NFL Games Today: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and 49ers Shake Up NFL Playoff Picture
17.01.2026 - 15:52:03
The NFL Games today did more than just fill a Sunday slate. They redrew the NFL playoff picture, pushed some Super Bowl contenders into overdrive, and shoved a few pretenders closer to the edge. Patrick Mahomes steadied the Chiefs, Lamar Jackson kept the Ravens in the hunt for AFC supremacy, and the 49ers once again looked every inch like a team built for February.
[Check live NFL scores & stats here]
Mahomes, Chiefs grind out a statement win
Patrick Mahomes did not light up the box score the way fantasy managers dream about, but the Chiefs did what true NFL Super Bowl contenders do: they won a grown-up game. Against a physical defense that kept everything in front, Mahomes leaned on pocket presence, pre-snap control and situational mastery rather than pure fireworks.
He worked the underneath routes, extended plays when the rush closed in and, when it mattered most, trust in Travis Kelce and his backs to move the chains. There was a third-and-long conversion late in the fourth quarter where Mahomes stepped up through a collapsing interior rush, rolled right and dropped a dart on the sideline that felt like a dagger. It will not jump off the stat sheet the way a 400-yard, 4-TD outing does, but it was the kind of clutch sequence that shapes seeding and keeps the Chiefs right in the thick of the AFC race.
Inside the locker room afterward, the tone was businesslike. Players talked about how the offense finally strung together a complete two-minute drive, how the communication at the line cleaned up some of the issues that plagued them earlier this season. Mahomes echoed that, saying in essence that this is the time of year when the margin for error shrinks and every snap feels like January.
Lamar Jackson keeps the Ravens in the 1-seed conversation
Lamar Jackson walked off the field today with grass stains on his jersey and the scoreboard tilted his way again. The Ravens offense did not look unstoppable on every drive, but when the game tilted toward chaos, Jackson imposed his will. He hit tight throws over the middle in tight windows, then ripped off drive-saving scrambles that broke the back of the pass rush.
On one red zone series that will loop all week in NFL game highlights, Jackson bought time against an all-out blitz, spun away from a free rusher and fired a strike to his receiver in the back of the end zone. That is MVP-race tape. That is the kind of play that separates a dynamic dual-threat quarterback from the rest of the pack and keeps defensive coordinators up at night.
In the bigger picture, this win stabilizes the Ravens NFL league position in the crowded top tier of the AFC. They are not just hunting a division crown; they are stalking the No. 1 seed and that precious bye. Every time Jackson escapes pressure on third down or turns a broken play into a first down, you can almost see the postseason math shifting in real time.
49ers flex again: physicality, precision, and a familiar script
San Francisco did what San Francisco does. The 49ers came out and immediately dictated terms, setting a tone with their run game and suffocating defense. This was a clinic in layered offense: Christian McCaffrey punishing between the tackles, Deebo Samuel in motion stressing the edges, and Brock Purdy calmly distributing on time and in rhythm.
Purdy is not going to win many arm-strength contests, but his anticipation and decisiveness belong right in the heart of the MVP race discussion. He hit timing routes before receivers came out of their breaks, found George Kittle up the seam against mismatched linebackers, and rarely looked rattled, even when the pass rush flashed. It is complementary football at its sharpest; the defense gets a stop, the offense responds with a grinding, multi-play drive that sucks the oxygen out of the building.
Their NFL league position at the top of the NFC is not accidental. They are bullying teams in the trenches, staying on schedule, and forcing opponents into obvious passing situations where Nick Bosa and that front can tee off. In an NFL Games today slate full of chaos, San Francisco looked like the one team entirely comfortable living in a playoff atmosphere.
Shockwaves: the upsets that shook the bracket
Of course, Sundays in this league never go fully to script. One of the biggest storylines out of the NFL Games today slate was the upset that ripped through the wild card race. A presumed contender with playoff pedigree stumbled badly against a team that has been lurking in the middle of the pack all year.
The underdog defense flew around the field, forced turnovers and turned one interception into a pick-six that detonated the stadium. Their pass rush lived in the backfield, collapsing the pocket and throwing off timing. Offensively, they did just enough in the red zone, avoiding the field goal trap that sinks so many would-be spoilers. This was a win that does not just pad a record; it flips the head-to-head tiebreaker and adds another variable to the wild card puzzle.
