The AFC playoff spots are far harder to break into than the ones in the NFC.
That was made clear by the Week 10 results, as the Houston Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns used a comeback to defeat the Baltimore Ravens.
The Las Vegas Raiders added to the chaos in the wild-card race with a Sunday night win over the New York Jets.
Entering Monday, the teams between third and 11th places in the AFC are separated by one win.
The NFC postseason situation is far less complex since there is a clear group of seven teams who are in position to qualify for the playoffs.
The Minnesota Vikings are 1.5 games in front of their closest competitor for the No. 7 seed, and just two of the divisional races would be decided by one game if the season ended after Monday.
Super Bowl Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
San Francisco (+500; bet $100 to win $500)
Kansas City (+500)
Philadelphia (+550)
Baltimore (+900)
Detroit (+1000)
Dallas (+1000)
Miami (+1100)
Cincinnati (+1300)
Jacksonville (+2000)
Buffalo (+2000)
Cleveland (+3000)
Seattle (+4000)
Los Angeles Chargers (+5500)
New Orleans (+6000)
Pittsburgh (+7500)
Houston (+10000)
New York Jets (+12000)
Minnesota (+12000)
Tampa Bay (+15000)
Los Angeles Rams (+20000)
Indianapolis (+20000)
Denver (+20000)
Atlanta (+20000)
Tennessee (+25000)
Las Vegas (+25000)
Green Bay (+25000)
Washington (+30000)
Chicago (+50000)
Carolina (+50000)
Arizona (+50000)
New York Giants (+100000)
New England (+100000)
AFC Playoff Picture
Division Leaders
1. Kansas City (7-2)
2. Baltimore (7-3)
3. Jacksonville (6-3)
4. Miami (6-3)
Wild-Card Race
5. Pittsburgh (6-3)
6. Cleveland (6-3)
7. Houston (5-4)
8. Cincinnati (5-4)
9. Buffalo (5-4)
10. Indianapolis (5-5)
11. Las Vegas (5-5)
12. Los Angeles Chargers (4-5)
13. New York Jets (4-5)
Cleveland and Houston muddied the AFC wild-card race with their respective wins on Sunday.
Houston earned a head-to-head tiebreaker over Cincinnati that could be valuable in January.
As of now, the Texans are in front of the Bengals and Buffalo Bills on the conference record tiebreaker. Houston is 3-2 against the AFC, while Cincinnati is 1-4 and Buffalo is 2-4.
The Bills can jump back into a playoff spot with a win over the Denver Broncos on Monday.
Cleveland earned a season split with the Ravens by way of its come-from-behind win in Baltimore on Sunday.
The Browns can level their season series with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. Cleveland needs to win its final two AFC North games to finish at 4-2 in divisional play, which is the first tiebreaker between divisional foes. Baltimore is 2-2 and Pittsburgh is 2-0 within the AFC North.
The Bengals have yet to win an AFC North game this season. They can change that on Thursday night against the Ravens in a game they now desperately need.
The Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders might have a say in the wild-card race, but they need to pass some tough tests to be included.
Indianapolis plays three of its five games out of the Week 11 bye on the road, while Las Vegas faces the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs in the next two weeks.
NFC Playoff Picture
Division Leaders
1. Philadelphia (8-1)
2. Detroit (7-2)
3. San Francisco (6-3)
4. New Orleans (5-5)
Wild-Card Race
5. Seattle (6-3)
6. Dallas (6-3)
7. Minnesota (6-4)
8. Tampa Bay (4-5)
9. Washington (4-6)
10. Atlanta (4-6)
The NFC playoff field is becoming easier to figure out by the week.
Minnesota's remarkable winning run that includes two victories without Kirk Cousins put it in a tremendous position over the other wild-card hopefuls.
The Vikings have a 1.5-game advantage on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in eighth and can move to seven wins against the Broncos on Sunday night.
Tampa Bay faces a gauntlet of four road games in the next five, so its playoff candidacy may go south, like those of the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons.
The New Orleans Saints can use that window of games to break away in the NFC South.
Dennis Allen's team plays three of four contests at home out of its Week 11 bye. The lone road trip in that span is to Atlanta. A win over the Falcons in Week 12 would make the Saints the overwhelming favorite in the NFC South.
The top seed will come into play next week when the Philadelphia Eagles visit Kansas City on Monday night.
The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers inched closer to the Eagles with wins on Sunday, but they need help from Philadelphia's opponents to close the gap for home-field advantage.
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