NFL Standings shake-up: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles headline wild playoff race
17.01.2026 - 07:10:11
The NFL standings just got turned upside down again, and the ripple effects are everywhere. With Patrick Mahomes carving up defenses, Lamar Jackson turning broken plays into highlight reels, and the Eagles grinding out another clutch win, the race for seeding and playoff survival feels more like January than the regular season. Every drive shifted the NFL standings board, every snap felt like it carried Super Bowl weight.
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From early Sunday kickoffs to the primetime spotlight, this slate delivered classic shootouts, defensive slugfests and more than one heartbreaker in the final two-minute warning. The Week's action did not just produce wild game highlights; it re-drew the playoff picture, tightened the wild card race and injected new names into the MVP race while others slipped off the pace.
Mahomes and the Chiefs remind everyone who they are
Arrowhead felt like a postseason cauldron again. Patrick Mahomes stood tall in the pocket, slid out of pressure when needed and shredded coverages with that familiar calm. His timing with Travis Kelce was back in rhythm, and every time the Chiefs crossed into the red zone it felt like inevitable points. Mahomes stacked touchdown drives with ruthless efficiency, keeping Kansas City in control of both the game and their chase for a top AFC seed.
The box score backed up the eye test: efficient completion rate, multiple passing touchdowns, and just enough off-script magic to demoralize a defense that actually played respectable coverage for large stretches. Kansas City’s defense quietly did its job, forcing key third-down stops and getting off the field to give Mahomes more opportunities to cook.
Postgame, the tone from the Chiefs locker room was clear: this looked and felt like a Super Bowl contender rounding into form. Coaches stressed how the offense finally married timing routes and spacing concepts with better protection up front. In the context of the NFL standings, this win did more than add another W; it sent a not-so-subtle reminder to every AFC rival that the road to the Super Bowl might still run through Mahomes.
Lamar Jackson keeps the Ravens in the hunt for the No. 1 seed
On the other side of the conference, Lamar Jackson once again turned a tight matchup into his personal showcase. His dual-threat presence changed the geometry of the defense on every snap. When the pocket collapsed, his pocket presence and escape ability flipped broken plays into chunk gains. His arm was just as dangerous, ripping rhythm throws in the intermediate windows and hitting deep shots when safeties crept downhill.
What stood out most was his decision-making in field goal range. Rather than forcing throws that might create a pick-six going the other way, Jackson checked down, slid instead of taking unnecessary hits and preserved points. The Ravens’ staff has been vocal all season about protecting the football, and Lamar delivered on that mandate.
Defensively, Baltimore swarmed. Edge rushers set the edge against the run and still managed to win in obvious passing downs, while the secondary disguised coverages just enough to bait a late-game interception that sealed it. The result: another victory that keeps them entrenched near the top of the AFC, absolutely in the mix for the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage.
Eagles win ugly, but their resume keeps growing
If there is one constant in this season’s NFC story, it is that the Eagles rarely win pretty, but they almost always win. This week was no exception. Jalen Hurts battled through pressure, a physical run defense and a loud, hostile environment to guide Philadelphia to another grinding, possession-by-possession victory.
The Eagles offensive line was tested but held just enough to keep Hurts clean in critical downs. In the red zone, the quarterback’s power-running ability and short-yardage design runs once again turned third-and-short and fourth-and-one into near-automatic conversions. It felt like the kind of game Philly will have to win again in January: not a fireworks show, but a body-blow victory that wears the opponent down over four quarters.
On defense, the front four generated steady pressure, forcing hurried throws and never allowing the opponent’s ground game to control tempo. Even when the secondary bent, it rarely broke in the red zone, holding drives to field goals instead of touchdowns. Another notch in the win column, and another week where the Eagles look every bit like a Super Bowl contender in the NFC.
How the NFL standings and playoff picture shifted
The biggest story beyond the highlight reels is what these results did to the NFL standings and the broader playoff picture in both conferences. Division leaders flexed in some spots, while bubble teams either solidified their wild card credentials or saw ground slip away.
Here is a compact look at the current top of the board, with division leaders and key wild card challengers in focus:
| Conference | Seed | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Chiefs | Division leader, No. 1 seed in play |
| AFC | 2 | Ravens | Chasing top seed, strong tiebreakers |
| AFC | 3 | AFC South leader | Holding narrow edge in division |
| AFC | 4 | AFC East leader | Still volatile, but in control |
| AFC | 5 | Top Wild Card | On pace, but no margin for error |
| AFC | 6 | Wild Card contender | Neck-and-neck in tiebreakers |
| AFC | 7 | Wild Card bubble | Hanging on to last spot |
| NFC | 1 | Eagles | Control of NFC, home-field path |
| NFC | 2 | NFC North leader | Comfortable but not clinched |
| NFC | 3 | NFC West leader | Battle-tested, tough schedule ahead |
| NFC | 4 | NFC South leader | Sub-.500 race still up for grabs |
| NFC | 5 | Top Wild Card | Record good enough to threaten seeds |
| NFC | 6 | Wild Card challenger | Riding recent win streak |
| NFC | 7 | Bubble team | Every game now must-win |
Those middle seeds and the back of the bracket are where the drama really lives. In the AFC, the wild card race is a weekly game of musical chairs. One upset loss can send a would-be contender tumbling from the driver’s seat to needing help in Week 18. NFC bubble teams are in a similar spot; one blown coverage or missed field goal might be the difference between sneaking into January and turning in playbooks on Monday morning.
