NFL playoff picture: Week 8 results impacting AFC, NFC

We entered Week 7 with two undefeated teams in the NFL, but only one left without a loss. As we leave Week 8, the Kansas City Chiefs are still in first place in the AFC as the only team without a blemish.

The Detroit Lions were in the lead in the NFC entering Week 8 after beating the previously unbeaten Minnesota Vikings. Those Vikings opened this week with their second streight loss to the Los Angeles Rams and the Lions easily romped over the Titans on Sunday, and Detroit is the only 1-loss team in the NFC. The Washington Commanders hold onto the second spot one game back after a miraculous win on a Hail Mary touchdown.

In the AFC playoff picture, the big news was the Baltimore Ravens losing to the Cleveland Browns after a dropped interception. The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers both won in the AFC. keeping pace with the Houston Texans who also won. The Indianapolis Colts fell to Houston, moving them out of position.

In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles continued their hot streak to stay 5-2. The Green Bay Packers overcame the loss of Jordan Love to win and stay 6-2. The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South, and Atlanta (5-3) has a lead over Tampa (4-4). The Arizona Cardinals are quietly playing their way into consideration and sit atop the NFC West with the 49ers still to play.

As we continue through Week 8, we will update this article with the latest information. All 32 teams are in action and there are no byes, so this will he very fluid through the day on Sunday and eventually into Monday night. Stay tuned.

Note: In the standings below, only the pertinent tiebreakers are listed.

AFC standings during Week 8

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
2. Houston Texans (6-2, win over BUF)
3. Buffalo Bills (6-2, loss to HOU)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
5. Denver Broncos (5-3, 2-2 AFC)
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-3, 2-3 AFC)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
8. Indianapolis Colts (4-4)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
10. Miami Dolphins (2-5)
11. Cleveland Browns (2-6, 2-2 AFC)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6, 2-4 AFC, .438 strength of victory)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6, 2-4 AFC, .375 SOV, win over NEP)
14. New England Patriots (2-6, win over NYJ, 2-4 AFC, .313 SOV, loss to JAX)
15. New York Jets (2-6, loss to NE)
16. Tennessee Titans (1-6)

NFC standings during Week 8

1. Detroit Lions (6-1)
2. Washington Commanders (6-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (4-4, 2-0 NFCW)
5. Green Bay Packers (6-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (5-2, .513 strength of victory)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2, .385 strength of victory)
8. Chicago Bears (4-3)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4, 4-2 NFC)
10. San Francisco 49ers (4-4, 1-3 NFCW, 2-3 NFC)
11. Seattle Seahawks (4-4, 0-1 NFCW)
12. Los Angeles Rams (3-4, 2-4 NFC)
13. Dallas Cowboys (3-4, 1-3 NFC)
14. New York Giants (2-5)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-6)
16. Carolina Panthers (1-7)

Week 8 playoff picture takeaways

Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFC

Detroit was a heavy favorite against Tennessee and handled their business with ease, winning 52-14. The Lions will leave Week 8 with the best record in the NFC and are the best team in the conference.

Atlanta Falcons control the NFC South race

The Falcons beat the Bucs 31-26 and completed the season sweep. They have a one-game lead over Tampa Bay, but in reality it’s like a two-game lead thanks to securing the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Ravens shocked by Browns to slip further back behind Chiefs

The Ravens were a sizable favorite to Jameis Winston and the Browns, but they lost a shocker in Cleveland. Baltimore drops behind Pittsburgh even if the Steelers lose to the Giants on Monday thanks to the conference record tiebreaker. Baltimore sits at 6th in the AFC after losing a tiebreaker to the Denver Broncos.

Texans take control of the AFC South with sweep of Colts

Houston barely held off Indianapolis, but they got the job done with a 23-20 win. They won both matchups between the two teams to secure the head-to-head tiebreaker in the division race. With six losses, the Jaguars and Titans are all but out of the race and the 6-2 Texans now hold a commanding lead.

The AFC East race feels over

The Buffalo Bills won big this week while the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets both lost. Buffalo has road wins over both the Jets and Dolphins and a 3.5-game lead on the field. With a bunch of pundits picking Miami and New York to win the division this year, there are a lot of cold takes that are freezing before the snow even flies in Western New York.

All 4 NFC North teams are over .500

No NFL division has ever sent all four teams to the playoffs, though that wasn’t possible until just a few years ago when the playoffs expanded to seven teams per conference. The NFC North has four teams over .500 and the Chicago Bears would be in playoff position had they not allowed the most improbable Hail Mary in quite some time. Even so, the Vikings went from first place in the NFC to sixth in less than two weeks.