NFL Playoff Picture 2018: Week 13 Standings, Wild Card Info and Super Bowl Odds

There have been clear playoff contenders through the 2018 NFL season. New Orleans, Kansas City and the Los Angeles Rams, to name a few, have proved themselves to be capable of taking it all and walking away with the Lombardi Trophy.

That being said, there is much to still be decided in the 2019 playoffs. New England could return to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row. While the Falcons are in the hunt for a wild-card spot, the odds of them making an appearance in their hometown in the championship game are slim. And beyond Atlanta, many other teams are still vying for a spot in the postseason.

Here's a look at the updated conference standings from Week 13—not including the results of Monday Night Football—and the Super Bowl odds, per OddsShark, with an analysis of the wild-card races and Super Bowl odds.

AFC Standings

Division Leaders

1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2)

2. New England Patriots (8-3)

3. Houston Texans (7-3)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1)

Wild Card

5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-3)

6. Baltimore Ravens (6-5)

In the Hunt

7. Indianapolis Colts (6-5)

8. Tennessee Titans (5-5)

9. Miami dolphins (5-6)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-6)

11. Denver Broncos (5-6)

Out of Playoffs

12. Cleveland Browns (4-6-1)

13. Buffalo Bills (4-7)

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8)

15. New York Jets (3-8)

16. Oakland Raiders (2-9)

AFC Wild Card Analysis

The Los Angeles Chargers have a better record than some of the division leaders, almost guaranteeing their spot in the 2019 playoffs with a solid five seed.

Phillip Rivers and the Chargers still aren't totally in the clear yet, as they have some worthy adversaries in the next few weeks. Los Angeles will take on the Steelers, the Bengals, the Chiefs, the Ravens—who are the other projected AFC wild-card team—and AFC West rivals the Broncos.

The game against the Ravens will be big for the Chargers' potential for a playoff berth, as they haven't gone head-to-head with many of the teams in the hunt for a wild-card spot.

They have a win over the Titans, guaranteeing their ability to trump Tennessee if the two teams end up with the same record. However, the Chargers could find themselves in trouble if they can't come away with a few wins with their brutal upcoming schedule.

Baltimore finds itself in a better off position than the Chargers with the regular season winding down. The Ravens will be playing three teams that have been knocked out of the playoffs, which guarantees them fairly easy wins or no head-to-head tiebreakers if they lose. 

The Ravens will also be taking on the AFC West Division leader in Kansas City and the aforementioned Chargers in a game that has the potential to affect the Wild Card Round standings.

However, Baltimore finds itself in an uncertain quarterback situation. After veteran quarterback Joe Flacco went down with a hip injury, rookie Lamar Jackson stepped in and has since led the Ravens to two straight victories.

It is unclear which quarterback will start when Flacco is able to return, leaving Baltimore's offensive plan up in the air.

With the Ravens and the Colts tied with a 6-5 record, and the next four teams fighting for a chance to play in the postseason all at five wins, the AFC wild-card spots aren't set in stone.

NFC Standings

Division Leaders

1. New Orleans Saints (10-1)

2. Los Angeles Rams (10-1)

3. Chicago Bears (8-3)

4. Dallas Cowboys (6-5)

Wild Card

5. Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1)

6. Washington Redskins (6-5)

In the Hunt

7. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)

8. Carolina Panthers (6-5)

9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-6)

10. Green Bay Packers (4-6-1)

11. Atlanta Falcons (4-7)

Out of Playoffs

12. Tama Bay Buccaneers (4-7)

13. Detroit Lions (4-7)

14. New York Giants (3-8)

15. Arizona Cardinals (2-9)

16. San Francisco 49ers (2-9)

NFC Wild Card Analysis

If the AFC wild-card spots seem to be unpredictable and susceptible to change, then the NFC is even more of a mess. 

With Minnesota and Washington tentatively holding on to the fifth and sixth seed for now, the NFC wild-card spots are up for grabs for almost any team. While the Vikings and Redskins both have six wins, so do the Panthers and the Seahawks. The Super Bowl LII Champion Eagles aren't far behind with five, and the Packers and Falcons finish it off with four wins.

