NFL playoff picture: What Week 9 results mean for AFC, NFC standings

30 NFL teams played in Week 9 to send us past the halfway point of the 2024 NFL season. We break down the playoff picture and what the results mean heading toward Week 10.

The Kansas City Chiefs entered Week 9 as the league’s lone undefeated team and they don’t see the field until Monday night. The rest of the league was on display Sunday.

In the AFC, the Houston Texans lost on Thursday night and the Pittsburgh Steelers were on a bye, so the only division leader in action was the Buffalo Bills. The Bills moved from fourth into second in the conference with their win and can move to a half-game back of the Chiefs if Kansas City loses on Monday.

For the NFC, the big game is the Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions in the late afternoon window. The Lions’ win solidified them at the top of the conference and they have a half-game lead over the upstart Washington Commanders.

The jumbled Wild Card pictures in both conferences just continue to get more crowded. The Denver Broncos lost and the Los Angeles Chargers won, so they flipped Wild Card spots in the AFC. The Baltimore Ravens continued their winning ways but are stuck in fifth. The Indianapolis Colts could have moved into playoff position with a win on Sunday night, but couldn’t get the win, joining the Cincinnati Bengals just one game out. Every team with a winning record in the AFC has a playoff spot.

In the NFC Wild Card race, the Philadelphia Eagles moved up from seventh to fifth, just a half-game back of the Commanders for the division, but then fell back to sixth after the Minnesota Vikings’ late victory. Every team with a winning record in the NFC has a playoff spot.

Full standings are listed below along with key takeaways as the Week 9 results unfold. We’ll update as each score comes in.

Note: In the standings below, only the pertinent tiebreakers are listed.

AFC standings during Week 9

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (7-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
4. Houston Texans (6-3)
5. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
7. Denver Broncos (5-4)
8. Indianapolis Colts (4-5, 3-3 AFC)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-5, 2-3 AFC)
10. New York Jets (3-6)
11. Tennessee Titans (2-6, win over MIA)
12. Miami Dolphins (2-6, loss to TEN)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-7, 2-3 AFC)
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7, 2-4 AFC)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7, 2-5 AFC, .444 SoV)
16. New England Patriots (2-7, 2-5 AFC, .389 SoV)

NFC standings during Week 9

1. Detroit Lions (7-1)
2. Washington Commanders (7-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2, .472 SoV)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2, .333 SoV)
7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4, 4-2 NFC)
9. Chicago Bears (4-4, 2-2 NFC)
10. Los Angeles Rams (4-4, win over SF, 3-4 NFC)
11. San Francisco 49ers (4-4, loss to SEA)
11. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
13. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)
14. Carolina Panthers (2-7, 1-2 NFCS, 1-4 NFC)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-7, 1-3 NFCS, 2-4 NFC)
16. New York Giants (2-7, 1-5 NFC)

Week 9 playoff picture takeaways

Buffalo Bills making a statement at the top of the conference, AFC East

As we said, the Bills moved up to the two seed following their win over the Miami Dolphins, but they also llok a massive lead in the AFC East race. They are up four games in the division with a win over the second-place New York Jets. With two wins over the 2-6 Dolphins, it’s hard to see them not securing a home playoff game.

Texans keep the AFC South race open

The Houston Texans could have put their division race to a big lead on Thursday night, but a loss to the New York Jets kept the Indianapolis Colts just two games back in the win column. The Colts play Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings.

All 4 NFC North teams are at or over .500

No NFL division has ever sent all four teams to the playoffs, though that wasn’t possible until just a few years ago when the playoffs expanded to seven teams per conference. The NFC North has four teams at or over .500. The Vikings went from first place in the NFC to sixth in less than two weeks.

Dak Prescott injury complicates Dallas Cowboys’ path to postseason

The Cowboys lost to the Falcons to drop even further out of the NFC East race. The bigger news was Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury. He left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter and his status for Week 10 is uncertain. The Cowboys host the Eagles in Week 10 in a near must-win game for Dallas.

Washington Commanders off to historic start

The Commanders beat the Giants in the Meadowlands to improve to 7-2. Washington leads the NFC East and is off to their best start in 33 years. That year, Washington won their first 11 games en route to a 14-2 finish and a Super Bowl win. Jayden Daniels is the first rookie QB to sweep the Giants in 50 years (even if wins aren’t a QB stat).

Baltimore stock up, Denver stock down

When the Ravens are playing their best football, they’re near unstoppable. They proved that against a seemingly decent Broncos squad. Denver entered the game with a 5-3 record and firmly in the Wild Card race. They gave the Ravens trouble in the first half, but Baltimore pulled away in the third quarter and cruised to an easy win.

Detroit Lions continue to roll

The Vikings stayed a game back with a win over the Colts, but Detroit is continuing to roll. There were questions about how they would perform at Lambeau in bad weather, and they answered the bell. They benefited from Jordan Love playing a bit gimpy, but they handled their business to maintain their lead in the conference and secure a huge head-to-head win over their division rivals.

The NFC West is bunched up

The Rams won a wild one over the Seahawks in overtime and that means we have all four NFC West teams within one game of each other. Things get interesting in the coming weeks with the 49ers facing the Seahawks in Week 11 and the Cardinals facing the Seahawks in Week 12 and Week 14.

NFL teams with a winning record are in the playoffs

All of the NFL teams with a winning record are in a playoff spot.

How does Monday Night Football impact the playoff picture?

A Chiefs win obviously keeps them in first place in the AFC at 8-0, but a loss allows the Bills to get within a half-game and setting up a huge matchup November 17th when Kansas City travels to Buffalo.

For the Buccaneers, they are still very much in the mix. With a win, they will be a game out of first place in the NFC South and the Wild Card position, too. If they lose, they fall from eighth and on the cusp all the way to eleventh behind the 4-4 teams.

NFL Division Standings

AFC East standings

1. Buffalo Bills, 7-2
2. New York Jets, 3-6
3. Miami Dolphins, 2-6
4. New England Patriots, 2-7

AFC North standings

1. Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-2
2. Baltimore Ravens, 6-3
3. Cincinnati Bengals, 4-5
4. Cleveland Browns, 2-7

AFC South standings

1. Houston Texans, 6-3
2. Indianapolis Colts, 4-5
3. Tennessee Titans, 2-6
4. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-7

AFC West standings

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 7-0
2. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-3
3. Denver Broncos, 5-4
4. Las Vegas Raiders, 2-7

NFC East standings

1. Washington Commanders, 7-2
2. Philadelphia Eagles, 6-2
3. Dallas Cowboys, 3-5
4. New York Giants, 2-7

NFC North standings

1. Detroit Lions, 7-1
2. Minnesota Vikings, 6-2
3. Green Bay Packers, 6-3
4. Chicago Bears, 4-4

NFC South standings

1. Atlanta Falcons, 6-3
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-4
3. Carolina Panthers, 2-7 (1-2 NFCS)
4. New Orleans Saints, 2-7 (1-3 NFCS)

NFC West standings

1. Arizona Cardinals, 5-4
2. Los Angeles Rams, 4-4 (H2H over SF)
3. San Francisco 49ers, 4-4
4. Seattle Seahawks, 4-5