NFL Games Today: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and 49ers shake up playoff race
17.01.2026 - 23:23:29
The NFL games today did more than fill a Sunday slate. Patrick Mahomes dragged the Chiefs offense back into gear, Lamar Jackson turned another high-leverage matchup into a personal showcase, and the 49ers reminded everyone why no one wants to see them in January. With the playoff picture, wild card race, and MVP debate all tightening at once, it felt like we just fast-forwarded straight into postseason intensity.
[Check live NFL scores & stats here]
Mahomes steadies the Chiefs, but questions linger
Kansas City came into the weekend under the microscope. The defending champions have spent most of the season looking more human than juggernaut, living in third-and-long, leaning on the defense, and asking Mahomes to bail them out late. In one of the headline NFL games today, Mahomes delivered just enough control and just enough magic to keep the Chiefs squarely in the AFC Super Bowl contender conversation.
He spread the ball around, kept his pocket presence calm against pressure, and most importantly limited the back-breaking mistakes that have haunted them in previous weeks. The Chiefs offense finally looked closer to on-schedule football instead of chaos-ball plus Mahomes heroics on every snap. Still, you could feel it: every stalled red zone trip, every drive that ended in a field goal rather than a touchdown, reminded everyone this team is riding a thinner margin than in years past.
Postgame, players talked about “playing complementary football again” and “stacking drives instead of chasing explosives.” Translation: they know this version of the Chiefs might have to grind out 23–20 wins in January, not win 38–31 shootouts on command.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens crank up the volume
If the Chiefs are trying to rediscover their identity, the Ravens look like a team that already knows exactly who they are. Lamar Jackson turned his matchup into a statement game, carving up coverages with efficient passing and extending drives with his legs in classic MVP-race fashion. Every time the pocket collapsed, he escaped, reset the down-and-distance, and demoralized a defense that looked gassed by the fourth quarter.
Jackson’s box score told the story: sharp completion rate, multiple touchdown passes, and enough rushing yards to keep linebackers guessing on every zone read. In the middle of a tight MVP race, performances like this matter. Nothing was cheap – he shredded blitzes, won from the pocket in the intermediate areas, and kept the ball out of harm’s way. It had that familiar feel of a Ravens home game where the other team is just trying to get out without too many bruises.
Inside the locker room afterward, the vibe was blunt: this is a Super Bowl window, right now. Veterans kept repeating the same line – “We’re not chasing numbers, we’re chasing February.” But the numbers are coming anyway, and Jackson is stacking resume games week after week.
49ers roll again, Eagles feel the pressure
On the NFC side, the 49ers once again looked like the most complete roster in football. Kyle Shanahan’s offense got into rhythm early, leaning on pre-snap motion, play-action, and a punishing run game that forced the defense to play on its heels all afternoon. Brock Purdy stayed on script, hit his reads, and let his playmakers do damage after the catch.
Christian McCaffrey reminded everyone why he sits near the top of any offensive player of the year list, stacking tough yards between the tackles and ripping chunk gains when the blocking synced up. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk turned routine slants and crossers into explosive plays, and the Niners defense flew around like it was playoff football – collapsing the pocket, closing throwing windows, and punishing anything in the flat.
Every time the 49ers stack a performance like this, the message to the rest of the NFC is clear: if the road to the Super Bowl goes through Santa Clara, bring your A-game and a deep training room. The Eagles, for their part, still own the kind of resume that keeps them in every Super Bowl conversation, but the gap at the top of the conference suddenly feels thinner.
Heartbreakers and upsets: the fabric of NFL games today
Beyond the headliners, the slate delivered exactly what you expect in December and January football: heartbreakers, blown leads, and some very real consequences in the wild card race. One team coughed up a two-score advantage in the second half, the defense visibly wearing down as missed tackles piled up and the pass rush ran out of gas. Another “underdog” walked into a hostile road environment and punched a supposed contender in the mouth for four straight quarters.
Coaches are going to hate the tape on Monday morning. Clock management misfires in the two-minute drill, busted coverages in the red zone, and special teams miscues swung multiple games. You can feel how thin the margins are in the NFL playoff picture right now: one dropped interception, one missed field goal from inside normal range, and your path to a wild card spot gets way more complicated.
Updated playoff picture: who’s in control, who’s chasing
Stacking today’s results next to the latest standings from NFL.com and ESPN, the playoff bracket is starting to harden at the top while staying messy in the middle. The AFC and NFC No. 1 seeds remain in a dogfight, and the wild card picture on both sides is crowded with teams separated by a single game.
Here is a compact look at the current conference leaders and the tight wild card chase, based on the latest official standings:
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Ravens | Best-in-conference record | No. 1 seed, bye position |
| AFC | 2-4 | Chiefs, Dolphins, Jaguars-type division leaders | Within 1–2 games of top | Division control, chasing bye |
| AFC | 5-7 | Wild Card cluster | Logjam around .500+ | On the bubble every week |
| NFC | 1 | 49ers / Eagles tier | Top NFC record | Home-field favorite |
| NFC | 2-4 | Division leaders (Lions, Cowboys-level teams) | 1–2 games back of No. 1 | Playoff locks barring collapse |
| NFC | 5-7 | Wild Card mix | Crowded, tiebreaker chaos | Every series matters |
The names and seeding change week to week, but the core tension is the same: one slip from a division leader, and suddenly you are playing on wild card weekend instead of sitting on the couch with a bye. For teams like the Chiefs and Eagles, that is a massive swing in their Super Bowl odds. For the fringe wild card hopefuls, every drive over the next few weeks has elimination-game energy.