For the losing side, this is the kind of late-season stumble that forces a hard look in the mirror. Questions about offensive identity, red zone efficiency and whether the quarterback can carry them when the run game stalls will echo all week. One more misstep, and they are no longer in the NFL playoff picture as a lock, but rather in the dreaded "on the bubble" category.
NFL playoff picture: who owns the driver’s seat now?
When you zoom out from the chaos of individual NFL Games today, the standings come into focus like a heat map of stress. The No. 1 seeds in each conference still matter more than ever, especially with only one bye per conference. As of tonight, here is how the key division leaders and top wild card contenders stack up based on the latest results and official standings from NFL.com and ESPN.
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Ravens / Chiefs tier | Top AFC record | Fighting for 1-seed, bye in play |
| AFC | 2-4 | Other division leaders | Within 1-2 games | Hosting Wild Card if season ended today |
| AFC | 5-7 | Top wild card teams | Winning records | In control but margin is thin |
| AFC | 8-10 | Bubble contenders | Hovering around .500 | Need help plus wins down the stretch |
| NFC | 1 | 49ers tier | Top NFC record | Front-runner for home-field advantage |
| NFC | 2-4 | Other division leaders | One game back or less | In strong position for at least one home game |
| NFC | 5-7 | NFC wild cards | Winning or even records | Jockeying for seeding, tiebreakers crucial |
| NFC | 8-10 | Chasers | Just below .500 | Must stack wins, scoreboard watch weekly |
The exact order will keep shifting with every prime-time result, but the shape of both conferences is clear. In the AFC, the Ravens and Chiefs are playing high-stakes leapfrog, with home-field advantage hanging on every late drive. In the NFC, the 49ers are daring the rest of the conference to match their physicality and depth.
Behind them, the wild card race is a street fight. Point differential, conference record and head-to-head results are about to matter just as much as wins and losses. Every blown coverage, every missed field goal from here on impacts the tangle of tiebreakers that will decide who sneaks in as a 6 or 7 seed.
Injury report: attrition season is here
The NFL injury report coming out of the NFL Games today is going to be must-read material for every coaching staff and front office. This late in the year, even minor tweaks can snowball into missed snaps that swing playoff seeding. Several key starters left games with injuries that will be monitored closely all week.
A star wide receiver limped off with what looked like a lower-body issue after taking a shot over the middle. Trainers worked on him on the sideline, and while he was able to walk under his own power, you could feel the air go out of the offense without his gravity on the outside. Losing that kind of weapon for even a week changes defensive coverages, red zone packages and third-down calls.
On defense, one contender watched a starting cornerback leave after a collision in the end zone. The ripple effect was immediate: backups were forced into heavy snaps, the pass rush had to get home faster, and the opposing quarterback started testing the edges more aggressively. If that turns into a multi-week absence, it changes the entire defensive game plan when the next elite quarterback comes to town.
There are also the quieter, nagging issues. Offensive linemen gutting through shoulder and ankle problems, running backs managing workload to keep hamstrings right, pass rushers dealing with hands and wrists that are taped up like clubs. This is the attrition part of the schedule, and it is often where the line between a Super Bowl contender and an early exit is drawn.
MVP race: quarterbacks in focus, with a defensive wildcard
After the NFL Games today, the MVP race remains headlined by the usual suspects, but the order keeps wobbling week to week. Patrick Mahomes is still in the frame because of his late-game heroics and command, even in lower-volume stat lines. Lamar Jackson strengthened his claim with another multi-dimensional performance where his passing efficiency and rushing threat forced the defense to defend every blade of grass.
Brock Purdy continues to post numbers that would be impossible to ignore in any other system: high completion rates, healthy yards per attempt, a sparkling touchdown-to-interception ratio and point totals that would make any coordinator jealous. The discourse about how much is system and how much is quarterback will rage all season, but at some point, production plus wins equals serious MVP consideration.
There is also at least one defensive star playing at a level that deserves mention, even if the award rarely lands on that side of the ball. A pass rusher who added another sack or two today, disrupted multiple drives and forced a hurried throw that turned into a pick, is quietly building a Defensive Player of the Year resume and an outside MVP case. When a single defender can wreck protections, blow up screens and force offenses to tear pages out of their playbook, that is value in the purest sense.
