NFL Standings shake up: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles reshape playoff race
01.02.2026 - 19:08:14
The NFL Standings just got a full-on makeover, and the playoff picture feels a lot like January already. With Patrick Mahomes keeping the Chiefs in Super Bowl contender mode, Lamar Jackson vaulting the Ravens up the AFC ladder, and the Eagles grinding out another statement win, the race for seeding, Wild Card spots and the MVP trophy tightened across the league.
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On a weekend packed with late-game drama, signature drives and defenses bending but not breaking in the Red Zone, the updated NFL Standings now tell a story of two conferences moving in very different rhythms. The AFC is a brawl, loaded with contenders stacked within a game or two of each other. The NFC, meanwhile, still runs through Philadelphia and San Francisco, but a couple of sleepers just kicked the door open on the Wild Card race.
Mahomes steadies Chiefs as AFC chaos erupts
Patrick Mahomes did not put up arcade numbers, but his command of the pocket, pre-snap reads and late-game poise reminded everyone why Kansas City remains a Super Bowl contender every single season. He navigated pressure, extended plays outside the pocket and kept the offense in Field Goal range even when drives stalled. It was classic Chiefs football: not always pretty, but relentlessly effective when it mattered.
Kansas City’s win matters because of what happened around them. Other AFC hopefuls stumbled in ways that ripple directly through the NFL Standings. A heavy favorite dropped a road game in what felt like a playoff atmosphere, opening the door for Baltimore and Miami to press for that coveted No. 1 seed. The margin for error at the top of the conference is now razor thin, and every conference game from here on is essentially a seeding tiebreaker disguised as a regular-season matchup.
Postgame, the tone out of the Chiefs’ locker room was businesslike. Players talked about execution in the Two-Minute Warning, situational awareness on third down and the need to clean up pre-snap penalties. The underlying message: they know they are in a dogfight for the bye week and home-field advantage, and no one is taking the AFC for granted.
Lamar Jackson’s Ravens look like a bully again
Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, put another exclamation point on his MVP race resume. The Ravens offense hummed, mixing downhill runs with play-action shots that kept safeties guessing all afternoon. Jackson’s stat line once again jumped off the page: efficient through the air, explosive on scrambles, and in full control of the tempo at the line of scrimmage.
Defenses are trying everything: spy linebackers, zone drops to take away crossing routes, delayed blitzes from the slot. None of it is fully containing Jackson right now. His ability to slide in the pocket, keep his eyes downfield and then torch man coverage when lanes open has Baltimore looking like the most balanced team in the AFC. If they keep this up, every Super Bowl contender conversation in the conference has to start with Lamar.
One assistant coach put it bluntly afterward: it is not just Jackson’s highlight runs, it is his command of protections and his decision-making in the Red Zone. He is avoiding the back-breaking Pick-Six, living to fight another series and trusting his defense to flip field position. That maturity is exactly what turns great regular-season quarterbacks into January nightmares.
Eagles grind, 49ers dominate: NFC heavyweights flex again
The Eagles’ latest win was a classic Philadelphia grinder. Jalen Hurts absorbed hits, extended drives with his legs and hit big throws off RPO looks when coverage cheated down. It was not a blowout, but it was control – the kind of win that tells you this roster knows how to close. The Linc felt like a playoff cauldron as the defense cranked up the pass rush in the fourth quarter and the offense leaned on the run game to bleed the clock.
Out west, the 49ers turned in another clinic. Their offense carved up coverages with pre-snap motion, misdirection and yards-after-catch brutality. The defense, as usual, hunted in waves, collapsing the pocket, setting strong edges and erasing the run. Together with Philadelphia, San Francisco remains firmly planted in any Super Bowl contender short list and looms over the NFC playoff picture like a storm cloud.
Put it together, and the NFC top tier still looks like a two- or three-team race. But there was real movement underneath. A surging Wild Card hopeful snagged a massive road win, while a supposed contender coughed up a double-digit lead. The result: the back half of the NFC bracket is now a traffic jam, with multiple 5- and 6-win teams jostling for tie-breakers and conference record edges.
NFL Standings snapshot: Division leaders and Wild Card race
Zooming out from the weekly chaos, the current NFL Standings offer a clear snapshot of who controls their fate and who is clinging to the edge in the Wild Card hunt. The following compact table highlights the key Division leaders and the teams most relevant in the race for playoff positioning.
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Ravens | Best in AFC | Lamar leading MVP race, inside track for bye |
| AFC | 2 | Chiefs | Elite record | Mahomes keeps Super Bowl window wide open |
| AFC | 3 | Dolphins | Contender tier | Track meet offense, chasing top seed |
| AFC | WC | Several teams | Within 1–2 games | Wild Card race loaded with tiebreak drama |
| NFC | 1 | Eagles | Top NFC mark | Control home-field advantage for now |
| NFC | 2 | 49ers | Powerhouse | Dominant point differential, closing on No. 1 |
| NFC | 3 | Cowboys/Lions tier | Strong records | Firmly in mix, eyeing higher seeds |
| NFC | WC | Bubble teams | Crowded field | Every divisional game feels like an elimination |
While exact tiebreakers will churn week to week, the shape is obvious: Ravens and Chiefs are jockeying for the AFC throne, with a high-octane Dolphins team lurking. In the NFC, the road to the Super Bowl still likely runs through either Philadelphia or Santa Clara, but the Wild Card race is wide open enough that one extended hot streak can flip the script entirely.
