NFL playoff watch: Postseason picture coming into focus

NFL order has been restored.

On Sunday, the New England Patriots won the AFC East with their win over the Buffalo Bills, their 10th straight division title and the 16th in the 18-year Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era. They’ve also finished with 10 or more wins every year since 2003.

But it wasn’t just that the Patriots won another division crown: their win plus the Houston Texans’ last-second loss to the Philadelphia Eagles means the Patriots have re-claimed the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture. While the Texans are also 10-5, they lost to New England in the season opener, giving the Patriots the tiebreak advantage.

Things could change next week, when the Patriots host the New York Jets and the Texans host the Jacksonville Jaguars, but for now, things are as we’ve become accustomed to them being.

Talk about things changing: the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints means they went from AFC North leader to out of the AFC playoff picture.

In the early games Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys also bounced back from their shutout loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-20. The win clinched the NFC East for Dallas, completing a turnaround from their 3-5 start.

* – Clinched playoff berth;
# – clinched home field

NFC

1. New Orleans Saints (13-2)*#: The Steelers challenged the Saints, but New Orleans got the forced fumble it needed late, sealing the win with Pittsburgh threatening to attempt a potential game-tying field goal. There wasn’t much there in the run game (57 total rushing yards), but Drew Brees has plenty of experience winning games with his arm. And now the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through the Superdome.

2. Los Angeles Rams (12-3)*: The Rams snapped their two-game losing streak with a win over the Arizona Cardinals. C.J. Anderson, starting in place of Todd Gurley, rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown, Jared Goff was an efficient 19-for-24, and Aaron Donald continued to show he’s one of the greatest defensive tackles of all time, running his season sack total to 19.5. The Rams secure a No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a win or a Bears loss. Los Angeles’ last game: vs. San Francisco 49ers.

3. Chicago Bears (11-4)*: Credit to the 49ers, who have long been eliminated from the postseason but have been playing playoff-caliber teams awfully tough: on Sunday, the Bears didn’t seal their win over San Francisco until there was just over a minute left, when they got a turnover on downs. Chicago still has a shot at the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. That would require a win next week and a Rams defeat in the regular-season finale. Chicago’s last game: at Minnesota.

4. Dallas Cowboys (9-6)*: The Cowboys won the NFC East for the third time in five years, and anyone who was hoping to see coach Jason Garrett let go when they were off to their poor start is certainly stuck with him now. Dallas has won six of its last seven games. They are locked into the wild-card round as the No. 4 seed. The Cowboys wrap with a road game against the New York Giants.

5. Seattle Seahawks (9-6,)*: The Seahawks clinched a wild-card berth on Sunday night with a big win over the Kansas City Chiefs at home. With the Cowboys locked into the No. 4 seed and the Rams having clinched the NFC West, there’s nothing the Seahawks can do next week to improve their standing. They would fall to the No. 6 seed with a loss and a Minnesota Vikings win next week. Seattle’s last game: vs. Arizona Cardinals.

6. Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1): The Vikings were this close to clinching a wild-card spot on Sunday. They beat up on the Detroit Lions, and Washington lost to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday. But the last thing the Vikings needed, for the Philadelphia Eagles to lose, looked like it might happen – until it didn’t, and the Eagles got a last-second game-winning field goal. But there’s still next week. A win clinches a wild-card berth. A loss and an Eagles victory eliminates Minnesota from the postseason picture. The Vikings’ last game: vs. Chicago Bears.

Still in contention: Philadelphia Eagles (8-7, at Washington)

Mathematically eliminated: Washington (7-8)

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4,)*: The Chiefs blew a chance to secure the AFC West and a first-round bye with Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. They can still clinch with a win over the Oakland Raiders next week. But an unthinkable loss to the Raiders would open the division up to the Los Angeles Chargers.

2. New England Patriots (10-5)*: The Patriots’ run of 10 straight division championships is the longest in NFL history, both a testament to their stability and ability, and a testament to the ineffectiveness of the rest of the AFC East teams. New England’s last game: vs. New York Jets.

3. Houston Texans (10-5): The Texans staged quite a comeback, as they were down 29-16 in the fourth quarter and took a 30-29 lead with just over two minutes to play. But the Eagles staged a comeback, winning at the last second, which was great for them but bad for Houston. The Texans’ last game: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars.

4. Baltimore Ravens (9-6): What a great road win for the Ravens against the Chargers on Saturday night. The defense held Los Angeles under 200 yards and forced three turnovers, the last a fumble return for a touchdown. The offense only produced one touchdown, but got the job done. And after Pittsburgh lost to the Saints, it means they’re atop the AFC North for now. Ravens’ last game: vs. Cleveland Browns.

5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)*: The Ravens’ defense was able to ground Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ offense, holding them to just 10 points – by far the lowest output of the season for Los Angeles. The Chargers’ last game: at Denver Broncos.

6. Indianapolis Colts (9-6): The Colts are the No. 6 seed, at least for now, after the Steelers’ loss to New Orleans. For as much praise (rightfully) as the Cowboys have gotten for the way they’ve played since November, the Colts were 1-5 when they flew home from a loss to the Jets on Oct. 14. Since then, they’re 8-1 and on the verge of returning to the postseason. Indianapolis’ last game: at Titans, with the winner gaining the final AFC playoff seed.

Still in contention: Tennessee Titans (9-6, vs. Colts), Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1)

Mathematically eliminated: Cleveland Browns (7-7-1), Miami Dolphins (7-8)

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