Still, this remains a quarterback-driven league, and voters tend to gravitate to the signal-callers who show up in big windows: Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, the late-afternoon national game. How Mahomes, Jackson, Purdy and the other elite QBs perform in those spotlight slots over the next few weeks will likely decide who stands at the podium in February.
Quarterbacks under the microscope
For every MVP candidate, there is also a quarterback feeling the heat. On one playoff hopeful, the starter walked off the field today with more questions than answers. The stat line looked messy: a couple of turnovers, stalled red zone trips, and too many checkdowns on third-and-long that drew boos from the home crowd.
His head coach backed him publicly after the game, emphasizing protection issues and route depth, but the body language on the sideline told a different story. Teammates are pressing, and when the offense jogs off after another three-and-out, the defense has to strap it up again with less and less margin for error. That is how locker rooms start to fracture if they are not careful.
On the flip side, one young quarterback on a rebuilding team quietly stacked another efficient performance: no interceptions, smart decisions in the red zone, and a couple of big-time throws in tight windows that will make cut-ups in the quarterback room. They might not be in the NFL playoff picture this year, but those snaps matter for the long-term outlook. Coaches will point to that tape all offseason as proof that the arrow is pointing up.
What it all means for the Super Bowl race
If you are ranking NFL Super Bowl contenders after the NFL Games today slate, the structure is familiar but the details keep shifting. The Chiefs still have the best quarterback on the planet in Patrick Mahomes and a defense that can win on its own. The Ravens, with Lamar Jackson driving a balanced offense and an attacking defense, look built to travel in January. The 49ers remain a nightmare matchup for anyone because they can win in the trenches, out-scheme you on offense and close games with their pass rush.
Behind that top tier, there is a muddle of talented rosters trying to put it all together at the right time. Some have elite receiving corps but shaky offensive lines. Others boast top-5 defenses but inconsistent quarterback play. The reality is blunt: if you’re not peaking by the final weeks of the regular season, you are probably not hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Today felt like the first real sorting hat of that process.
Coaches talk about "playing your best football in December and January" for a reason. The habits built now — situational awareness in the two-minute drill, ball security in traffic, red zone efficiency — do not magically appear in the divisional round. You could feel that urgency in how the heavyweights approached their drives late in one-score games today. They were not just trying to win a Sunday; they were rehearsing for the moment when their entire season comes down to four snaps inside the 10-yard line.
Looking ahead: must-watch NFL games next week
The beauty of the NFL is that there is no time to exhale. As soon as the final whistle blows on the NFL Games today, the conversation flips to what is next on the schedule. And next week, there are several matchups that already feel like elimination games or conference title previews.
One AFC showdown featuring the Chiefs against another playoff-caliber opponent will go a long way in clarifying the chase for the No. 1 seed. Every Mahomes snap in that game will carry weight, not just for the standings, but also for the MVP narrative. In the NFC, the 49ers face a physical test that will measure whether their dominance travels, while another contender has a chance to either reassert itself or slide deeper into the wild card mess.
There is also a sneaky important matchup between two teams hovering around .500, both clinging to life in the wild card race. The winner can talk themselves into a run. The loser will have to start confronting offseason questions, even with games left to play. That is the ruthless math of the NFL playoff picture this time of year.
If you are circling your calendar, do not miss the prime-time slots. Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football over the next couple of weeks feature quarterbacks who are either solidifying their status as franchise pillars or auditioning under a national spotlight. That is when legacies are built, and when fanbases either dare to dream or brace for heartbreak.
Final whistle: buckle up for the stretch run
By the time the lights went out on the NFL Games today, the league felt both more defined and more volatile. We know who the heavyweights are: Mahomes’ Chiefs, Lamar Jackson’s Ravens, the bruising 49ers. We also know which teams are living on a razor’s edge, one injury or one blown coverage away from watching January football from the couch.
The stretch run is here, and every snap from here on carries playoff leverage. Watch the body language after turnovers, track how coaches manage the NFL injury report and listen to how players talk about urgency in the locker room. That is where you will see which teams truly believe they are NFL Super Bowl contenders and which are just hanging on.
If today is any indication, the next few weeks are going to deliver the kind of drama that makes this league unmatched. Keep one eye on the standings, another on the MVP race, and don’t blink when the ball is in the air. The NFL Games today were just the latest chapter. The real story of this season is only just entering its final, wild act.
