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NFL Playoff Picture 2018: Week 10 Standings, Super Bowl Odds and Wild-Card Hunt
November 5, 2018
As the teams at the top of the NFL continue to create separation between themselves and the rest of the pack, the franchises left behind in the wild-card race are jammed together.
In the AFC, there are seven teams legitimately in the mix for the two wild-card positions, while the same number of NFC teams can make a case for themselves entering Week 10.
The Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers sit in the unenviable position of being the top wild-card team in the NFC and AFC because the leaders of their respective divisions can't be stopped.
While there's some stability at the No. 5 seed in each conference, the No. 6 seeds are up for grabs, with Cincinnati and Minnesota currently residing in those positions.
NFL Standings
AFC
Division Leaders
1. Kansas City (8-1)
2. New England (7-2)
3. Pittsburgh (5-2-1)
4. Houston (6-3)
Wild-Card Hunt
5. Los Angeles Chargers (6-2)
6. Cincinnati (5-3)
7. Miami (5-4)
8. Baltimore (4-5)
9. Tennessee (3-4)
10. Jacksonville (3-5)
11. Indianapolis (3-5)
12. New York Jets (3-6)
13. Denver (3-6)
14. Cleveland (2-6-1)
15. Buffalo (2-7)
16. Oakland (1-7)
NFC
Division Leaders
1. Los Angeles Rams (8-1)
2. New Orleans (7-1)
3. Chicago (5-3)
4. Washington (5-3)
Wild-Card Hunt
5. Carolina (6-2)
6. Minnesota (5-3-1)
7. Atlanta (4-4)
8. Seattle (4-4)
9. Philadelphia (4-4)
10. Green Bay (3-4-1)
11. Dallas (3-4)
12. Tampa Bay (3-5)
13. Detroit (3-5)
14. Arizona (2-6)
15. San Francisco (2-7)
16. New York Giants (1-7)
Super Bowl Odds (via OddsShark)
Los Angeles Rams (+275; Bet $100 to win $275)
Kansas City (+550)
New England (+550)
New Orleans (+650)
Los Angeles Chargers (+1600)
Minnesota (+1600)
Pittsburgh (+1600)
Carolina (+2200)
Houston (+2200)
Philadelphia (+2500)
Chicago (+2800)
Washington (+2800)
Baltimore (+3300)
Green Bay (+3300)
Seattle (+3300)
Cincinnati (+4000)
Dallas (+4500)
Jacksonville (+5000)
Atlanta (+6600)
Tennessee (+8000)
Detroit (+10000)
Indianapolis (+12500)
Denver (+15000)
Miami (+17500)
Tampa Bay (+25000)
Cleveland (+30000)
New York Jets (+30000)
Arizona (+40000)
Buffalo (+50000)
New York Giants (+100000)
Oakland (+100000)
San Francisco (+250000)
Wild-Card Outlook
AFC
The Chargers might be forced to settle for the No. 5 and a road trip in the wild-card round of the postseason since they sit two games back of Kansas City in the AFC West.
Stranger things have happened before, but it seems unlikely the Chargers catch the Chiefs, even if they play their best football over the next seven weeks.
Philip Rivers and Co. will face plenty of tests after Thanksgiving to prepare them for the postseason, as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Baltimore await in December.
We'll learn plenty about Anthony Lynn's team during that four-game stretch, but it will put itself in good position before December to feel safe about a wild-card spot if it goes 3-1 or 2-2 to start the final month of the regular season.
The Bengals currently hold a half-game lead on Miami for the No. 6 seed, but that could diminish rapidly with New Orleans coming to Paul Brown Stadium in Week 10 and wide receiver A.J. Green dealing with a toe injury that could keep him out of action, per ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell.
With Cincinnati not at full strength, the teams beneath the Bengals will have an opportunity to improve their playoff standing.
However, that might not happen right away in Week 10, as the Dolphins visit Green Bay and Tennessee hosts New England, while Baltimore is out of action on its bye week.
We could get a clearer view of the AFC wild-card picture in Week 11 when the Ravens host the Bengals in a game that could knock down the number of wild-card contenders to three or four if Baltimore wins and narrows the gap to the Bengals and Chargers.
NFC
Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle and Green Bay all enter Week 10 out of playoff positions, and the majority of them have to rely on qualifying for the playoffs through the wild-card spots.
The Eagles appear to be the lone exception to the statement above at the moment, as they sit one game back of Washington, who lost to Atlanta while Philadelphia was on its bye week.
Philadelphia has five NFC East games left on its schedule, including the Week 11 Sunday night clash with Dallas and two matchups with Washington in December.
At 3-4-1, Green Bay is running out of opportunities to catch up to Chicago and Minnesota in the NFC North, which means we could see Aaron Rodgers and Co. in a fight for the No. 6 seed in December.
As for the Falcons and Seahawks, they are three games back of their respective division leaders, and with the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints showing no signs of slowing down, the NFC South and NFC West titles feel out of reach.
While it may not seem like it in the moment, Atlanta's Week 9 win over Washington could be a vital tiebreaker to hold if the Eagles surge to the top of the NFC East.
The No. 5 seed currently belongs to Carolina, but the Panthers have four of their next five games on the road before hosting New Orleans December 17.
Just like the Eagles, the sixth-placed Minnesota Vikings have two remaining clashes with the current leader of their division, the Chicago Bears.
A victory in two weeks at Soldier Field could drop the Bears into the wild-card race alongside a few teams that are already resigned to fighting for the final two NFC playoff spots.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90