While it is unlikely that Green Bay and Atlanta take over the five teams in front of them to secure a playoff berth, the others all have fairly equal shots at a postseason appearance.

Minnesota will be facing some tougher teams, such as the Patriots and the Bears, in the final weeks of the regular season. The Redskins will battle Philadelphia twice, which will be important for the playoff picture moving forward. Whichever team wins the matchup will increase their likelihood of making the Wild Card Round by adding a win and securing the head-to-head victory in the event of a tie.

However, Philadelphia will play three division leaders in the other three games of its regular season. This will make it difficult for the Eagles—even if they beat the Redskins and secure the head-to-head victory— because Washington will play two teams with just three wins in between matchups with the reigning champs.

Seattle will take on two strong teams in the Vikings and Chiefs and then will play three games against 2-9 teams. This bodes well for a Seahawks team led by Russell Wilson, which is no stranger to high-pressure situations.

Seattle also has the head-to-head win over the Panthers after beating them 30-27 on Sunday. The Panthers have a bit tougher of a situation, taking on the Saints twice in the final weeks after having suffered a close loss to the Seahawks.

The NFC teams have an important five weeks ahead of them in determining who will join the division leaders in the 2019 playoffs.

Super Bowl LIII Odds

1. New Orleans Saints: 3-1

2. Los Angeles Rams: 33-10

3. New England Patriots: 6-1

4. Kansas City Chiefs: 6-1

5. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-1

6. Chicago Bears: 14-1

7. Los Angeles Chargers: 16-1

8. Houston Texans: 20-1

9. Minnesota Vikings: 25-1

10. Dallas Cowboys: 28-1

11. Indianapolis Colts: 40-1

12. Seattle Seahawks: 50-1

13. Carolina Panthers: 50-1

14. Philadelphia Eagles: 50-1

15. Green Bay Packers: 50-1

16. Baltimore Ravens: 66-1

17. Tennessee Titans: 80-1

18. Cincinnati Bengals: 100-1

19. Denver Broncos: 120-1

20. Washington Redskins: 125-1

21. Miami Dolphins: 200-1

22. Atlanta Falcons: 250-1

23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Eliminated

24. Cleveland Browns: Eliminated

25. Detroit Lions: Eliminated

26. New York Giants: Eliminated

27. New York Jets: Eliminated

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Eliminated

29. Buffalo Bills: Eliminated

30. Arizona Cardinals: Eliminated

31. San Francisco 49ers: Eliminated

32. Oakland Raiders: Eliminated

Super Bowl LIII Odds Analysis

The race to the finish line is tight for the four top teams in the league. The oddsmakers have the Saints and the Rams a fraction apart in their Super Bowl LIII odds, while the Chiefs and Patriots are tied in the AFC.

While before the Monday Night Football game the 7-3 Texans have a slightly better record than the 7-3-1 Steelers, the oddsmakers have Houston at much worse odds on the Super Bowl ledger, showing they have much more faith in Pittsburgh than a team that started the season out 0-3 and have won seven straight since.

Both the Chargers and the Bears have better records than Pittsburgh, yet the experienced Steelers seem to sit atop those teams as well. Veteran players such as Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger, paired with successful newcomers James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster, may be influencing the oddsmakers' decisions to have them sit just below the current AFC North Division leaders.

However, this could change in the coming weeks. In addition to falling to the 5-6 Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, the Steelers have a tough schedule ahead of them. Pittsburgh will take on the Chargers and Patriots at home and the all-star Saints on the road. If the team can't keep calm under pressure and continue executing explosive plays, the Steelers may see their Super Bowl LIII odds drop. 

The reigning Super Bowl LII Champion Eagles are way out ahead of the Dolphins, who are also 5-6 on the season. Miami's inability to find consistency at quarterback has certainly hurt, despite its record.

Washington isn't currently in the hunt for a position in the playoffs, instead sitting as the sixth seed with a spot currently in the Wild Card Round. However, the Redskins' projected odds have them below most of the teams who are still fighting for a spot in the Wild Card Round.

Their recent losses to the Falcons, Texans and Cowboys may account for this, paired with the fact they will be taking on the reigning champs twice in the next five weeks.