The 2022 NFL season is down to the final five weeks. Although the playoff picture for the AFC and NFC won’t be finalized until Week 18, it’s time to keep looking at the updated standings and what teams would be in the playoffs if the season ended in Week 13.
Here’s a breakdown of the NFL’s latest playoff field and seedings, also looking at the contenders on the brink of joining the potential postseason party:
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NFL standings for Week 13
AFC playoff picture
1. Buffalo Bills (9-3), first place, AFC East. The Bills beat the Patriots on the road to open Week 13 on Thursday and were rewarded twice on Sunday with the Dolphins losing to keep them on top of the division and the Chiefs losing to put them on top on the conference again, too. Buffalo is in the driver’s seat for this top seed after beating Kansas City, Baltimore and Tennessee, with a Week 15 rematch with Miami and a Week 17 trip to Cincinnati being the biggest obstacles left.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-3), first place, AFC West. The Chiefs lost another big game to Joe Burrow and the Bengals on the road in Cincinnati to fall to No. 2 after the Bills won on Thursday in New England. The Bills and Chiefs have the same record, but the Bills hold the head-to-head tiebreaker for winning at Kansas City in Week 5.
3. Baltimore Ravens (8-4), first place, AFC North. The Ravens’ offense struggled with Lamar Jackson and fared only a little better without him with game backup Tyler Huntley, but they scored just enough to take down the Broncos at home to jump the losing Titans behind the Bills, to whom they lost. They still will stay in first place in the North by a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bengals, whom they beat in Baltimore in Week 5 and play in Cincinnati in Week 18.
4. Tennessee Titans (7-5), first place, AFC South. The Titans dropped here after losing to the NFC’s best team, the Eagles, on the road. That allowed the Ravens to jump them by a game. The Titans will still win the weak AFC South but getting any higher than the No. 3 seed looks like a real challenge now, having already lost to the Bills and Chiefs.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (8-4), second place, AFC North. The Bengals keep[ putting pressure on the first-place Ravens, to whom they lost in Baltimore in Week 5. The back-to-back wins over the Titans on the road and Chiefs at home in Weeks 12 and 13 were huge to strengthen They also beat another team behind them, the Jets, on the road, in Week 3. Now they have a big chance to go on a familiar late-season run vs. a tough closing schedule, including the Bills and NFC Buccaneers.
6. Miami Dolphins (8-4), second place, AFC East. The Dolphins fell here behind the Bills by a full game after losing to the 49ers in San Francisco with another tough road game in California looming at the Chargers in Week 14. The Dolphins fell to the second wild care because the Bengals beat the Chiefs and own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dolphins. Miami does have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Baltimore.
7. New York Jets (7-5), third place, AFC East. The Jets lost a tough road game in Minnesota to the NFC’s second-best team, the Vikings, as Mike White magic came up a a little short late in the game. They were able to stay ahead of the losing Chargers, however, witht eh
Who’s in the hunt?
8. New England Patriots (6-6), last place, AFC East
9. Los Angeles Chargers (6-6), second place, AFC West
The Patriots have dropped two consecutive key games to the Vikings and Bills The Chargers failed to beat the pesky Raiders on Sunday before drawing a tougher matchup vs. the Dolphins in Week 14. The Patriots have the edge here based on conference record.
Who’s likely out?
10. Las Vegas Raiders (5-7), third place, AFC West
11. Cleveland Browns (5-7) third place, AFC North
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7), last place, AFC North
13. Indianapolis Colts (4-7-1), second place, AFC South
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8), third place, AFC South
15. Denver Broncos (3-9), last place, AFC West
16. Houston Texans (1-9-1), last place, AFC South
The Raiders, Browns and Steelers remain longshots with where they are behind the Jets. The Colts are all but done with the Titans taking their division again. The Texans are headed to the No. 1 overall pick.
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NFC playoff picture
1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-1), first place, NFC East. The Eagles took care of a tough home matchup with the Titans on Sunday in fine fashion.. Based on their win and the Commanders’ tie, if the 49ers and Seahawks both lose in Week 13, the Eagles would clinch a playoff berth. The division is a different story given the Cowboys are only two games behind. The Eagles won the first meeting but the rematch in Dallas in Week 16.
2. Minnesota Vikings (10-2), first place, NFC North. The Vikings survived a late rally by an AFC East team by a home for a second straight week, turning back the Jets like they did the Patriots. That two-game winning streak after a blowout loss to the Cowboys put them on the brink of clinching a playoff berth. They didn’t quite do it because the second-place Lions also won to stay five games behind with five games left.
3. San Francisco 49ers (8-4), first place, NFC West. The 49ers have complete control of this division despite being only game ahead of the Seahawks because they beat that team at home in Week 2. They are red-hot offensively with balance, diversity and explosiveness and kept rolling defensively against the Saints and Dolphins at home in Weeks 12 and Week 13.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), first place, NFC South. The Buccaneers gave up a late lead and lost to the Browns on the road in Week 12 to fall back a game below .500. They are up only a half-game and head-to-head tiebreaker over the Falcons and two games ahead of the Panthers and Saints. Tampa Bay lost at Carolina but won at New Orleans. The Bucs will attempt to sweep the Saints at home on Monday night to even their record again.
5. Dallas Cowboys (8-3), second place, NFC East. The Cowboys have taken care of the Giants with a season sweep and also beat the Commanders at home. They can focus on chasing down the Eagles. They lost at Philadelphia in Week 6 and get the rematch in Dallas in Week 16. The Cowboys are looking good for at least this seed with an easy matchup at home vs. the Colts.
6. New York Giants (7-4-1), third place, NFC East. The Giants still have two games left with the Eagles to try to build their case in the division and wild-card races, but the two losses to the Cowboys hurt and now does the tie with the Commanders. They are still looking good for a playoff berth, but after losing to the Seahawks, they must beat the Commanders in the rematch in Week 15 to help that cause. They also still have a tough road game at the Vikings left.
7. Washington Commanders (7-5-1), last place, NFC East. The Commanders would make it four teams from the same division in the playoffs and remain a half-game back of the Giants after tying them on Sunday. They get a bye before the Giants’ rematch in two weeks. The win over the Falcons in Week 12 was huge; the Commanders do not play the Seahawks.
Who’s in the hunt?
8. Seattle Seahawks (7-5), second place, NFC West
9. Detroit Lions (5-7), second place, NFC North
10. Atlanta Falcons (5-8), second place, NFC South
The Seahawks dropped out of a wild-card spot by falling to the Raiders in Week 12 and didn’t regain it in Week 13 after they rallied to beat the Rams because the Commanders tied. The Lions, shockingly, still have a shot after losing to the Bills but beating the Jaguars as the lone 5-7 team in the NFC. The Falcons’ best path is through the NFC South after losing to the Commanders and Steelers.
Who’s likely out?
11. Green Bay Packers (5-8), third place, NFC North
12. Carolina Panthers (4-8), third place, NFC South
13. Arizona Cardinals (4-8), third place, NFC West
14. New Orleans Saints (4-8), last place, NFC South
15. Los Angeles Rams (3-9), last place, NFC West
16. Chicago Bears (3-10), last place, NFC North
The Packers, Cardinals and Rams will be three displaced playoff teams from 2021. The Panthers and Saints still are deep longshots to win the South. The Bears may not want to move up too much, given they have a plum draft spot now.
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