The Arizona Cardinals opened up some breathing room atop the NFC following Sunday's Week 11 games.

Arizona improved to 9-2 with a 23-13 road victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, lost some ground and fell to 8-3 following a 34-31 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.

As a result, the Cardinals now have a one-game lead in the race for the conference's top seed.

Here's how the playoff standings look in both the AFC and NFC.

NFL Playoff Standings

AFC

• 1. Tennessee Titans, 8-3 (AFC South leader)
• 2. Baltimore Ravens, 7-3 (AFC North leader)
• 3. New England Patriots, 7-4 (AFC East leader)
• 4. Kansas City Chiefs, 7-4 (AFC West)
• 5. Cincinnati Bengals, 6-4 (wild card)
• 6. Los Angeles Chargers, 6-4 (wild card)
• 7. Buffalo Bills, 6-4 (wild card)
• 8. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5-4-1
• 9. Indianapolis Colts, 6-5
• 10. Cleveland Browns, 6-5
• 11. Las Vegas Raiders, 5-5
• 12. Denver Broncos, 5-5
• 13. Miami Dolphins 4-7
• 14. Houston Texans, 2-8
• 15. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-8
• 16. New York Jets, 2-8

NFC

• 1. Arizona Cardinals, 9-2 (NFC West leader)
• 2. Green Bay Packers, 8-3 (NFC North leader)
• 3. Dallas Cowboys, 7-3 (NFC East leader)
• 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6-3 (NFC South leader)
• 5. Los Angeles Rams, 7-3 (wild card)
• 6. Minnesota Vikings, 5-5 (wild card)
• 7. New Orleans Saints, 5-5 (wild card)
• 8. San Francisco 49ers, 5-5
• 9. Philadelphia Eagles, 5-6
• 10. Carolina Panthers, 5-6
• 11. Washington Football Team, 4-6
• 12. Atlanta Falcons, 4-6
• 13. New York Giants, 3-6
• 14. Chicago Bears, 3-7
• 15. Seattle Seahawks, 3-7
• 16. Detroit Lions, 0-9-1

Over in the AFC, a sense of normalcy may be returning to the East.

In 2020, the Buffalo Bills snapped the New England Patriots' 11-year streak of division titles. With the core of Buffalo's roster returning and rookie quarterback Mac Jones guiding New England's offense, the smart money was on the Bills once again winning the AFC East.

Instead, the Pats are now back in first place. They shut out the Atlanta Falcons 25-0 on Thursday and watched Sunday as their division rivals experienced a heavy 41-15 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots and Bills face off Dec. 6, a game that suddenly could carry big postseason implications.

Before that, Buffalo plays the slumping New Orleans Saints.

The Saints pulled out a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8 despite losing Jameis Winston to a torn ACL. That New Orleans survived the game with Trevor Siemian at quarterback may have been a mirage.

Sean Payton's squad is now on a three-game losing skid after being bested 40-29 by the Philadelphia Eagles. Siemian finished 22-of-40 for 214 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

As a result, the Saints are seventh in the NFC, level with the San Francisco 49ers. They can thank the Carolina Panthers for at least still occupying a wild-card spot.

Cam Newton looked a little like his old self, throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns while running for 46 yards and one score. It wasn't enough for Carolina to avoid a 27-21 defeat to the Washington Football Team.

Prior to Sunday, the Panthers were seventh in the NFC. Because the 49ers and Minnesota Vikings both won, they've fallen to 10th.

The good news for all but about four teams (the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets) is that it's almost impossible to make heads or tails of this season.

The Dallas Cowboys look like genuine Super Bowl contenders and beat the Vikings without Dak Prescott, only to drop two of three since Prescott returned.

Likewise, some Kansas City Chiefs fans were reaching for the panic button after a 2-3 start, but Sunday's 19-9 win over the Cowboys shows how the Chiefs may have found their footing again.

Parity is a feature of the NFL every season. The 2021 campaign might be extreme in that regard.