NFL Games Today: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles Shake Up Playoff Race in Wild Week of Upsets
17.01.2026 - 21:02:20
The latest slate of NFL games today felt less like a regular season weekend and more like an early January stress test. Playoff hopefuls were exposed, true Super Bowl contenders flexed, and the MVP race between stars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson may have tilted again as the standings tightened across both conferences.
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From clutch fourth-quarter drives to brutal injury blows, the NFL games today re-wrote the narrative for the Chiefs, Ravens, Eagles and the rest of the field trying to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The margin for error is gone. Every possession in the red zone, every busted coverage, every missed field goal is now the difference between controlling your destiny and scoreboard-watching in late December.
Mahomes keeps Chiefs in the AFC Super Bowl conversation
Patrick Mahomes has been under the microscope all season. The question hanging over Kansas City: is this offense still terrifying, or merely good enough if the defense carries the load? In their latest outing, Mahomes answered by reasserting why the Chiefs remain a legitimate NFL Super Bowl contender.
Mahomes worked the pocket with his usual calm, sliding away from pressure and punishing blitz looks. He spread the ball efficiently, hitting timely throws on third-and-long and keeping the Chiefs in field goal range on drives that could have easily stalled. Box score truthers will point to his passing yards and touchdowns, but what truly stood out was situational mastery: controlling tempo in the two-minute drill, audibling out of bad looks, and taking the underneath completions when safeties sat deep.
After the game, Mahomes summed up the mindset in typically understated fashion: they are not chasing style points, they are chasing playoff seeding. The Chiefs may not be blowing teams out, but with Mahomes staying patient and the defense tightening in the red zone, Kansas City still feels like a team no one wants to see in January.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens look like a bully again
If Mahomes brought control, Lamar Jackson brought pure chaos. Once again, Jackson turned a high-stakes matchup into a personal highlight reel, ripping off designed runs, extending plays outside the pocket, and dropping daggers over the middle that left linebackers spinning.
Jackson’s dual-threat ability continues to warp defensive game plans. Defenses are forced to walk a tightrope: crash down on the run game and he will punish single coverage; sit back in coverage and he will gouge you for chunk yardage on scrambles. In the latest NFL games today, that dynamic was on full display as the Ravens leaned on him in every critical moment.
What makes this version of Baltimore scary is that it no longer feels like Jackson is freelancing for hero ball. The offense is structured, his reads look cleaner, and he is more willing to take the easy 6- to 8-yard completion instead of hunting a home run. Add in a physical defense that thrives in the fourth quarter and you get a team that looks every bit like an AFC No. 1 seed threat.
Eagles grind out another statement win
The Philadelphia Eagles did what good teams do in December: they won ugly and still looked like a heavyweight. Jalen Hurts once again took hit after hit and kept getting up, guiding long, methodical drives that bled the clock and broke the opponent’s will.
Hurts’ connection with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith remains lethal, especially on third down and in the red zone. Behind a dominant offensive line that can still move bodies in the run game, the Eagles offense wore down a defense that looked gassed by the time the fourth quarter rolled in. On the other side of the ball, the pass rush heated up late, forcing hurried throws and knocking the opponent out of field goal range in a key sequence.
It was not a blowout, and it did not need to be. The win reinforced what we already knew: the Eagles have the depth, the trenches, and the quarterback toughness to be at the center of any Super Bowl conversation.
NFL Games today: shockers, near-misses and playoff pressure
Beyond the headliners, the NFL games today were packed with small-margin drama that will matter when we look back at the playoff picture. Teams clinging to wild card aspirations faced must-win situations and some blinked.
One contender squandered a late lead with a brutal pick-six deep in their own territory, turning a comfortable advantage into a one-score panic in the final minutes. Another team, hanging on the fringe of the AFC wild card race, saw its kicker pull a potential game-winning field goal just wide in the final seconds. That single miss may loom huge in tiebreakers down the road.
On the NFC side, a team many had written off early in the season continued its unlikely climb with another gritty defensive performance, forcing turnovers and winning the field position battle. These are the kinds of wins coaches point to in the locker room when they talk about "finding a way" in December.
Updated playoff picture: who controls the road to the Super Bowl?
With this week’s results locked in, the playoff race tightened and the standings shifted yet again. The race for the No. 1 seed in both conferences is still wide open, but some teams seized control while others slipped back into the wild card scrum.
Here is a snapshot of where things stand among the top seeds and division leaders, based on the most recent standings across the league:
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Ravens | Current best in AFC | Jackson leading MVP-level run |
| AFC | 2 | Chiefs | Within one game of top seed | Mahomes keeping them in striking distance |
| AFC | 3 | Other division leader | Firm hold on division | Defense-driven identity |
| AFC | 4 | Other division leader | Just above .500 | Vulnerable in tight race |
| NFC | 1 | Eagles | Best record in NFC | Controlling home-field advantage |
| NFC | 2 | Top NFC challenger | One game back | Explosive offense, improving D |
| NFC | 3 | Division leader | Comfortable lead | Run-heavy, physical style |
| NFC | 4 | Division leader | Neck-and-neck battle | Could fall into wild card mix |
In the wild card chase, the picture is even messier. A cluster of teams in both conferences sit within a game of each other, with tiebreakers such as head-to-head record and conference record already looming large. One NFC team that looked dead in October is now back to .500, while an AFC team that started hot has faded badly, dropping multiple games against fellow playoff hopefuls.
