Chiefs first team to clinch postseason berth

On By Littum

game

Each week throughout the 2024 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture, typical starting after Sunday afternoon’s late games and then progressing through the rest of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games, or Saturday’s if applicable – even Black Friday, when you get an earlier look at postseason developments).

What just happened? What does that mean? What are the relevant factors (and perhaps tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? Everything will be explained and analyzed until the time the postseason field is finalized on Sunday night, January 5th.

Here’s where things stand with Week 13 of the 2024 season underway:

AFC playoff picture

x – 1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), AFC West leaders: Another close shave as they narrowly escaped the Raiders 19-17 on Black Friday. But that’s good enough to give this season’s first playoff berth to the reigning champions, who are chasing the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat. The Bills’ head-to-head tiebreaker advantage still means KC can’t afford to slip back at all – but they can only slide so far at this point. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Browns, vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos

2. Buffalo Bills (9-2), AFC East leaders: Coming off their hiatus, they draw a battered San Francisco team at home – possibly in the middle of the Lake Effect weather – as they seek a sixth straight win. A fifth straight division title is practically a foregone conclusion (a win on Sunday night will do the trick), and Pittsburgh’s loss in Week 12 only strengthened the Bills’ standing near the top of the conference. And with the potentially decisive tiebreaker against the Chiefs in hand, the Bills could soon control the road to Super Bowl 59 through Western New York. Remaining schedule: vs. 49ers, at Rams, at Lions, vs. Patriots vs. Jets, at Patriots

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3), AFC North leaders: A win in Cleveland last week would have moved them ahead of the Bills and into the No. the 2 seed. Instead, the Steelers suffered a damaging loss — and to a division opponent (Cleveland) no less — that could greatly hamper their ability to compete for home-court advantage. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Browns, at Eagles, at Ravens, vs. Chiefs vs. Bengals

4. Houston Texas (7-5), AFC South leaders: Losers of four of six after falling at home to lowly Tennessee on Sunday, it’s starting to look like they could get back on the throne in a bad division and be one and done when the postseason starts. Remaining schedule: at Jaguars, BYE, vs. Dolphins, at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans

5. Baltimore Ravens (8-4), wild card no. 1: As good as they (usually) are — including Monday night’s pretty convincing loss to the Chargers in “Harbaugh Bowl III” — losses to the wrong teams could very well mean no home playoff games this season. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, BYE, at Giants, vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns

6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), wild card no. 2: They’re starting to look like the NFL’s Hoosiers, better competition amplifies their mistakes—eg. a somewhat overrated defense, youth still not quite ready for prime time (WR Quentin Johnston) and a running game now without injured RB JK Dobbins for a period. Still, these bolts have a lot of charging to do to get out of the field. Remaining schedule: at Falcons, at Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders

7. Denver Broncos (7-5), wild card no. 3: Their grip on the AFC’s final berth continues to tighten and should continue to do so in the coming weeks … unless they manage to leapfrog the Chargers. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, BYE, vs. Colts, at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs

8. Indianapolis Colts (5-7), in the hunt: They’re starting to lose sight of Denver and the final wild-card spot after Sunday’s setback, though they’ll get a shot at them in the Mile High City soon enough. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, BYE, at Broncos, vs. Titans, at Giants, vs. Jaguars

9. Miami Dolphins (5-7), in the hunt: QB Tua Tagovailoa was excited to “kill narratives” Thursday night … like the one that says the Finns can’t win in cold weather. Hello. Miami’s three-game winning streak ended at Lambeau Field, and its playoff hopes also took a serious hit — as did the team’s positioning, a Week 7 loss in Indianapolis in which the Dolphins fell behind the Colts. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Texans, vs. 49ers, at Browns, at Jets

10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7), in the hunt: Heartbreaking losses in their previous two matches may be too much to overcome. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Cowboys, at Titans, vs. Browns vs. Broncos, at Steelers

All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.

NFC playoff picture

1. Detroit Lions (11-1), NFC North leaders: They were fortunate to fend off the Bears 23-20 on Thanksgiving for the first 11-1 start in franchise history. The win keeps the Lions atop the conference and gives them a remote chance to lock up a postseason berth this weekend. The simplest scenarios call for losses by the 49ers and Cardinals plus either losses by the Seahawks and Buccaneers or loss of Seahawks and Commanders and Falcons. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers vs. Bills, at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings

2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2), NFC East leaders: They are officially a clear and present danger to Detroit and can run away, a la RB Saquon Barkley, with this division … even if Sunday’s assignment in Baltimore will be no crab cake. Remaining schedule: at Ravens, vs. Panthers vs. Steelers, at Commanders, vs. Cowboys vs. Giants