Inside the wild card race: thin margins, angry meetings
Talk to players in those locker rooms hovering around the last wild card spots, and you hear the same thing: “The details are killing us.” Missed assignments in the run fit, a blown protection call that leads to a blindside sack on third-and-5, or a coverage bust on third-and-long – those are the plays that turn 10–7 type grinders into 17–13 losses.
Coordinators are going back over situational football with a fine-tooth comb. End-of-half clock management, four-minute offense when protecting a lead, and red zone playcalling are under the microscope. With multiple teams still alive in both conferences, the wild card race is going to be decided in those exact situations, not just in spectacular highlight plays.
Injury report: who got banged up, who might miss time
NFL games today also came with the usual toll. The official injury reports and postgame notes from NFL.com and the beat writers highlight several key names in the training room. A couple of starting offensive linemen on contenders left with leg injuries, directly impacting protection schemes for quarterbacks like Mahomes and Lamar Jackson in the weeks ahead.
One starting wide receiver on a team in the thick of the wild card hunt exited with a soft-tissue issue that could linger. That is the kind of absence that can shrink a playbook on third down and in the red zone. On defense, a starting corner and a run-stuffing interior lineman picked up knocks that will be monitored all week. Expect “limited” tags and a lot of questionable designations on the midweek injury report.
Coaches kept the postgame language vague – “We will know more after the scans,” “Day to day,” “We are hopeful” – but everyone in the building understands the math: one more impact starter sidelined, and your margin for error in the playoff push gets even smaller.
MVP race: Lamar, Mahomes and the 49ers stars
The MVP race tightened again after the NFL games today. Lamar Jackson continues to put together the most complete dual-threat resume in the league, stacking wins, efficiency, and explosive plays. His combination of passing polish and rushing stress on a defense checks every traditional MVP box: elite production, signature moments, and a team sitting at or near the top of the AFC standings.
Patrick Mahomes remains very much in the mix, but in a different way than in previous seasons. The counting stats may not dwarf the field, yet his value is obvious every time you watch the Chiefs offense grind. He is the schematic eraser for a unit still searching for a true No. 1 wideout. When the pocket collapses, when a route is run at the wrong depth, when the play breaks, Mahomes is the safety net that keeps Kansas City in the Super Bowl conversation.
Over in San Francisco, Brock Purdy has quietly compiled an MVP-caliber stat line – hyper-efficient passing, gaudy yards per attempt, and a win column that looks like a juggernaut. The debate around him is familiar: system vs. talent. But if you keep shredding good defenses and lifting your team into the No. 1 seed mix, voters have to listen.
Non-quarterbacks rarely win this award, yet Christian McCaffrey’s usage and production put him firmly in the discussion. His red zone impact, versatility as a runner and receiver, and ability to keep the Niners offense on-schedule every drive is exactly what “most valuable” looks like when you strip away positional bias.
Coaching heat and sideline tension
While the contenders sharpen their playoff edges, a few head coaches moved deeper onto the hot seat. One team that started the year with playoff expectations now sits several games under .500 after another flat performance – lifeless in the red zone, inconsistent in the run game, and leaky on defense. The postgame quotes sounded ominous: “We have to evaluate everything,” “Unacceptable,” “We are not playing to our standard.” Those are the phrases that usually precede serious offseason conversations, if not sooner.
On another sideline, a coordinator spent much of the second half in animated debates with players after blown coverages and miscommunication in the secondary. These are not just bad days at the office; they are the kind of performances that ownership circles with red ink when evaluating staff in January. For organizations still clinging to the edge of the wild card picture, one more letdown could tip the scales toward change.
What NFL games today tell us about the Super Bowl race
Strip away the noise, and a clear Super Bowl contender tier is emerging. In the AFC, the Ravens, Chiefs, and at least one other surging team look a level above, largely because their quarterbacks can win in different ways when the scheme or matchup tilts against them. In the NFC, the 49ers, Eagles, and a rising challenger hold the inside track, powered by dominant trenches and top-10 offenses.
Defense will decide which of these teams actually makes it to February. The Ravens and 49ers both have units that can flip a game with a single pressure package, a strip-sack, or a sudden red zone stand. The Chiefs defense, unexpectedly, might be the most trustworthy group in Kansas City right now. For the Eagles and the rest of the NFC pack, tightening up coverage communication and red zone efficiency will be the difference between a deep run and an early exit.
Next week’s must-watch matchups
Looking ahead, the NFL schedule serves up more games with direct playoff picture implications. Mahomes and the Chiefs face another stiff test that will reveal whether their offensive improvements today are sustainable or just a one-week spike. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens get a potential playoff preview type of matchup, the kind of game where seeding and tiebreakers swing on one fourth-quarter drive.
In the NFC, the 49ers and Eagles each have tricky spots that scream “letdown game” if they are not careful. A physical opponent with nothing to lose, a short week, or a tough road environment – those are exactly the ingredients that crack open the door for an upset. For wild card hopefuls, next week is simply survival mode. Lose, and you probably fall into the “need help” category; win, and you show up on every “if the season ended today” graphic with a real shot.
Why you cannot miss the next prime-time lights
Tonight’s prime-time closer and the coming Sunday Night showdown are appointment viewing. You have MVP candidates trying to one-up each other, defenses trying to build playoff-ready tape, and fanbases living and dying with every third-down snap.
If the intensity of the NFL games today is any hint, the last stretch of this regular season is going to be a weekly referendum on who actually belongs in the Super Bowl contender tier and who is just passing through. Every drive matters. Every injury update matters. Every subtle standings shift on the official league page matters.
Stay locked in to NFL.com for live scores, updated standings, the full injury report and extended game highlights – and do not blink, because the next swing in the playoff race might be one busted coverage or one Mahomes or Lamar Jackson miracle away.
