NFL playoff picture Week 11: C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans in postseason position
The Houston Texans did not enter the season with a lot of fanfare, nor with high expectations.
But after their 30-27 upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals in NFL Week 10, Houston is 5-4 on the season and in position for the seventh and final NFL playoffs berth in the AFC.
C.J. Stroud has been a revelation for the Texans, and there is even talk of him being an NFL MVP candidate in addition to the Rookie of the year frontrunner.
The Texans host the Arizona Cardinals in NFL Week 11 and then have a huge division showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Can they keep this up?
NFL Week 11 picks: Bengals at Ravens | Cowboys at Panthers | Steelers at Browns | Bears at Lions | Chargers at Packers | Cardinals at Texans | Titans at Jaguars | Raiders at Dolphins | Giants at Commanders | Buccaneers at 49ers | Jets at Bills | Seahawks at Rams | Vikings at Broncos | Eagles at Chiefs | Odds | TV | NFL Week 11 power rankings
NFL Week 11 predictions: ESPN matchup predictor's picks, win probabilities for this week
The top seed in each conference gets a bye in the wild card round of the NFL postseason and the other division winners get the No. 2 through No. 4 seeds.
The No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 seeds go to the non-division winners with the best records.
The two teams that faced off in the Super Bowl last season, the AFC's Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC's Philadelphia Eagles, currently have the best records in their respective conferences and the coveted playoff bye week that comes with it.
And they face each other on Monday Night Football in the final game on the NFL Week 11 schedule.
Here's how the NFC and AFC playoffs would look if the postseason began after NFL Week 10.
NFL power rankings Week 11: Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans impress
NFC playoff picture Week 11:
No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) - NFC East leader
No. 2 Detroit Lions (7-2) - NFC North leader
No. 3 San Francisco 49ers (6-3) - NFC West leader
No. 4 New Orleans Saints (5-5) - NFC South leader
No. 5 Seattle Seahawks (6-3) - Wild Card
No. 6 Dallas Cowboys (6-3) - Wild Card
No. 7 Minnesota Vikings (6-4) - Wild Card
In the hunt:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
Washington Commanders (4-6)
Atlanta Falcons (4-6)
Green Bay Packers (3-6)
Los Angeles Rams (3-6)
Chicago Bears (3-7)
NFL Week 11 schedule: How to watch Bengals at Ravens, Eagles at Chiefs, other games on TV
NFC playoff matchups right now:
No. 7 Minnesota Vikings at No. 2 Detroit Lions
No. 6 Dallas Cowboys at No. 3 San Francisco 49ers
No. 5 Seattle Seahawks at No. 4 New Orleans Saints
AFC playoff picture Week 11:
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (7-2) - AFC East leader
No. 2 Baltimore Ravens (7-3) - AFC North leader
No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3) - AFC South leader
No. 4 Miami Dolphins (6-3) - AFC East leader
No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) - Wild Card
No. 6 Cleveland Browns (5-3) - Wild Card
No. 7 Houston Texans (5-4) - Wild Card
NFL Week 11 odds: Ravens favored over Bengals, Chiefs over Eagles, Browns over Steelers
In the hunt:
Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
Indianapolis Colts (5-5)
Buffalo Bills (5-5)
Las Vegas Raiders (5-5)
Los Angeles Chargers (4-5)
New York Jets (4-5)
Denver Broncos (4-5)
AFC playoff matchups right now:
No. 7 Houston Texans at No. 2 Baltimore Ravens
No. 6 Cleveland Browns at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars
No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 4 Miami Dolphins
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL playoff picture Week 11: C.J. Stroud, Texans rise in NFL standings