Game highlights: thrillers, upsets and clutch moments
This week gave fans a little of everything, from defensive slugfests to full-on track meets. One of the wildest finishes came in a game that swung on a late Red Zone stand. A would-be game-winning drive stalled just outside Field Goal range after back-to-back sacks pushed the offense into desperation mode. The final Hail Mary hung in the air long enough to silence an entire stadium before the home defense batted it away at the goal line.
Elsewhere, a supposed underdog shocked a contender with an aggressive game plan. They went for it on fourth down, blitzed off schedule and stole a possession with a perfectly-timed onside kick. The upset ignited the home crowd and, more importantly, tightened the race for the last AFC Wild Card slot. That one result will echo in the standings for weeks.
In prime time, another heavyweight bout lived up to the billing. Both quarterbacks traded haymakers, connecting on deep shots and bailing out broken plays with off-platform throws. A critical Pick-Six, however, flipped the momentum and became the defining play, a reminder that even star QBs are one misread away from swinging the entire Super Bowl contender narrative around them.
MVP race: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and the chasing pack
The MVP race is starting to crystallize, and right now Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes have the clearest paths to the award. Jackson’s dual-threat production and the Ravens’ place atop the NFL Standings make his case simple: he is the driving force behind the team that currently owns the AFC’s inside track to the Super Bowl. His weekly box scores are starting to pile up into something historic – efficient passing totals combined with impact rushing numbers that warp defensive game plans.
Mahomes, for his part, is doing what voters always say they value: elevating everyone around him. Even in games where the Chiefs’ passing attack is not bombing away for 400 yards, his third-down conversions, late-game drives and ability to avoid sacks keep Kansas City’s offense humming just enough. The raw stats may not lead the league in every column, but the total impact, especially in high-leverage moments, remains unmatched.
There is a chasing pack too: a couple of NFC quarterbacks with gaudy numbers, one AFC receiver putting up video-game production, and a defensive star who has turned every snap into a pass-rush clinic. To truly crash the MVP race, though, they’ll need their teams to surge in the NFL Standings over the next month. Voters rarely separate the trophy from wins, and the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in each conference tends to carry the strongest narrative.
Injury report: how health is reshaping contenders
The latest Injury Report added a few potentially season-altering twists. A star wide receiver on a top AFC team exited with a lower-body issue, casting doubt on his availability for a critical divisional showdown next week. Without his ability to win one-on-one outside the numbers, that offense may need to lean more on the run game and quick game to stay in rhythm.
On the defensive side, a Pro Bowl pass rusher in the NFC is now week-to-week with a leg injury suffered while trying to bend the edge around a tackle. His absence would fundamentally change how opponents attack that front, opening up cleaner pockets and reducing the number of disguised pressures his coordinator can call. It is the kind of injury that does not just affect one game but can chip away at a team’s Super Bowl contender status if it lingers deep into December.
Coaches across the league sounded the same note in their postgame comments: survival. At this point in the season, the healthiest contenders often separate from the rest. Rotations shorten, nagging injuries compound, and depth pieces who were special teamers in September are suddenly playing major snaps. The Injury Report is as important as any stat column in decoding how the NFL Standings might look a month from now.
Looking ahead: must-watch games and Super Bowl storylines
The next slate sets up like a teaser trailer for January. Ravens and Chiefs both face tricky matchups that could swing the top of the AFC, while the Eagles and 49ers have trap games that will test their focus. Any stumble from that group not only shakes up seeding but opens the door for hungry teams in the Wild Card race to start dreaming bigger.
Circle the prime-time showdowns on your calendar. An AFC clash between two explosive offenses feels like a playoff preview, with massive implications for the Wild Card pecking order. Another national-window game pits a desperate bubble team against a division leader; the atmosphere in that building should feel like win-or-go-home, even if the math does not quite say so yet.
From a Super Bowl perspective, the conversation right now still runs through the same core: Ravens, Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles, 49ers and at least one NFC challenger lurking in the shadows. But the gap between those true Super Bowl contender teams and the rest is not as wide as it looked a month ago. One extended win streak, one breakout performance from a young quarterback, or one healthier-than-expected Injury Report could change everything before the bracket is set.
The one constant: every week from here on is a referendum. On the MVP race, on coaching hot seats, on roster construction and on whether a team is built for the long grind or just for highlight reels. Keep an eye on the live board, because the NFL Standings are going to keep shifting under our feet – and the next seismic jolt might arrive as soon as Thursday night.
