NFL Playoff Picture 2023-24: Updated AFC, NFC Standings After Week 10 SNF

The 2023 NFL season has proven, if nothing else, that parody is still alive in professional football.

Outside of the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, who followed up their appearances in last year's Super Bowl by riding momentum to the top of their conferences through nine weeks, who is truly a contender and pretender is anyone's guess.

With both of those teams on a bye week, fans had a chance to look at some of the other division leaders and upstart squads. Who emerged victoriously, building credibility and positioning themselves for a potential playoff berth?

Find out with this look at the week's results, the current playoff picture, and top stories from Sunday's slate.

Week 10 Results

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 12: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Thursday, November 9

Chicago Bears def. Carolina Panthers, 16-13

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Sunday, November 12

Indianapolis Colts def. New England Patriots, 10-6

San Francisco 49ers def. Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers def. Tennessee Titans, 20-6

Cleveland Browns def. Baltimore Ravens, 33-31

Pittsburgh Steelers def. Green Bay Packers, 23-19

Minnesota Vikings def. New Orleans Saints, 27-19

Houston Texans def. Cincinnati Bengals, 30-27

Detroit Lions def. Los Angeles Chargers, 41-38

Arizona Cardinals def. Atlanta Falcons, 25-23

Seattle Seahawks def. Washington Commanders, 29-26

Dallas Cowboys def. New York Giants, 49-17

Las Vegas Raiders def. New York Jets, 16-12

AFC Playoff Picture

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 12: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) signs autographs for fans before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and theJacksonville Jaguars on November 12, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The current AFC Playoff picture is:

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2, AFC West)
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-3, AFC North)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3, AFC South)
4. Miami Dolphins (6-2, AFC East)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3, Wildcard)
6. Cleveland Browns (6-3, Wildcard)
7. Houston Texans (5-4, Wildcard)

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On the Bubble

Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

Buffalo Bills (5-4)

Indianapolis Colts (5-5)

Las Vegas Raiders (5-5)

New York Jets (4-5)

Los Angeles Chargers (4-5)

Denver Broncos (3-5)

Tennessee Titans (3-6)

New England Patriots (2-8)

NFC Playoff Picture

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 12: Joshua Dobbs #15 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before the game against the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The current NFC Playoff picture is:

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1, NFC East)
2. Detroit Lions (7-2, NFC North)
3. San Francisco 49ers (6-3, NFC West)
4. New Orleans Saints (5-5, NFC South)
5. Seattle Seahawks (6-3, Wildcard)
6. Dallas Cowboys (6-3, Wildcard)
7. Minnesota Vikings (6-4, Wildcard)

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On the Bubble

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)

New York Giants (2-8)

Arizona Cardinals (2-8)

Carolina Panthers (1-8)

Are Houston and CJ Stroud Legitimate Playoff Contenders?

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CINCINNATI, OHIO - NOVEMBER 12: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans looks to pass during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The hype around CJ Stroud was real entering Sunday's game against Cincinnati.

In Week 10, against a Bengals team building its own moment, Stroud showed out.

One week after a 470-yard, five-touchdown game against Tampa Bay, he threw up more video game numbers, going 23/39 for 356, with a passing and rushing touchdown.

More important than his stat line, though, was the adversity he and his team overcame to secure the victory. Stroud lost two fumbles and nearly threw the game away with a horrible fourth-quarter interception to Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt that Cincinnati turned into seven.

A drop by Tyler Boyd led to a Cincinnati field goal that tied the game at 27 with 1:37 left.

Cue Stroud, who did what he has made a habit of doing to this point in his young career: he led his team down the field with a few big plays. Matthew Ammendola kicked the game-winner and the Texans ran their record to 5-4.

It was the type of game that young teams look back on as a turning point in their season. It was a mature win for Stroud, who did not play blemish-free football, but still made the biggest plays when they mattered most and put his team in a position to win.

More importantly, he has energized the team and through his play, has given teammates the impression that the Texans are never out of any game. That the offense can score seemingly at will, despite a collection of mostly unrecognizable faces around the rookie phenom, will keep them in any game and give them the confidence needed to make a deep run.

They are reminiscent of the 2021 Bengals in that regard when Joe Burrow would conjure his swag into wins. The Texans don't have enough big-game experience, and are missing a piece or two to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders this season, but a playoff run?

Do not overlook this Houston squad, either as a Wildcard team or a division winner if Jacksonville starts to slump.

Lions Preserve Second Seed in NFC With Thrilling Victory Over Chargers

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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 12: Jahmyr Gibbs #26 of the Detroit Lions celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

In a week where several games went down to the wire, the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers provided one of the best back-and-forth offensive displays of the season.

Justin Herbert threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns to a single interception, Austin Ekeler scored on the ground, and Keenan Allen caught 11 balls for 175 yards and two of Herbert's scores, but the Chargers were not able to upset the NFC North-leading Lions.

Jared Goff led an offensive unit that put up 533 yards of total offense and did not commit any turnovers. The former No. 1 overall pick threw the ball 33 times for 333 yards and two touchdowns while running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs torched a terrible Chargers run defense to the tune of 200 yards and three scores.

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught eight balls for 156 yards and a touchdown.

It was the type of game the Lions of old would have lost. There would have been a costly turnover, an ill-timed penalty, or some act of the football deities that lost them the game and had fans bemoaning the "same old Lions."

These are far from those tepid big cats.

These Lions are tough, can go score-for-score with the most explosive offenses in the league, and have the confidence that they can win. A lot of that is a reflection of their head coach, Dan Campbell, while the offense firepower can be attributed to coordinator Ben Johnson, who is likely to be invited to some head coaching interviews this offseason.

In a wide-open NFC in which even the No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles are not infallible, the Lions have a very real chance of emerging from the pack and winning the conference.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but wins like these are emblematic of a team that believes in itself, its coaches, and knows it can win the games it previously could (and would) not.