NFL Standings shake-up: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles reshape playoff race
10.02.2026 - 10:46:44
The NFL standings look completely different after this week, and the ripple effects are everywhere. Patrick Mahomes kept the Chiefs alive in the AFC race, Lamar Jackson tightened his grip on MVP buzz, and the Eagles sent another message to the NFC. With every drive feeling like a playoff snap, the chase for seeding, wild card spots, and Super Bowl contender status just got a whole lot nastier.
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In a league where one blown coverage or one clutch throw can swing the entire playoff picture, this week’s slate delivered everything: walk-off field goals, red zone stands, and quarterbacks either cementing their legacy or feeling the pocket close in on them. The updated NFL standings do not just tell you who is on top. They tell you who is built for January and who is hanging on by a thread.
Mahomes keeps Chiefs in the mix, Eagles win another heavyweight bout
The Chiefs offense finally looked more like itself, with Mahomes spreading the ball around and attacking the intermediate zones. His timing with his top targets returned in key moments, especially on third down, where Kansas City repeatedly kept drives alive and chewed clock. The box score backed up the eye test: multiple touchdown drives, efficient passing, and a ground game that did just enough to keep the defense honest.
What stood out was Mahomes’ pocket presence. He slid away from pressure, reset his feet, and ripped throws into tight windows. It was the kind of performance that reminds everyone why, regardless of recent wobbles, the Chiefs remain a Super Bowl contender as long as No. 15 is under center. After the win, several players talked about urgency, noting that the locker room understood they were playing for playoff seeding, not just another W.
On the NFC side, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles once again turned a heavy-weight showdown into a statement. The offense leaned on its physical identity: power runs, sneaks in short yardage, and deep shots that forced the defense to defend every blade of grass. Their red zone efficiency, especially on those bruising drives late in the second half, underscored why they are a nightmare in January conditions.
Defensively, the Eagles brought heat. Edge rushers collapsed the pocket, the secondary rallied to the ball, and they forced the opposing quarterback into rushed reads and turnovers. One late-game stop in field goal range felt like a playoff moment in October: the stadium erupted, and the sideline reaction said it all. This was not just another regular-season win; it was a message to the rest of the NFC that the road to the Super Bowl might still run through Philadelphia.
Lamar Jackson’s MVP race heats up
Lamar Jackson spent the weekend reminding everyone why his name is near or at the top of the MVP race. He diced up coverages from the pocket, pushed the ball downfield when the defense rolled safeties toward the box, and still escaped for chain-moving runs whenever a play broke down. The stat line was the full Lamar experience: multiple total touchdowns, efficient passing yardage, and enough rushing juice to change how the defense called coverages.
The Ravens coaching staff leaned into Jackson’s strengths. They spread the field, used motion to diagnose coverages, and trusted Lamar to make post-snap reads in the quick game. Inside the locker room, the talk was not just about his highlight plays but his command at the line of scrimmage. Teammates noted how he checked into better looks in the red zone and kept the offense out of bad situations against aggressive blitzes.
In the current MVP race, Jackson’s performance sits right alongside the week’s other headliners. While Mahomes reminded everyone of his ceiling and Hurts continued to pile up wins, Jackson’s dual-threat profile is warping defensive game plans weekly. The updated NFL standings, with the Ravens jostling for a top seed, only amplify his case. If Baltimore locks down a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, this weekend might be remembered as a key chapter in his MVP narrative.
Game highlights: thrills, heartbreakers, and wild card chaos
The slate delivered more than just top-of-the-conference clashes. Across the league, bubble teams fighting for wild card spots turned the weekend into a series of mini elimination games. One game swung on a missed field goal in the final seconds. Another turned on a pick-six when a quarterback forced a throw into double coverage just outside field goal range. Those single plays might end up as the difference between playing in January or booking vacations.
In one particularly wild finish, a team down two scores at the two-minute warning nearly pulled off a miracle comeback. They hit a deep shot down the sideline, then recovered an onside kick, only to stall in the red zone after a sack on third down. The sideline reactions told the story better than any stat sheet: helmets slammed, hands on heads, and a stunned silence as the final field goal attempt sailed wide.
On the defensive side, multiple edge rushers made emphatic cases for All-Pro consideration. A three-sack outing in a national TV window will linger in voters’ minds, especially when those sacks came in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Forced fumbles, tipped balls, and back-breaking drive-stoppers defined the night. It felt like a preview of playoff football: compressed windows, violent collisions, and every mistake magnified.
Updated NFL standings and playoff picture
With this week’s results locked in, the playoff picture has started to crystallize. The race for the No. 1 seed in both conferences is tight, and the wild card race is already a traffic jam. Division leaders gained separation in some spots and invited chaos in others. A couple of underdog wins shook up the wild card stack, knocking previously comfortable teams back toward the bubble.
