NFL Playoff Scenarios 2021-22: Standings, Matchups to Watch Entering Week 10

The Arizona Cardinals overcame the absences of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins to score an important divisional win over the San Francisco 49ers. They're now atop the NFC playoff standings heading into Week 10 of the 2021 NFL regular season.

In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans were also without a key player in Derrick Henry (foot) but managed to secure their fifth straight win to take control of the race for the coveted No. 1 seed.

Let's check out the updated postseason standings in both conferences along with a look at the potential first-round playoff matchups based on the current seedings.

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AFC

1. Tennessee Titans (7-2)

2. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)

3. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)

4. Buffalo Bills (5-3)

5. Las Vegas Raiders (5-3)

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)

7. New England Patriots (5-4)

8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)

9. Cleveland Browns (5-4)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

11. Denver Broncos (5-4)

12. Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

13. New York Jets (2-6)

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)

15. Miami Dolphins (2-7)

16. Houston Texans (1-8)

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NFC

1. Arizona Cardinals (8-1)

2. Green Bay Packers (7-2)

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)

4. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

5. Los Angeles Rams (7-2)

6. New Orleans Saints (5-3)

7. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)

8. Carolina Panthers (4-5)

9. Minnesota Vikings (3-5)

10. Seattle Seahawks (3-5)

11. San Francisco 49ers (3-5)

12. Philadelphia Eagles (3-6)

13. New York Giants (3-6)

14. Chicago Bears (3-6)

15. Washington Football Team (2-6)

16. Detroit Lions (0-8)

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AFC Matchups

Bye: Titans

(2) Ravens vs. (7) Patriots

(3) Chargers vs. (6) Steelers

(4) Bills vs. (5) Raiders

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NFC Matchups

Bye: Cardinals

(2) Packers vs. (7) Falcons

(3) Buccaneers vs. (6) Saints

(4) Cowboys vs. (5) Rams

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Looking ahead to Week 10, the Seahawks will take on the Packers in a crucial NFC game that could see a pair of superstar quarterbacks return.

Seattle's Russell Wilson received medical clearance to resume practicing Monday after a month out of the lineup with a finger injury, but head coach Pete Carroll stopped a bit short of naming the eight-time Pro Bowler as the starter as he waits to see how the signal-caller responds to practice reps.

"He's not out here to do anything but play," Carroll told reporters. "He's not coming back just to practice, so we'll see what happens as the week goes on. Give us days to figure that out. But the intention is that if he's OK, he plays."

The Packers' Aaron Rodgers is eligible to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday depending on his coronavirus test results. The team hasn't said whether he'd start despite missing most of the practices leading up to the game.

Green Bay is firmly in the race for the top seed, and Jordan Love struggled in his first career start as part of a 13-7 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. So the Packers probably wouldn't pass up the chance to activate Rodgers if he's cleared by Saturday.

Elsewhere, a crucial showdown in the AFC West is on tap as the Chiefs visit the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes and Co. still didn't look like the dominant force they were over the past two years in their win over the Packers, but a victory over the Raiders would move them into at least second in the division. They could even vault into first if the Chargers lose to the Minnesota Vikings.

That's concerning news for the rest of the conference. It's hard to imagine Kansas City won't find its stride eventually, and if it's able to climb the standings before that even happens, the team could once again emerge as the AFC favorite before the regular season ends.

The Raiders can put that type of talk on hold with a win Sunday, though. It's an important bounce-back opportunity for Vegas, which came out of the bye sluggish in a loss to the New York Giants.

Given the half-game difference between first and last in the AFC West, all of these head-to-head divisional games are going to carry significant weight in the season's second half.

Other notable games to keep an eye on in Week 10 include the Cleveland Browns at the New England Patriots; the Atlanta Falcons at the Dallas Cowboys; and the New Orleans Saints at the Tennessee Titans.