NFL Games Today: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles reshape playoff race with statement wins
17.01.2026 - 19:24:02
The NFL games today did more than fill a Sunday slate. They shook the playoff picture, supercharged the MVP race and reminded everyone why Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts live in a different tier when the lights are brightest.
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From early-window thrillers to prime-time statement wins, Week — and especially the NFL games today — felt like a playoff dress rehearsal. Contenders flexed, pretenders got exposed, and a couple of fan bases woke up this morning wondering if their Super Bowl dream just took a hit.
Mahomes steadies the Chiefs, offense finally looks like January
Patrick Mahomes did not light up the box score the way fantasy managers might have hoped, but the Kansas City Chiefs finally looked like a complete, January-ready outfit. With the defense already playing at a championship level, the offense found its rhythm, leaning on timing, spacing and a cleaner pocket to keep the chains moving.
Mahomes spread the ball around, dissecting coverages with that familiar pocket presence and off-script wizardry. His connection with Travis Kelce again became the heartbeat of the attack, with Kelce uncovering in the middle of the field and in the red zone when everything bogged down. Defenses know what is coming; stopping it is a different story.
Afterward, Mahomes essentially said what everyone watching could feel: when this offense is efficient on early downs and avoids the drive-killing penalties and drops that have haunted them at times, Kansas City still looks like the team nobody wants to see in a win-or-go-home spot.
The result keeps the Chiefs firmly in the AFC Super Bowl contender mix and stabilizes their NFL league position atop their division. It also keeps pressure on the rest of the AFC, where one misstep can mean dropping from a top-two seed to the Wild Card grind.
Lamar Jackson’s Ravens send a message: the road to the AFC might run through Baltimore
Lamar Jackson’s MVP campaign got another big-ticket moment as the Baltimore Ravens bullied their opponent in a game that felt like January football. Jackson’s stat line was balanced: efficient through the air, dangerous on the ground, and completely in command at the line of scrimmage.
He attacked in-rhythm from the pocket, hitting intermediate throws outside the numbers and punishing soft zones. When defenses turned their backs in man coverage, he made them pay with scrambles that flipped field position and put the Ravens in field goal range. The Ravens offense felt multiple and ruthless, cycling through play-action, quick game and designed QB runs while the defense hunted.
On the other side of the ball, Baltimore’s pass rush turned the pocket into a war zone. The front generated consistent pressure with four, freeing the secondary to disguise coverages and jump routes. The physical tone at the line of scrimmage was unmistakable; this looked and felt like a bully-ball team built for cold-weather football.
In the current NFL playoff picture, the Ravens are not just in the hunt; they look like one of the favorites to secure the AFC’s No. 1 seed and the all-important bye. That is massive for Jackson, whose previous postseason runs often started on the road in hostile environments.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles grind out another heavyweight win
Put Jalen Hurts in a tight, late-game spot and the Philadelphia Eagles simply believe. That belief showed up again as the Eagles turned a slugfest into another clutch finish, leaning on Hurts’ toughness in the pocket and on the ground, plus a defense that tightened in the red zone.
Hurts was not perfect, but once again he was the difference-maker when it mattered. He extended plays on third down, absorbed hits and delivered darts to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in traffic. Inside the five-yard line, the Eagles’ signature sneak game and power looks — with Hurts as the sledgehammer — wore down a tired front seven.
Credit also belongs to a defense that bent between the 20s but kept the game in control by forcing field goals instead of touchdowns. Multiple pressures off the edge and key stops against the run forced their opponent into long-yardage situations, allowing the Eagles’ pass rush to tee off.
With the victory, Philadelphia tightened its grip on a top NFC seed and, for now, holds a prime spot in the race for home-field advantage. In an NFC loaded with physical defenses and hostile outdoor environments, forcing teams to come through Philly could be the difference between another Super Bowl appearance and a heartbreaking divisional-round exit.
Statement wins, brutal losses: the playoff picture sharpens
The NFL games today carved hard lines between contenders and the pack. A couple of teams that had been living on the bubble took damaging losses, while others vaulted up the standings with gutsy performances.
In the AFC, multiple Wild Card hopefuls stumbled. Costly turnovers, blown red zone chances and protection issues in the two-minute drill doomed teams that had been hanging on by a thread. Meanwhile, more established contenders calmly handled business, avoiding the kind of trap-door loss that can haunt a season.
