The 2017 NFL playoff standings have an interesting feel through the first seven weeks of the season. As the Baltimore Ravens prepare to host the Miami Dolphins for Thursday night football (Oct. 26), it’s time to take a look at how things currently shake out in the NFL playoff picture.
While some teams, like the Cleveland Browns (0-7) and San Francisco 49ers (0-7), have just about eliminated themselves from playoff contention, there are a number of very competitive divisional battles that may not be decided until the final week of the season. The AFC East is a good example, with the New England Patriots (5-2), Buffalo Bills (4-2), and Miami Dolphins (4-2) heading into an exciting showdown.
Current AFC playoff standings
There is a three-way tie for the best record in the AFC, leading to the use of tiebreakers to decide who is on top for now. If the 2018 NFL Playoffs were to start today, the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) would be the No. 1 seed and the Kansas City Chiefs would be the No. 2 seed. They would receive the first-round byes, leaving the remaining four teams to battle it out on Wild Card Weekend.
By leading the AFC East, the New England Patriots would be the No. 3 seed and then the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans would be the No. 4 seed. The two Wild Card teams would be the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. Playing that out, the first-round AFC playoff matches would be New England vs.
Miami and Tennessee vs. Buffalo. It’s still very early, but three AFC East teams are in line to make the postseason. It may also surprise some NFL fans to note that the Oakland Raiders dropped to the No. 13 team in the AFC after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Current NFC playoff standings
In the updated NFL playoff standings for the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles (6-1) would be the No.
1 seed and the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) would be the No. 2 seed. The Los Angeles Rams (5-2) lose the tiebreaker to the Vikings by having a worse record against the rest of the conference, but the team could still catch up. Of note, is that the Seattle Seahawks won again in Week 7, so if they beat the Houston Texans on Sunday (Oct.
29), they pass the Rams in the NFC West standings.
Currently, the Rams would be the No. 3 seed and the New Orleans Saints (4-2) would be the No. 4 seed. That would make the Seattle Seahawks (4-2) and Green Bay Packers (4-3) the two NFC Wild Card teams. First-round playoff matchups would be Los Angeles vs. Green Bay and New Orleans vs. Seattle. With nine or 10 games left for most teams, there is also still a lot of time left in the regular season for the NFL playoff standings to shift some more.
