 Oakland Raiders (6-6), 9 Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Again, the Ravens picking up the win against San Francisco has shaken up the NFL Playoff picture in the AFC. Baltimore, by way of beating the Patriots earlier this season, now has the top seed in the conference. It seems like it’ll come down to those two teams but, with the way Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are playing, they may be close to a lock to getting that No. 1 spot.
The Chiefs also beat the Raiders on Sunday, which all but locks up the AFC West for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. They now have a two-game cushion over Oakland and two wins over their rivals. It’ll take a big fall for them to not return to the playoffs. However, they are the No. 4 seed as the Texans’ upset of the Patriots has them standing tall at the No. 3 seed.
While Buffalo appears to be a lock for the playoffs, they are now in the hunt to potentially win the AFC East as they’re only a game behind New England. Meanwhile, the Steelers somehow are the other Wild Card team (thanks, Cleveland) but the surging Titans are right behind them and could also make their own run at the AFC South.
Simply put, there’s going to be a lot of drama down to the wire in this conference.
NFC Playoff Picture
6 Minnesota Vikings (8-3) vs. 3 Green Bay Packers (9-3)
5 Seattle Seahawks (9-2) vs. 4 Dallas Cowboys (6-6)
First-Round Byes: 1 San Francisco 49ers (10-2), 2 New Orleans Saints (10-2)
Still in the Hunt: 7 Los Angeles Rams (7-5), 8 Chicago Bears (6-6), 10 Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
The first thing that has to be mentioned is that the Monday Night Football clash between the Vikings and Seahawks could very much shake things up in the NFC portion of the NFL Playoff bracket. A Seattle win vaults them into a first-round bye and the 49ers would fall to the No. 5 seed. Meanwhile, the Vikings getting the victory pushes them up to No. 5 and keeps them on pace with the Packers.
Beyond that, however, the Eagles really dropped the ball on Sunday. Carson Wentz and Co. had the opportunity to take advantage of a Cowboys loss on Thanksgiving. Instead, they lost to the Dolphins. That’s pretty much how this season has gone on the whole for Philly.
Meanwhile, the Saints seem to be the team no one is talking about. However, if they can beat the Niners at home next week, they’re the No. 1 seed and have already locked up the NFC South. We should not be sleeping on New Orleans.
Next. NFL Power Rankings: Ravens perched at top, Packers rebound. dark
The Rams and Bears are the two teams in the hunt for Wild Card spots and, while the odds are long, wins in Week 13 for both teams have them still in contention to make a move up the standings. Of course, they’ll need some help from the Vikings and Seahawks for that to happen.