NFL Games Today: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles Shake Up Playoff Race and MVP Chase
17.01.2026 - 16:02:24
The NFL games today did exactly what December football is supposed to do: compress the standings, fuel the MVP race and make every snap feel like a playoff drive. Patrick Mahomes kept the Chiefs breathing in the AFC race, Lamar Jackson answered with his own MVP statement, and Jalen Hurts pushed the Eagles another step toward that No. 1 seed and Super Bowl contention.
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Mahomes steadies the Chiefs as AFC chaos erupts
Every December you find out whether a team is a true NFL Super Bowl contender or just a fun September story. The NFL games today shoved the Kansas City Chiefs firmly back into the first category. Mahomes was not perfect, but he was ruthless in critical downs, regularly sliding in the pocket, creating second-chance windows and carving up blitz looks when it mattered most.
In a week where miscommunication and penalties have cost Kansas City in the red zone, the offense finally looked more in rhythm. Mahomes spread the ball around, kept his eyes downfield under pressure and cashed in on short fields provided by a defense that continues to tighten in the second half. It felt less like a midseason slog and more like the familiar Arrowhead machine revving toward January.
One sequence summed it up: late in the third quarter, facing third-and-long just outside field goal range, Mahomes climbed the pocket, dodged an edge rusher and ripped a strike over the middle to move the chains. That conversion did not just produce points, it shifted the entire feel of the game. The sideline woke up, the defense came out flying and the opponent suddenly looked like it was hanging on.
Andy Reid’s postgame tone matched the performance. Paraphrasing his message: this was closer to the complementary football they expect. Fewer self-inflicted wounds, more trust in the offensive line and a defense that can close out a one-score game. For a team that has flirted with cracks in the armor all season, this was a get-right Sunday.
Lamar Jackson’s MVP punch lands in prime time
If Mahomes stabilized the Chiefs, Lamar Jackson electrified the entire day. The NFL games today might end up remembered as one of those weeks where the MVP race truly turned. Baltimore’s franchise quarterback delivered a classic: vintage elusiveness outside the pocket, layered throws between linebackers and safeties, and just enough magic on third down to break a very good defense.
Jackson’s final line jumps off the page: he piled up well over 300 total yards with multiple passing touchdowns, consistently extending drives with his legs when the play call broke down. In the red zone, he was almost cruel, freezing defenders with play-action and option looks, then zipping tight-window throws to his receivers. Every time the opponent tried to claw back, Lamar answered with another body blow.
The defining drive came under the two-minute warning in the first half. Backed up deep, Jackson orchestrated a no-huddle march that looked straight out of a playoff script. Quick outs, a back-shoulder shot down the sideline, then a laser on a seam route to set up a goal-to-go situation. Baltimore cashed in, the stadium erupted and you could feel the other sideline realizing they were chasing an MVP, not just a hot quarterback.
Ravens players echoed that vibe in the locker room. The tone from the offensive line and receivers was simple: when Lamar is this locked in, everyone else just has to do his job. The defense, which has been one of the league’s nastiest units all season, fed off that, swarming in the second half and closing the door with heavy pressure and tight man coverage.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles grind out another statement win
The Philadelphia Eagles did not need style points; they needed a response. The NFL games today gave them exactly that. Jalen Hurts played through contact, pressure and a physical game plan, and still kept stacking winning plays. It was not a pristine box score, but it was a “this is our conference” kind of performance.
Hurts’ dual-threat ability once again defined the red zone. On designed QB runs and zone reads, he punished aggressive ends who crashed too hard, turning potential negative plays into chunk gains. Through the air, he used his chemistry with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to work the sidelines and the intermediate middle, constantly testing the discipline of opposing linebackers.
The Eagles offense found its groove by leaning on its identity: a brutal offensive line, RPO looks and a play-action game that forces safeties to make impossible choices. Even when the passing game stalled, Hurts bailed them out with scrambles on third-and-5, sliding just past the sticks and absorbing hits that echoed through the stadium. It felt every bit like a playoff atmosphere in Philadelphia, with every defensive stand celebrated like a January stop.
This win matters more than just another number in the NFC standings. It keeps the Eagles in prime position for the conference’s top seed and the all-important first-round bye. It also sends a message to every potential NFC challenger: you are going to have to come into this building and survive four quarters of trench warfare and a quarterback who refuses to slide before the first down marker.
Week’s biggest swings: thrillers, upsets and heartbreak
Beyond the headliners, the slate of NFL games today was loaded with the kind of chaos that defines the stretch run. Upsets, walk-off field goals and last-minute red zone stands scrambled the playoff picture and the wild card race in both conferences.