The NFC side felt just as ruthless. One would-be challenger ran into a defensive buzzsaw, struggling to protect the quarterback and failing to establish the run. Another blew a double-digit lead in the second half, undone by coverage busts and an offense that went ice-cold when it tried to sit on the ball instead of stepping on the gas.
As always, margin for error is tiny. A single misread, a muffed punt, or a missed 43-yard field goal can be the difference between sitting in a playoff seed and needing help down the stretch. Today, a few teams learned that the hard way.
The current NFL playoff picture: who controls the top seeds
Looking at the updated NFL standings and the emerging playoff bracket, a few truths stand out. The Ravens and Chiefs remain squarely in the chase for the AFC’s top seed, while one surprise AFC team continues to punch above its weight with opportunistic defense and efficient quarterback play.
In the NFC, the Eagles are at the front of the line, but they are being tracked closely by a fellow heavyweight with a punishing defense and a quarterback playing the best ball of his career. Behind them, a cluster of teams sits in that Wild Card range where one big win or bad loss can flip tiebreakers.
| Conference | Seed | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Ravens | Controlling path for No. 1 seed |
| AFC | 2 | Chiefs | Division leaders, pressure on top spot |
| AFC | 3 | Surging AFC contender | Firmly in playoff field |
| AFC | WC | Bubble teams (multiple) | Neck-and-neck in Wild Card race |
| NFC | 1 | Eagles | Holding NFC lead, home-field in sight |
| NFC | 2 | Top NFC challenger | On Eagles’ heels for No. 1 seed |
| NFC | 3 | Physical NFC contender | Division in hand, eyeing seeding |
| NFC | WC | Chasing pack | On the bubble, tiebreakers looming |
This is not a full bracket, but it captures the top of the board: marquee franchises with star quarterbacks and battle-tested defenses. Below that, the NFL playoff picture is crowded with teams that still control their fate but cannot afford more than one slip the rest of the way.
NFL Wild Card race: chaos just beneath the surface
Scroll a little further down the standings and the Wild Card race in both conferences turns into a traffic jam. Point differential, head-to-head results and conference records will decide who sneaks in and who goes home furious in Week 18.
In the AFC, a handful of teams sit around the same record line, separated by a single game and some razor-thin tiebreakers. One team on a mini hot streak has forged a defensive identity built on turnovers and disguised coverages, giving them just enough margin to survive an offense that still sputters in the red zone.
Over in the NFC, the Wild Card race feels like a weekly roller coaster. Teams that look like sure-fire playoff squads one week crash back to earth the next, exposing offensive line depth issues or a defense that cannot get off the field on third and long. The wins today did not fully settle anything, but they created clear lines: there is a top shelf, and then there is everybody else clawing for a chair when the music stops.
MVP race: Lamar Jackson and Mahomes tighten the screws
The MVP race took another turn with the NFL games today, and two familiar names are firmly at the center: Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. Both added resume-building performances that matched efficiency with big-game stakes.
Jackson’s day was vintage and evolving at the same time. He made the easy throws on time, crushed a blitz with a hot route that turned into a chunk gain, and added enough rushing yards to keep the backside defenders frozen. A couple of his off-platform throws into tight windows were the kind of plays that swing MVP votes when stacked over a full season.
Mahomes, meanwhile, reminded everyone why he is still the standard. His command of the Chiefs offense was obvious: checking into favorable looks pre-snap, manipulating safeties with his eyes and punishing late rotations. Even on drives that stalled, he consistently moved the ball into field goal range, which matters on days when style points are secondary to stacking wins.
Jalen Hurts remains very much in the conversation. His dual-threat profile and clutch touchdowns in high-leverage moments continue to drive the Eagles’ push for the NFC’s top seed. Even on days when the stat line looks modest, his red zone production and short-yardage success on sneaks are real difference-makers.
As it stands, the MVP radar tilts slightly toward Jackson and Hurts, with Mahomes lurking as the late-season closer who always seems to peak just when voters are filling out ballots.
Defensive game-wreckers and breakout stars
Offense sells, but the defenses in the NFL games today shaped the playoff picture just as much. One edge rusher wrecked a game with three sacks, including a strip-sack in the fourth quarter that flipped momentum. Another interior lineman lived in the backfield, posting multiple tackles for loss and collapsing the pocket even when he did not get home.
On the back end, ball-hawking corners continued to tilt fields. A perfectly timed jump on an out-breaking route produced a pick-six that ignited the stadium and effectively sealed the game before the two-minute warning. These are the kinds of defensive splash plays that separate playoff defenses from those that simply bend until they break.
