NFL Playoffs: Which teams would make it heading into Week 10 of 2024 season

If the 2024 NFL season ended today, the playoff picture would look a lot different than it did a season ago. The parity of the NFL is one of the league's great advantages over just about every other sports league. Every year, there are teams that go from worst to first unexpectedly. Every year, there are surprise playoff teams.

And of course, there are some of the usual suspects at this point.

Heading into Week 10, we are obviously at the midway point of the 2024 season. What would the 2024 NFL playoff picture look like if the season were to end today? Who would be left out?

2024 NFL Playoff Picture: Which teams would make it as of Week 10?

AFC Standings

1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (7-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
4. Houston Texans (6-3)
5. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
7. Denver Broncos (5-4)

Teams that would be making the playoffs in 2024 that didn't make it in 2023 in the AFC would be the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos, replacing the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. And at this stage, those do seem to be the two spots up for grabs as neither Cleveland nor Miami is likely to make a late-season playoff push at this point.

The Chargers and Broncos would give the AFC West three playoff teams in 2024, something everyone thought would happen back in 2022 when Russell Wilson joined the division. It's taken both the Broncos and Chargers firing their head coaches since then, but both of those teams appear to be on track and in Denver's case, maybe even far ahead of schedule.

The teams on the peripheral of the AFC right now include the 4-5 Bengals and the 4-5 Colts. The Jets are also just two losses behind the Denver Broncos, but they also lost the tie-breaker in the head-to-head matchup between those two teams.

READ MORE: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings: Biggest risers and fallers

NFC Standings

1. Detroit Lions (7-1)
2. Washington Commanders (7-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)

The overall strength of the NFC is on display with this potential playoff lineup. Of course, the key teams being replaced from last year's playoff bracket here would include the reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, the reigning NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys, and one of last year's hottest second-half teams in the Los Angeles Rams. The reigning NFC South champion Buccaneers, who won a playoff game last year, are also left off the list for now.

Newcomers like Washington -- on track to be a worst-to-first team this year -- as well as the return of teams like Arizona and Minnesota make the NFC fascinating going into the second half of the season.

There are so many good teams at 4-4 and on the outside looking in such as the 49ers, Rams, Bears, and even 4-5 teams like the Bucs and Seahawks.

The NFC playoff race is going to really heat up as the second half of this season gets underway.