3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5), NFC West leaders: No team had a better Week 12, with the ‘Hawks jumping from ninth-place also-rans to division frontrunners after knocking off the Cards. Wins over Arizona and Atlanta jump Seattle into this spot. Remaining schedule: at Jets, at Cardinals, vs. Packers vs. Vikings, at Bears, at Rams

4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5), NFC South leaders: They dropped a seed on their vacation week. A season sweep of the Bucs effectively gives Atlanta a two-game lead in the division, but the Falcons have no such advantage over the surging Saints. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Vikings, at Raiders, vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers

5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2), wild card No. 1: They’re winning ugly — including Sunday’s overtime blowout in Chicago — but have also won four in a row. It might not look like the Vikes are a threat to win their division, but still, they’re just one game back of Detroit in the NFC North loss column. Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Falcons vs. Bears, at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions

6. Green Bay Packers (9-3), wild card no. 2: After handling the warm-weather Dolphins in Lambeau’s sub-freezing temperatures, the Pack also remains relevant in the NFC North while further entrenching another postseason bid. Remaining schedule: at Lions, at Seahawks, vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears

7. Washington’s commanders (7-5), wild card no. 3: Ambush by the Cowboys in Week 12, it’s three straight losses for a team that needs to get its mojo back if it’s going to hold off the horde of lurking NFC West wannabes … who aren’t far from could-be . They can almost forget all thoughts of winning the NFC East. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, BYE, at Saints, vs. Eagles vs. Falcons, at Cowboys

8. Arizona Cardinals (6-5), in the chase: Their four-game winning streak — and division lead — went up in smoke in Seattle on Sunday. Key games over the next two weeks. Remaining schedule: at Vikings, vs. Seahawks vs. Patriots, at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), in the chase: With their four-game slide now on the back burner after upsetting the Giants in Week 12, the opportunity is there for a strong finishing kick, one that already vaulted them from 11th on Sunday. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, vs. Raiders, at Chargers, at Cowboys, vs. Panthers vs. Saints

10. Los Angeles Rams (5-6), in the chase: They weren’t competitive Sunday night against Philly. A Week 3 win over San Francisco keeps them ahead of the Niners so far, but a worse conference record drops them behind the Bucs. Remaining schedule: at Saints, vs. Bills, at 49ers, at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks

11. San Francisco 49ers (5-6), in the chase: The talent is still here, there just isn’t enough of it on the field right now – as was evident last Sunday in Green Bay. And they’re back in a cold-weather (and maybe snowy) Buffalo environment in Week 13. Remaining schedule: at Bills, vs. Bears vs. Rams, at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Cardinals

12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7), in the hunt: Give it to Mike McCarthy’s crew – they don’t die easily when it would be pretty easy at this point to do exactly that. Their most recent win — and first at home this year — over the Giants on Thanksgiving moves them past the Saints for now, though New Orleans owns the head-to-head tiebreaker due to a Week 2 rout in “Jerry World.” Dallas’ short-term goals? Return to .500 and see what happens from there. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals, at Panthers, vs. Buccaneers, at Eagles, vs. Commanders

13. New Orleans Saints (4-7), in the hunt: They are 2-0 under interim HC Darren Rizzi. And given the way the NFC South is compressing, don’t count them out. Remaining schedule: vs. Rams, at Giants, vs. Commanders, at Packers, vs. Raiders, at Buccaneers

14. Chicago Bears (4-8), in the hunt: They came out flat Thursday, mounted a valiant second-half comeback in Detroit … then completely imploded on their final drive when a field goal would have tied the game. Thus almost certainly ending any chance they had of sneaking into the playoff field, the Bears cooked on Thanksgiving. And what ends on a positive note is the tenure of coach Matt Eberflu, who was fired Friday. Remaining schedule: at 49ers, at Vikings, vs. Lions vs. Seahawks, at Packers

NFL playoff scenarios for week 13

Buffalo wins AFC East division title with:

Win

Detroit clinch a spot in the playoffs with:

  1. 49ers loss or tie + Cardinals loss or tie + Seahawks loss + Buccaneers loss or tie
  2. 49ers loss or tie + Cardinals loss + Seahawks tie + Buccaneers loss or tie
  3. 49ers loss or tie + Cardinals loss or tie + Seahawks loss + Commanders loss or tie + Falcons loss
  4. 49ers loss or tie + Cardinals loss or tie + Seahawks loss + Commanders loss + Falcons tie
  5. 49ers loss or tie + Cardinals loss + Seahawks tie + Commanders loss or tie + Falcons loss
  6. 49ers loss or tie + Cardinals loss + Seahawks tie + Commanders loss + Falcons tie

NFL teams eliminated from 2024 playoffs

New York Giants

x – took the playoff spot

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.