Several young players also announced themselves. A rookie wide receiver turned a simple slant into a 60-yard house call, flashing elite yards-after-catch ability. A second-year safety logged double-digit tackles and a key fourth-down stop, showing the range and physicality that coaches crave in modern hybrid defenders.
NFL injury report: contenders holding their breath
As always, the most uncomfortable part of every Sunday comes when the NFL injury report starts to populate. A couple of contenders lost key starters, and the fallout will reverberate through the playoff race.
One AFC offense watched a top wide receiver leave with a lower-body injury after an awkward landing along the sideline. The player did not return, and imaging in the next 24 to 48 hours will determine if this is a short-term setback or a season-altering blow. Without him, the passing game looked noticeably less explosive, forcing the quarterback to live underneath against tightened coverage.
Another team saw a cornerstone offensive lineman exit, immediately testing depth that had already been under scrutiny. Protection issues surfaced almost instantly, with free rushers getting uncomfortably close in the pocket and the run game losing its push on inside zone. For a team chasing a Wild Card berth, even a few weeks without an anchor up front could be enough to turn the margin against them.
Defensively, a versatile linebacker who doubles as a sub-package nickel defender appeared on the sideline in street clothes by the second half. His absence showed up in coverage busts on tight ends and running backs, turning third-and-medium into a problem area.
Smart contenders will be monitoring the next official NFL injury report closely. How quickly these players return will directly affect Super Bowl chances for multiple teams sitting near the top of the standings.
Coaching hot seat and pressure cookers
Coaches do not show up in the box score, but several feel the temperature rising after the NFL games today. One head coach saw his team blow another late lead, with conservative play-calling on offense and soft zone coverage on defense combining into a familiar collapse script.
Another staff continues to struggle with situational management: burning timeouts early in the half, punting from no-man’s land near midfield and mismanaging the clock at the end of the second quarter. In a league where a single possession often swings outcomes, these details are not just talking points; they are job-security issues.
On the flip side, a few coordinators are quietly building head-coach resumes. A defensive play-caller dialed up perfectly timed blitzes in the red zone, holding a high-powered offense to field goals, while an offensive coordinator leveraged motion, bunch sets and play-action to manufacture easy throws for a young quarterback who had struggled against pressure earlier in the season.
Looking ahead: must-watch NFL games next week
If today was any indication, next week’s slate is going to feel like a prelude to January. Several matchups jump off the schedule as must-watch showdowns with heavy playoff and seeding implications.
All eyes will be on the next test for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens as they face another physical defense that loves to blitz. Expect a chess match between Baltimore’s protection schemes and pressure looks designed to keep Jackson in the pocket and force tight-window throws.
The Chiefs will get another prime-stage opportunity to refine their offense and keep chasing the AFC’s top seed. Defensive coordinators across the league will be studying the tape from the NFL games today, searching for any blueprint to slow Mahomes in the red zone and clamp down on Kansas City’s intermediate passing game.
In the NFC, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are heading into a stretch that could effectively lock up the No. 1 seed or blow the race wide open. One upcoming showdown against a surging NFC defense has all the makings of a playoff-level slugfest: nasty pass rush, hostile crowd, tight red zone windows and huge implications for tiebreakers.
Beyond the headliners, the Wild Card race will feature multiple de facto elimination games. Teams hovering around .500 have little room left for error. Another off day in pass protection, a special teams miscue or poor clock management could be the final nail in a season that once hinted at more.
Why the NFL games today will matter in January
The deeper we get into the season, the more every snap feels like it carries postseason weight. The NFL games today did not just shift the standings; they reshaped how we think about the true Super Bowl contenders.
Mahomes and the Chiefs showed that their championship DNA is still very real once the offense plays clean. Lamar Jackson strengthened his MVP case and underlined why the AFC might run through Baltimore. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles again leaned into their physical identity and clutch gene to maintain control of the NFC’s top spot.
The NFL playoff picture is still fluid, but the outlines are sharp: a group of elite teams with MVP-level quarterbacks at the top, a frantic Wild Card scrum underneath and a long injury report that could swing fortune overnight. If today is any indication, the stretch run is going to be brutal, emotional and unforgettable.
Stay locked in, check the live scoreboard and official stats on the NFL’s site, and clear your calendar. The next wave of NFL games today and next week is going to decide who gets a ticket to January and who is left wondering how it all slipped away.
