NFL Playoff Picture 2021: Week 12 Wild-Card Hunt, Standings and Super Bowl Odds

The Buffalo Bills looked like the runaway winner of the AFC East a few weeks ago, but now they are chasing the New England Patriots.

Sean McDermott's team fell into the wild-card hunt after Week 11's games after suffering a blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts gained an advantage by moving to 6-5. They are still on the outside of the AFC wild-card race, but they are now only a half-game behind the Bills for seventh place and are just two games behind the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South.

Over in the NFC, the wild-card race remained murky at best. There are seven teams within one game of each other, and the New York Giants can add to that list if they upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

The Arizona Cardinals gained a one-game edge over the Green Bay Packers in the race for NFC home-field advantage, while the Dallas Cowboys remained in third place in the NFC. But unlike the Bills, the Cowboys are in no danger of losing their lead in their division.

Updated Super Bowl Odds

Terrance Williams/Associated Press

Tampa Bay: +600 (bet $100 to win $600)

Buffalo: +750

Kansas City: +750

Dallas: +800

Los Angeles Rams: +900

Arizona: +1000

Green Bay: +1000

Baltimore: +1400

New England: +1400

Tennessee: +2000

Los Angeles Chargers: +2000

Cincinnati: +3500

Indianapolis: +3500

Minnesota: +4000

Cleveland: +4000

Philadelphia: +5000

San Francisco: +5000

Las Vegas: +8000

New Orleans: +8000

Denver: +10000

Pittsburgh: +10000

Seattle: +15000

Carolina: +20000

Washington: +20000

Miami: +25000

New York Giants: +50000

Chicago: +50000

Jacksonville: +50000

Atlanta: +50000

Detroit: +100000

New York Jets: +100000

Houston: +100000

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

AFC Playoff Picture

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

Division Leaders

1. Tennessee (8-3)

2. Baltimore (7-3)

3. New England (7-4)

4. Kansas City (7-4)

The Tennessee Titans' surprising loss to the Houston Texans opened the door for the three other division leaders in the AFC in the hunt for home-field advantage.

The situation will change again in Week 12, when the Titans visit the red-hot New England Patriots.

A New England victory could put three teams level on eight victories heading into December. The Baltimore Ravens host the struggling Cleveland Browns on Sunday night, while The Kansas City Chiefs are off in Week 12.

Sunday's clash at Gillette Stadium is the last regular-season meeting between any of the current AFC divisional leaders.

Wild-Card Race

5. Cincinnati (6-4)

6. Los Angeles Chargers (6-4)

7. Buffalo (6-4)

8. Pittsburgh (5-4-1)

9. Indianapolis (6-5)

10. Cleveland (6-5)

11. Las Vegas (5-5)

12. Denver (5-5)

13. Miami (4-7)

Buffalo's loss to Indianapolis threw a new wrinkle into the AFC wild-card race.

The Bills went from a safe position as the AFC East leader to being on the fringe of the wild-card hunt. They dropped to No. 7 because of lost tiebreakers against the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers.

Buffalo needs a bounce-back win on Thanksgiving against the New Orleans Saints to generate some confidence ahead of its Week 12 clash with the Patriots.

The head-to-head showdowns between the Bills and Patriots in Weeks 13 and 16 will go a long way in deciding the AFC East, so the Bills are not stuck in the wild-card race yet.

Indianapolis does not have the same fortune. The Colts have already lost twice to the Titans, so they need to finish one game above the AFC South leader to win their division. Sunday's win over Buffalo was the best victory of the Colts' season. Four of their five wins prior to Sunday were against teams slated to pick in the top 10 of the 2022 NFL draft.

The Los Angeles Chargers earned a valuable win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. The head-to-head victory will not come into play unless the Chargers tie, but they did gain an important in-conference win.

Los Angeles is a half-game behind Kansas City in the AFC West. If the Chargers beat the Chiefs in Week 15, it could spell trouble for Kansas City. Andy Reid's team has the worst AFC record of any postseason contender, which could hurt it if it falls into the wild-card hunt.

NFC Playoff Picture

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Division Leaders

1. Arizona (9-2)

2. Green Bay (8-3)

3. Dallas (7-3)

4. Tampa Bay (6-3)

For now, there is clarity in the NFC's home-field advantage battle.

The Arizona Cardinals moved one game ahead of the Green Bay Packers through their win over the Seattle Seahawks and the loss suffered by the NFC North leader versus the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Arizona must remain one game ahead of Green Bay to retain the No. 1 seed because Green Bay owns the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Cardinals' toughest remaining tests come in Week 14 versus the Los Angeles Rams, Week 16 against the Colts and Week 17 on the road at the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas is safe on top of the NFC East with a 2.5-game lead. The Cowboys can seal the division title with four games left inside the NFC East.

Tampa Bay can join Dallas at 7-3 with a win over the New York Giants on Monday night. The Buccaneers come into Monday with a 1.5-game lead over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.

Wild-Card Race

5. Los Angeles Rams (7-3)

6. Minnesota (5-5)

7. New Orleans (5-5)

8. San Francisco (5-5)

9. Philadelphia (5-5)

10. Carolina (5-6)

11. Washington (4-6)

12. Atlanta (4-6)

13. New York Giants (3-6)

14. Chicago (3-7) 

15. Seattle (3-7)

Sunday's results across the NFC could be important in the wild-card race come December. 

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Alvin Kamara-less New Orleans Saints, while the Washington Football Team downed Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Philadelphia holds head-to-head wins over the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, and it still has to play Washington twice.

Carolina and New Orleans meet one more time in Week 17. The Panthers won the first meeting in Week 2.

New Orleans plays Buffalo and Dallas in consecutive weeks, while Carolina has to play Tampa Bay twice in the final three weeks. Those matchups could hurt their respective playoff bids.

Minnesota put itself in a good position with its win over Green Bay. The Vikings have the best NFC record (4-2) among the five-win teams, and they still have three games left against the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.

The Vikings' trip to Levi's Stadium on Sunday will throw another head-to-head tiebreaker into the mix. The San Francisco 49ers reached five wins with a blowout over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11.

Two of the five teams with five wins should get into the postseason. Washington could be the only true competitor from the four-win ranks.

Atlanta looked awful Thursday night against New England, and the Giants likely will not reach the four-win mark on Monday versus Tampa Bay. If anything, the list of potential playoff teams in the NFC will be trimmed in the next week or two.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).

21+. NJ/PA/WV/IN/IA/CO/IL/TN only. In partnership with Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.