NFL Playoff Bracket Scenarios 2024-25 Week 10: Standings after Chiefs' Win vs. Bucs

Perhaps the Kansas City Chiefs will lose at some point.

But they haven't yet.

The two-time reigning Super Bowl champions improved to 8-0 on the campaign with Monday's 30-24 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, further solidifying their spot atop the AFC standings.

Patrick Mahomes and Co. are attempting to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls, and they appear well on their way to putting themselves in an ideal position to do just that. They are two games ahead of their closest AFC challengers in the loss column in the race for the No. 1 seed and first-round bye that comes with it.

Securing that spot would also mean clinching home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

With that as the backdrop, here is a look at the AFC and NFC playoff picture after Week 10.

AFC Standings

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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 03: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to playing the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Division Leaders

1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)

2. Buffalo Bills (7-2)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

4. Houston Texans (6-3)

Wild-Card Race

5. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)

6. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)

7. Denver Broncos (5-4)

8. Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-5)

10. New York Jets (3-6)

11. Tennessee Titans (2-6)

12. Miami Dolphins (2-6)

13. Cleveland Browns (2-7)

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)

15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)

16. New England Patriots (2-7)

The biggest ongoing story in the AFC is how noncompetitive the division races are at the halfway point of the season.

Or at least how noncompetitive three of them are with the AFC North serving as the lone exception.

While the Los Angeles Chargers are in playoff position in head coach Jim Harbaugh's first year, they are still three games behind the Chiefs in the AFC West. Kansas City also won the first head-to-head matchup between the two teams.

As for the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills can basically walk to a division title at this point. They are 7-2, while the 3-6 New York Jets are sitting in second place despite a season's worth of inconsistency and headlines about their struggles to live up to expectations.

Like Kansas City, the Bills also already have a head-to-head win over their closest division competitor.

Perhaps the AFC South will become closer down the stretch run if the Houston Texans struggle with offensive line injuries, but they are still 6-3 and comfortably ahead of the 4-5 Indianapolis Colts. C.J. Stroud and Co. also already swept the season series against the Colts, meaning Indianapolis will have to clear them by a game by the end of the campaign.

At least fans looking for a tight division race can point to the AFC North.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2 and just ahead of the 6-3 Baltimore Ravens. It's also too early to count out the 4-5 Cincinnati Bengals as long as Joe Burrow is under center.

Thanks to a quirk in the schedule, the division-leading Steelers haven't even played an AFC North opponent through eight games. This race is far from decided and will likely come down to those showdowns late in the year.

NFC Standings

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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 03: Quarterback Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions throws a pass during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 03, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Division Leaders

1. Detroit Lions (7-1)

2. Washington Commanders (7-2)

3. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)

4. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)

Wild-Card Race

5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)

7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)

8. Chicago Bears (4-4)

9. Los Angeles Rams (4-4)

10. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)

12. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)

13. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)

14. Carolina Panthers (2-7)

15. New Orleans Saints (2-7)

16. New York Giants (2-7)

There is no doubt what the biggest Week 9 result was in the NFC.

The Detroit Lions went on the road and defeated the rival Green Bay Packers to improve to 7-1 and maintain their position atop the dangerous NFC North. Green Bay is still 6-3, while the Minnesota Vikings are 6-2 and right behind Detroit after their win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Still, Sunday's game was a message.

Detroit won 24-14 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated considering the visitors jumped out to a 24-3 lead in the third quarter and gave up a garbage-time touchdown in the final four minutes when the result was already well in hand.

The Lions still have to play the Packers again in Week 14, but it is difficult to envision Green Bay winning that one on the road when it couldn't prevail in its home matchup.

While nobody in the NFC North is below .500, the division is Detroit's to lose with head-to-head wins over the Packers and Vikings already secured. And if it can hold off the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles from the NFC East, it can be the No. 1 seed and have home-field advantage for the NFC Championship Game.

That is something the Lions didn't have last season when it fell one win short of a Super Bowl appearance thanks to an NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.