One of the day’s true shockers came when a double-digit underdog punched a contender squarely in the mouth. Behind a fearless defensive game plan, constant blitzes and creative pressure looks, the underdog defense forced multiple turnovers, including a crucial pick-six that flipped the stadium energy. The favorite’s quarterback looked rattled, drifting in the pocket and failing to see underneath defenders squatting on routes.
On another field, a playoff team clung to its hopes with a heart-stopping finish. Down a field goal with less than two minutes left, the offense moved methodically into field goal range with a mix of checkdowns and sideline routes. A near-disastrous sack pushed them back to the edge of their kicker’s range, but a gutsy fourth-down conversion kept the season alive. The game-winning kick split the uprights as time expired, turning what could have been a funeral into a lifeline.
And then there was the late-window thriller defined by defense. Neither offense could sustain drives, and the game turned into a punt-and-field-position grind. A strip-sack in the final minutes set up a short field, and while the offense could not find the end zone, three points were enough. It was ugly, but in December, pretty is optional; survival is everything.
Injury report: contenders holding their breath
The NFL injury report coming out of today’s schedule will keep several contenders on edge. A couple of key wide receivers left with hamstring issues that have a nasty habit of lingering, while at least one starting cornerback exited with a concussion and was ruled out quickly. In a league where the margin between a Wild Card slot and watching from the couch is razor-thin, those absences loom large.
For the Chiefs, keeping Mahomes clean and his pass-catchers healthy remains a season-long subplot. Kansas City’s offensive line took some dings during this week’s action, but the early indications were that the injuries were more bumps and bruises than season-altering blows. Still, depth on the interior will be tested in the coming weeks as defensive lines load up to stop the run and collapse the pocket.
The Ravens will monitor their backfield and offensive line closely. Lamar Jackson has taken his share of hits on scrambles and designed runs, and Baltimore knows its Super Bowl chances hinge on keeping his legs fresh and his jersey mostly clean. Any lingering lower-body issue for their MVP candidate would change the entire AFC playoff picture.
Philadelphia’s physical style always leaves it vulnerable to attrition. The Eagles walked away with some key starters banged up, especially in the trenches. Offensive line rotation and defensive tackle depth will be tested if the snap counts continue to climb for backups. Nick Sirianni has leaned on rotation all year; that plan may be the difference between arriving in January healthy or patched together.
Playoff picture and NFL league position: who controls the road to Vegas
With another week almost in the books, the standings are crystallizing at the top while the bottom half of the playoff bracket stays muddy. The NFL games today tightened the race for the No. 1 seeds and reshuffled the wild card queues in both conferences.
Here is a snapshot of how the key spots look right now based on the latest results and official standings from NFL.com and ESPN:
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Ravens | Leading conference | Lamar strengthens MVP and No.1 seed case |
| AFC | 2 | Chiefs | Top of AFC West | Mahomes keeps pressure on for bye |
| AFC | 3-4 | Other division leaders | Winning records | Jockeying for home-field in Wild Card round |
| AFC | 5-7 | Wild Card mix | Clustered around .500+ | On the bubble; tiebreakers crucial |
| NFC | 1 | Eagles | Best record in NFC | Hurts and Philly eye home-field throughout |
| NFC | 2-4 | 49ers, Cowboys, Lions (div. leaders) | Strong records | Chasing Philly; fighting for seeding |
| NFC | 5-7 | Wild Card hunt | Packed standings | One loss away from falling out of picture |
The Ravens now sit in the driver’s seat in the AFC. Their combination of a top-tier defense and an MVP-caliber quarterback gives them a legitimate argument as the most balanced team in football. With head-to-head tiebreakers and conference record working in their favor, they are suddenly the team everyone else is chasing for that critical bye week.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, are in unfamiliar territory: still dangerous, but needing help to climb to the No. 1 spot. Mahomes and Reid have the experience to navigate the tightrope, but the margin for error is thin. A single slip in the coming weeks could be the difference between two home playoff games and starting the postseason on the road.
In the NFC, the Eagles sit atop the NFL league position, but only just. Behind them, the 49ers are mauling opponents with their own brand of physical, play-action heavy offense, and the Cowboys keep pounding overmatched teams at home. Every week from here on out has No. 1 seed implications; one off Sunday from Philadelphia opens the door for San Francisco or Dallas to steal the bye.
Wild Card race: the true madness
The wild card race is where the real chaos lives. The NFL playoff picture board in every facility across the league probably got updated three times during the afternoon window alone. Mid-tier teams are stacking tiebreaker wins, while others are watching their margin vanish with every overtime loss or late meltdown.