Every coach is preaching the same message this week: clean up situational football. Third downs, red zone execution, and two-minute drills are all that separate legitimate playoff threats from teams that are just hanging around mathematically. The NFL standings might show clusters of teams with similar records, but the on-field margins between them are razor-thin.
MVP race: Mahomes and Lamar in the spotlight
The MVP race tightened again, and both Mahomes and Lamar Jackson strengthened their resumes. Mahomes stacked efficient drives, minimized mistakes and produced the kind of late-game poise voters tend to remember. Lamar, meanwhile, showcased exactly why dual-threat quarterbacks now define the modern NFL. When you can rack up big passing yards, add impact rushing plays and keep turnovers low, you grab a firm spot on every MVP ballot.
For now, the conversation feels like a two-man duel with a few dark horses lurking. Jalen Hurts remains firmly in the mix thanks to his combination of passing production and short-yardage dominance. A big late-season run by any of these quarterbacks could tilt the voting. What voters will scrutinize most: performance in high-leverage spots, wins against other contenders, and how each star elevates the supporting cast around him.
Defensive stars are trying to crash the party as well, piling up sacks, forced fumbles and game-sealing plays. But the reality is that in a league driven by explosive offenses and quarterback efficiency, it will take a truly historic defensive stat line to crack the top of the MVP race this year.
Injury report and its Super Bowl implications
This week’s injury report delivered another reminder: health is the invisible variable behind every Super Bowl run. Key playmakers on both sides of the ball popped up as limited or out, forcing coaching staffs to reshuffle depth charts and game plans on short notice.
Offensively, some contenders are nursing banged-up receiving corps, leaving quarterbacks to lean more heavily on tight ends and running backs in the passing game. That shows up on tape as more checkdowns and screens, fewer deep shots, and a heavier emphasis on time of possession instead of explosive plays. Defenses, of course, are adjusting, loading the box or bracketing remaining stars and daring backups to beat them.
On the other side of the ball, injuries in the secondary are particularly brutal right now. One missing starting cornerback can change the entire coverage menu. Coordinators have to simplify calls, rotate more zone looks, and live with giving up some underneath yardage to avoid the back-breaking deep ball. That is where Super Bowl contenders separate from pretenders: the true heavyweights find ways to win with Plan B or Plan C personnel.
Coaches are walking a tightrope between pushing injured players back into the lineup for must-win games and protecting them for what they hope is a deep January run. Every snap counts, but every snap also carries risk; that calculus will define how some franchises feel about their decisions when the playoff dust settles.
Teams on the bubble and under pressure
The bubble is where desperation lives. Several teams clinging to wild card hopes played like it was already playoff time. Some delivered gutsy performances, converting fourth downs, dialing up aggressive blitz packages and trusting their best players with the season hanging in the balance. Others shrank in the moment, mismanaging timeouts, stalling in the red zone and settling for field goals that simply were not enough.
Quarterbacks on the hot seat felt that pressure most. A couple of veterans heard the boos early after throwing costly interceptions, while younger passers still fighting to prove they are franchise-caliber had to deal with disguised looks, late safety rotations and relentless edge pressure. The difference between a clutch drive and a back-breaking turnover is microscopic.
In the locker rooms of those bubble teams, the message this week will be simple: every game from here on out is an elimination game. One more slip, and that playoff graphic on TV goes from "In the Hunt" to nowhere to be found.
Looking ahead: must-watch games and Super Bowl contenders
As the calendar rolls toward the stretch run, the schedule is setting up a series of heavyweight clashes that will decide seeding and shape the final NFL standings. There are multiple must-watch games on deck featuring direct battles between current division leaders and top wild card hopefuls. Flex scheduling is already kicking in, moving these matchups into prime national windows.
For neutral fans, this is appointment television. You will see Mahomes and the Chiefs in another primetime spotlight, Lamar Jackson facing a defense built to spy and contain him, and the Eagles taking on a physical opponent that can match them in the trenches. Every snap in those showdowns will feed into the Super Bowl conversation.
Right now, the tier of true Super Bowl contenders looks clear: the Chiefs and Ravens at or near the top of the AFC, the Eagles as the NFC’s standard-bearer, with a couple of surging teams from each conference trying to elbow their way into that inner circle. The gap is not huge, but it is real. Contenders finish games, win on the road, survive ugly Sundays and stay relatively healthy.
By the time the next game week wraps, expect another round of chaos. Someone will steal a win they are not supposed to get. Someone else will drop a game that looked like a layup on paper. And once again, the NFL standings will look different on Monday morning, reminding everyone why this league owns the calendar and why fans keep refreshing score apps deep into the night.