Here is a compact look at how the top of the board is shaping up among key contenders and division leaders across the AFC and NFC. Exact seeding will shift as tiebreakers update in real time, but the tiers are clear: front-line Super Bowl contenders, solid playoff teams, and desperate wild card chasers.
| Conference | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | Chiefs | Division leader, eyeing No. 1 seed |
| AFC | Ravens | Division leader, strong Super Bowl contender |
| AFC | Top Wild Card mix | Multiple teams separated by one game |
| NFC | Eagles | Conference leader, inside track to top seed |
| NFC | 49ers / Cowboys tier | Chasing Eagles, solid playoff footing |
| NFC | Wild Card bubble | Crowded field, tiebreakers looming large |
The full NFL standings on the official site tell the deeper story: point differentials, conference records, and head-to-head results are quietly setting the table for tiebreaker drama in December. Coaches and front offices know it. That is why you are hearing so many players talk about “every snap matters” even before Halloween.
The wild card race, especially in the AFC, is starting to look like a logjam. Teams with explosive offenses but shaky defenses are battling more balanced but less explosive rosters. One week, a high-flying passing attack drops 30-plus and looks like a dark horse Super Bowl contender. The next, they get bullied at the line of scrimmage and fall back into the pack. The margin for error is razor-thin, and that is exactly how the league likes it.
Injury report: contenders walking the tightrope
No week in the NFL reshapes the standings without the Injury Report casting a shadow. Several teams came out of their games with key starters limping, taped up, or heading for further evaluation. A star wide receiver left after a hard landing on the sideline. A starting left tackle battled through an ankle issue before finally shutting it down late. A defensive captain spent most of the second half in the blue medical tent, helmet off, unable to return.
For true Super Bowl contenders, this is the tightrope walk. One injury on the offensive line can change how an entire scheme functions. Suddenly, the quick game becomes mandatory, deep drops disappear from the call sheet, and the quarterback is living on hot reads and checkdowns. On defense, losing a corner or pass rusher can force a coordinator to blitz less, change coverage shells, and live with softer cushions on the perimeter.
Coaches offered the usual day-to-day and week-to-week phrasing in postgame media sessions, but the tone suggested real concern in a few locker rooms. Everyone is watching the midweek practice reports and official injury designations, knowing that one “out” tag for a star could tilt next week’s spreads and, eventually, the playoff picture itself.
Quarterbacks under pressure and the shifting MVP race
While Mahomes, Hurts, and Jackson strengthened their MVP résumés, other quarterbacks felt the heat. A couple of young starters struggled in the red zone, settling for field goals instead of touchdowns after stalling drives and late sacks. In today’s league, red zone execution is everything, and multiple coaches did not hide their frustration after seeing route miscommunications and poor blitz pickups sink promising possessions.
On one sideline, cameras caught a veteran quarterback and his offensive coordinator in an extended, heated dialogue after a wasted drive. Later, both downplayed it, calling it “competitive fire,” but the body language spoke volumes. With the team hovering around .500 and staring at a brutal stretch of schedule, this feels like a make-or-break month for that partnership.
Meanwhile, the MVP race is slowly narrowing. Mahomes is back in the thick of it, Lamar is putting together a highlight reel every week, and Hurts is stacking wins and numbers. A few outsiders are still lurking, but the narrative oxygen around the league is being consumed by those three names. Big prime-time showcases over the coming weeks could swing the conversation sharply in one direction.
Looking ahead: must-watch games and Super Bowl contenders
Next week’s slate is loaded with potential playoff previews. There is a marquee AFC showdown with direct implications for the No. 1 seed, plus a prime-time NFC clash that could decide critical tiebreakers for home-field advantage. You can feel the stakes rising with every snap, and stadiums are starting to sound like January even as the calendar still says regular season.
For now, the Eagles, Chiefs, and Ravens sit on the top tier of Super Bowl contenders, with a chasing pack of teams trying to prove they belong in that same conversation. One week of dominance can vault a team into that top group; one sloppy loss can shove them right back into the wild card scrum. That volatility is exactly why the updated NFL standings are must-view material for fans.
If you are circling games on the calendar, start with the upcoming Sunday night showcase and the stacked late-afternoon window. Several of those matchups will tilt division races and could even serve as early playoff tiebreakers. Do not be surprised if, come January, coaches point back to these upcoming weeks as the stretch where their season truly turned.
As for the fans, the marching orders are simple: lock in. Track the shifting NFL standings daily, pay attention to the injury report, and keep one eye on the MVP race and one on the wild card race. The league just hit the part of the schedule where every snap feels like a two-minute drill. Miss a week, and you might miss the moment your team’s entire season swung.
