NFL Playoff Picture 2024-25: Standings, Bracket Scenarios After Browns Beat Steelers
Week 12 of the NFL season kicked off Thursday with an exciting matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns in snowy conditions.
The Browns led 18-6 heading into the fourth quarter and seemed to be on their way to a big win, but Pittsburgh came storming back, scoring 13 points in less than two minutes to take the lead.
Despite the momentum shift, the Browns scored late to make it 24-19 and Russell Wilson and the Steelers couldn't mount a game-winning drive with less than a minute to go.
Even with the loss, Pittsburgh remains in the driver's seat in the AFC North thanks to last week's win over the Baltimore Ravens.
After the start of another exciting week of football, here's a look at the updated standings and a glance at how the playoff race is shaping up.
AFC Standings
1 of 2
Division Leaders
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
4. Houston Texans (7-4)
Wild-Card Race
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
7. Denver Broncos (6-5)
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
9. Miami Dolphins (4-6)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
11. Cleveland Browns (3-8)
12. New York Jets (3-8)
13. New England Patriots (3-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (2-8)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
The Kansas City Chiefs look unstoppable heading into Week 11, but finally proved to be mortal in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, snapping a 9-0 start to the season.
Now it feels like the top seed in the AFC could go to a handful of teams. Thanks to their outstanding start, the Chiefs are still in the driver's seat, but the Bills sit just one loss behind them and have the advantage of a win in the head-to-head matchup.
Both Kansas City and Buffalo have somewhat manageable schedules to close out the season. The Chiefs' toughest game will likely come against the Pittsburgh Steelers while the Bills have a date with the Detroit Lions in a few weeks.
But the Chiefs and Bills aren't the only teams in the mix for the top seed. The Steelers won their fifth straight last week, taking down the Baltimore Ravens behind an outstanding defensive performance.
It was Pittsburgh's biggest test to date, and it passed. The Steelers can improve their standing in the coming weeks with a lighter schedule before facing the Philadelphia Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs in three consecutive weeks.
The Ravens' loss to the Steelers certainly takes a toll on their chances of earning the top seed for a second consecutive season, but Baltimore still sits comfortably in its playoff standing.
The Ravens can move up in the standings this week with a tough matchup against the Chargers, who sit one game ahead of them. After that, Baltimore's toughest games will come against the Eagles and Steelers in the final few weeks of the year.
The Houston Texans gained some ground in the AFC South last week with a win over the Dallas Cowboys and can create even more space with a handful of manageable matchups in the coming weeks.
After an eventful week last week, there aren't too many exciting matchups to look out for this week. Still, every game counts during this stretch of the season and teams are looking to bolster their records with big wins.
NFC Standings
2 of 2
Division Leaders
1. Detroit Lions (9-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)
3. Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
Wild-Card Race
5. Minnesota Vikings (8-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (7-3)
7. Washington Commanders (7-4)
8. Los Angeles Rams (5-5)
9. Seattle Seahawks (5-5)
10. San Francisco 49ers (5-5)
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
12. Chicago Bears (4-6)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
14. Carolina Panthers (3-7)
15. Dallas Cowboys (3-7)
16. New York Giants (2-8)
Heading into Week 12, the question again in the NFC is whether anyone can take down the Detroit Lions.
Since their Week 2 loss, the Lions have won eight straight and once again looked dominant on Sunday, taking down the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars 52-6. Blowouts like that have become commonplace for Detroit and it will look to handle business against the Indianapolis Colts this week.
Speaking of win streaks, the Philadelphia Eagles have now won six in a row after taking down a tough Washington Commanders team a week ago. The 8-2 record has Philadelphia sitting comfortably at the top of the NFC East and all the Eagles can do at this point is continue winning games and hope the Lions fumble the top seed at some point.
The NFC West is still a toss-up heading into Week 12 with the Arizona Cardinals sitting at 6-5 and the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers all sitting at 5-5.
The Cardinals' meeting with the Seahawks this week could complicate things even further if Seattle wins. The Niners and Rams, who will face the Packers and Eagles, respectively, also have tough matchups this week.
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