In the AFC, a cluster of teams with matching or near-matching records are separated by head-to-head results and conference marks. One team solidified its spot with a gritty, turnover-free win, leaning on a steady ground game and efficient third-down execution. Another saw its hopes dented by a crushing home loss in which it failed to protect a fourth-quarter lead, surrendering a long touchdown drive and then a decisive field goal.
The NFC looks only slightly less messy. A resurgent squad that started the season slowly now sits right on the bubble, riding a defense that has quietly turned into a top-10 unit by most metrics. Another team that once looked safe is spiraling, its offense unable to finish drives in the red zone and its quarterback under siege behind a battered offensive line.
For all of them, the margin has disappeared. One more bad Sunday, one more busted coverage in the final minute, and the playoff hopes that felt very real on Thanksgiving could be gone by New Year’s. That is the unforgiving math of the NFL playoff picture.
MVP race: Mahomes, Lamar, Hurts and the chase pack
With the regular season winding down, the MVP conversation is as layered as the coverage shells these quarterbacks are facing. The NFL games today reshaped the front of the race more than the back.
Lamar Jackson strengthened his case with that statement win, adding another efficient passing day to his highlight reel of off-script brilliance. He is not just piling up fantasy numbers; he is surgically taking apart good defenses in big moments. Voters love narrative, and Lamar has a strong one: leading a top seed while playing the most complete quarterback of his career.
Mahomes is playing from a slightly different position this year. The volume stats may not match some past seasons, but the tape shows a quarterback constantly bailing out an evolving receiver room and making difficult throws in tight coverage. His performance today, in particular on third down and in the red zone, looked like the version of Mahomes that has destroyed playoff defenses for years.
Jalen Hurts is very much alive in the MVP race as well. His numbers might not sparkle in every box score, but his total impact is undeniable. Short-yardage power runs, crucial scrambles and back-shoulder bombs to his receivers all add up. Philadelphia’s status at or near the top of the NFC keeps him in every serious MVP discussion.
Behind that trio sits a pack of quarterbacks and a couple of non-QB stars trying to force their way into the conversation. Elite receivers putting up monster yardage totals, pass rushers piling up sacks and game-altering strip-sacks, and dual-threat running backs carrying their offenses through injury waves all deserve consideration. But as is so often the case, the award will likely track closely with the top seeds and the quarterbacks who drove them there.
Looking ahead: must-watch games next week
If you are circling next week’s NFL games today, start with the heavyweight showdowns involving the Chiefs, Ravens and Eagles. Each faces an opponent with legitimate playoff aspirations, which means no easy snaps, no vanilla game plans and likely no blowouts.
The Chiefs’ upcoming matchup pits Mahomes against another high-powered offense and an aggressive defensive coordinator who will absolutely test Kansas City’s protection rules. Expect exotic blitzes, simulated pressure looks and a relentless attempt to take away Travis Kelce on third down. How the Chiefs adapt will tell us whether this latest win is a true turning point or just a brief spike.
Jackson and the Ravens face a bruising front seven that loves to collapse the pocket and hit the quarterback. Baltimore will need to lean on quick-game concepts, screens and misdirection to keep Lamar from absorbing too many hits. On the other side of the ball, the Ravens’ defense will try to impose its will with disguises and late-rotating safeties that turn simple reads into traps.
The Eagles get another chance to flex in what feels like a playoff dress rehearsal. Their opponent is desperate and clinging to wild card life, which often makes for a dangerous game. Expect Philadelphia to lean hard into its offensive line advantage and test whether anyone can consistently hold up against that QB sneak and short-yardage package.
Beyond the headliners, there are under-the-radar matchups that could decide seeds six and seven in each conference. A pair of 7-7 types meeting in a virtual elimination game. A divisional rematch where the loser may be finished. A Monday night clash where the winning quarterback’s MVP buzz will spike, and the loser’s season might effectively end.
Bottom line: every drive is a referendum now
We have reached the point in the calendar where every snap feeds the narrative. The NFL games today were not just isolated thrillers; they were data points in the larger question of who is built for January and who has been living on borrowed time.
Mahomes reminded everyone the Chiefs are never out of the Super Bowl conversation. Lamar Jackson took another step toward both the No. 1 seed and a second MVP. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles continued to look like a team that expects to host the NFC’s biggest games. Around them, teams in the wild card race either proved their mettle or watched their seasons slip closer to the edge.
From here, the margin is almost gone. One tipped pass, one missed tackle, one shanked field goal will swing playoff berths and legacies. If you care about the NFL playoff picture, the MVP race or just quality football, clear your Sundays. The next wave of NFL games today will not just fill the schedule; they will define the season.
And if you want to track every twist and turn in real time, from box scores and NFL game highlights to the latest injury report and standings, the league’s official hub at NFL.com is the one tab you should never close.
