NFL Playoff Bracket 2019: Ravens, 49ers leave Week 14 as No. 1 seeds
The NFL Playoff bracket looks much different after Sunday’s action in Week 14 with the 49ers moving to No. 1, the Ravens securing No. 1 and much more.
There was no chance that the NFL Playoff bracket wouldn’t emerge from Week 14 unscathed or, in kinder terms, unchanged. With two 10-win teams in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers, squaring off while two playoff teams in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, also played one another, it was a big week for movement.
San Francisco emerged as the winners of their matchup while Baltimore stayed rolling in their matchup. For the Ravens, that secured their position as the No. 1 seed but both teams benefitted from other results. With the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots both losing on Sunday, the Ravens now have a one-game lead atop the AFC while the 49ers have reclaimed the top spot in the NFC in the NFL Playoff bracket.
While those games were the marquee matchups on Sunday in Week 14, they weren’t the only ones that shook things up in regards to the postseason. The Houston Texans worsened their spot with a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos, especially as the Tennessee Titans continued to roll with Ryan Tannehill at the helm.
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Though a Monday Night Football matchup featuring a still-alive-somehow-in-the-NFC-East Philadelphia Eagles club still remains to be played in Week 14, let’s take a look at how the NFL Playoff bracket is shaking out after 15 of the 16 games have been played this week.
AFC Playoff Bracket
6 Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5) vs. 3 Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)
5 Buffalo Bills (9-4) vs. 4 Houston Texans (8-5)
First-Round Byes: 1 Baltimore Ravens (11-2), 2 New England Patriots (10-3)
In the Hunt: 7 Tennessee Titans (8-5), 8 Cleveland Browns (6-7), 9 Oakland Raiders (6-7), 10 Indianapolis Colts
Winning last week against the 49ers while the Patriots lost to Houston secured the No. 1 seed for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. However, they now have a nice cushion atop the AFC with a win over Buffalo in Week 14 and with the Pats losing their second straight, this one at the hands of the Chiefs. Baltimore now has a game advantage and the head-to-head tiebreaker over a struggling Tom Brady.
Kansas City’s win also makes things interesting for New England moving forward. The Bears are the best team by record that the Chiefs face in their final three games at 7-6 while New England still has to face the Bills once more. If Patrick Mahomes and co. win out and the Pats drop another game, KC would take over the No. 2 seed and put the Pats playing on Wild Card weekend.
The Steelers won again against a bad opponent to maintain their hold on the No. 6 seed but it’s a precarious spot. Tennessee is white-hot right now and, with the Texans losing awfully, the Titans could take the AFC South as they face Houston next week and in Week 17. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has matchups with the Bills and Ravens looming, which — with all due respect to Devlin Hodges — could cause them to come back to Earth.
NFC Playoff Bracket
6 Minnesota Vikings (9-4) vs. 3 New Orleans Saints (10-3)
5 Seattle Seahawks (10-3) vs. 4 Dallas Cowboys (6-7)
First-Round Byes: 1 San Francisco 49ers (11-2), 2 Green Bay Packers (10-3)
In the Hunt: 7 Los Angeles Rams (8-5), 8 Chicago Bears (7-6), 10 Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
As mentioned, the 49ers picking up the victory over the Saints on Sunday afternoon has caused some major shakeups, largely thanks to the Seahawks losing to the Rams on Sunday Night Football.
Jimmy Garoppolo and San Francisco now sit at the No. 1 seed while Russell Wilson‘s club drops down to No. 5. Drew Brees and Co. fall out of a first-round bye to No. 3 while the Green Bay Packers picked up a relatively unimpressive win over Washington to move to the No. 2 seed.
The Rams’ win in primetime has them very much alive in the Wild Card race, trailing the Vikings (who also won in Week 14) by just one game. Chicago is two games out of the race but, with a game against Minnesota looming, they can make up ground quickly.
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Finally, the NFC East remains the scourge of the Earth as the Cowboys still lead even after dropping to 6-7 with a loss to the Bears on Thursday. Philadelphia can share the division lead if they beat the Giants on Monday Night Football. But considering that Doug Pederson‘s club lost to Miami last week, that victory in primetime is far from a given.