Put simply: the NFL playoff picture is in full chaos mode, and the outcomes of the NFL games today only turned the heat up on everyone from the top seeds to the bubble teams.
MVP race: Lamar vs. Mahomes, with Hurts still in the hunt
The MVP race is starting to feel like a weekly referendum, and the latest NFL games today did nothing to cool the debate. Lamar Jackson’s blend of passing efficiency and rushing threat has him squarely on the front line of the conversation. His ability to sustain long drives and flip the field with a single scramble is exactly what voters look for when they talk about "most valuable."
Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, remains the league’s ultimate security blanket. He is operating without the same overwhelming cast he had in previous Super Bowl runs, yet the Chiefs are still in prime position thanks largely to his pocket presence, creativity on off-platform throws, and knack for late-game, two-minute magic. Voters will remember how many times he bailed out drives on third-and-forever when everything broke down.
Jalen Hurts cannot be overlooked either. His stats might not always pop off the page like a 400-yards, 4-TD explosion, but his combination of short-yardage power, red zone efficiency and leadership in high-leverage moments keeps the Eagles at or near the top of the NFC. In an MVP discussion that often leans toward pure passing numbers, Hurts’ value as a dual-threat, chain-moving quarterback gives him a compelling case.
Injury report: contenders walking a tightrope
As the stakes rise, the injury report is starting to look more like a weekly horror script. Several key starters across the league either left their games today or played through visible pain, and their statuses will shape the next few weeks of the season.
At least one playoff contender saw a star offensive weapon hobble off with a lower-body injury, instantly shrinking the playbook and forcing the quarterback to rely heavily on checkdowns and tight ends. Another team lost a starting cornerback, and the ripple effects were obvious: coverage busts, blown assignments and a defense that suddenly could not get off the field on third down.
Coaches after the games tried to keep the focus on "next man up," but the reality is harsh. Losing a true WR1 or a lockdown corner this late in the year can swing Super Bowl odds overnight. Expect the next round of official NFL injury reports to be scrutinized almost as closely as the standings themselves.
Defensive dominance, clutch kicks and red zone heartbreak
Not every storyline is about quarterbacks. A couple of defenses stole the show in the NFL games today, living in the backfield and turning games with timely sacks and takeaways. One edge rusher racked up multiple sacks and constant pressure, forcing hurried throws and putting his team’s offense on short fields. Another unit came up with a massive goal-line stand, stonewalling a would-be go-ahead touchdown inside the five-yard line.
Special teams also swung several outcomes. There was a perfectly executed coffin corner punt that pinned an opponent at their own 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter, leading directly to a safety and flipping the momentum. Elsewhere, a missed extra point early looked innocent at the time but forced a desperate two-point conversion attempt in the final minute, which failed and effectively sealed the game.
These are the margins that define the late-season grind. Red zone efficiency, special teams execution, and the ability to win one-on-one matchups up front are separating real contenders from the pack.
What it means for NFL league position and the wild card race
Every result from the NFL games today lands like a punch on the playoff bracket. Teams that handled business strengthened their NFL league position, keeping pressure on those ahead of them and putting distance between themselves and the chasing pack.
In the AFC, that means a clear top tier headlined by the Ravens and Chiefs, with several teams bunched behind them fighting for seeding and survival. One or two bad losses from that middle tier will be enough to knock a team from "wild card favorite" to "needs help."
In the NFC, the Eagles remain the standard, but the gap behind them has tightened. A couple of NFC hopefuls secured critical head-to-head wins that will matter in tiebreakers, while others dropped games they simply could not afford to lose. Coaches will publicly talk about "one week at a time," but privately they know: the math just got harder for a few locker rooms tonight.
Looking ahead: must-watch games and Super Bowl contenders
The next week of NFL games is now loaded with must-watch matchups that will further define the playoff picture. Chiefs games are appointment viewing as long as Mahomes is chasing that No. 1 seed. Ravens matchups carry a playoff atmosphere every week, with Lamar Jackson’s MVP push and Baltimore’s physical defense setting the tone.
The Eagles remain a national TV magnet, a team that brings big-game energy even against opponents with losing records. Their upcoming slate will test their depth and toughness as they chase the NFC’s top seed and home-field advantage. Every drive will feel like a preview of how they might handle a championship-stage pass rush or a hostile road crowd in January.
On the wild card line, nearly every game is a de facto elimination showdown. Bubble teams cannot afford another misstep, especially in conference play, and those matchups often produce the tightest margins, the most aggressive fourth-down calls, and the kind of all-out desperation that makes for classic endings.
Final whistle: where fans should lock in now
The story of the latest NFL games today is simple: separation. The true Super Bowl contenders like the Chiefs, Ravens and Eagles are finding ways to win even when they are not at their best, while pretenders are running out of excuses. The MVP race is packed with star power, the wild card chase is a weekly roller coaster, and every new injury report feels like it could tilt the balance of power.
If you are a fan, this is the time to live inside the details: red zone trips, third-down conversion rates, the health of star receivers and pass rushers, and the subtle shifts in NFL league position that happen with every Sunday swing. The path to the Super Bowl is being paved right now, one clutch drive and one blown coverage at a time.
Do not blink. The next round of NFL games will arrive fast, and with playoff berths, wild card dreams and the MVP race all in play, you will want to have the live scoreboard open and every snap under the microscope.
