NFL League Position Shake-Up: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Eagles Clash in Wild Playoff Race
12.01.2026 - 19:11:12
The NFL League Position board just flipped again. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs refused to blink in a hostile road environment, Lamar Jackson kept the Ravens on a Super Bowl Contender track, and the Eagles scraped to stay in the NFC elite while challengers closed in. With the latest results in the books and only a handful of weeks left, every drive is reshaping the NFL playoff picture and the MVP race in real time.
[Check live NFL scores & stats here]
Mahomes steadies the Chiefs as AFC chaos erupts
The story of the weekend started, as it so often does, with Patrick Mahomes. In a game that felt like January football, Kansas City’s franchise quarterback once again showed why every defensive coordinator in the league loses sleep over No. 15. Working behind a line that wobbled early, Mahomes extended plays, slid in the pocket and repeatedly found Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice in key third-down situations to grind out a statement win.
This was not one of those 400-yard, pinball-machine stat lines. It was a throwback, field-position, situational-football kind of night. Mahomes managed the two-minute drill before halftime with surgical precision, marched the Chiefs into field goal range and stole three points that ended up tilting the scoreboard. In a crowded AFC, that kind of composure is exactly why Kansas City still feels like a perennial NFL Super Bowl Contender even when the box score is not spectacular.
In the locker room, the tone matched the performance: business-like. Coaches talked about the details — protection calls, route depths, spacing against zone coverage — but everyone in that room understood the big picture. With the win, the Chiefs strengthened their NFL League Position near the top of the AFC, keeping pressure on the conference leaders and staying clear of the Wild Card pileup below.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens send another message
If Mahomes brought calm, Lamar Jackson brought fireworks. Baltimore’s offense again looked like a problem no one has solved yet this season. Out of spread looks, pistol, and heavy sets, Jackson shredded the defense with a balanced mix of designed runs, scrambles and intermediate darts between the numbers.
What stood out was Jackson’s patience. Over and over, he hung in the pocket, worked through progressions and hit his second or third read rather than bailing early. His touchdown strike over the middle to Mark Andrews in the red zone came after a full-field read and a subtle step up to avoid an edge rusher. That is MVP-race tape, not just highlight-reel stuff.
Defensively, the Ravens pinned their ears back. The pass rush piled up sacks, forced hurried throws and created a back-breaking interception that swung momentum. On the sideline, you could feel the confidence build. Players talked about “playing for the 1-seed” and “owning January in Baltimore.” Right now, the Ravens look every bit like the team nobody wants to visit when the temperature drops and the playoff lights come on.
Eagles survive, but the NFC gap is shrinking
While the AFC flexed its depth, the Eagles found themselves in a street fight. Philadelphia’s offensive line, normally the bully, got tested all night. Jalen Hurts took hits in and out of the pocket, and the run game never truly found its usual downhill rhythm. Still, Hurts delivered the kind of late-game sequence that has defined his rise among elite quarterbacks.
With the game hanging in the balance, Hurts took over the two-minute drill. Quick outs to A.J. Brown, a back-shoulder laser to DeVonta Smith on the sideline, a designed QB draw in the red zone to move the chains — the Eagles methodically bled the clock and punched in the go-ahead score. It was not pretty, but it was very Philadelphia: resilient, physical, relentless.
Yet the big-picture question lingers. In terms of pure NFL League Position, the Eagles are still in a strong spot. But cracks are visible. The defense has given up chunk plays, the secondary has been leaky in man coverage and the pass rush has gone quiet for stretches. In a conference where teams like the 49ers, Lions and Cowboys are circling, that margin for error is shrinking fast.
Game highlights: thrillers, upsets and Heartbreak City
Around the league, the latest slate delivered everything: overtime drama, special-teams swings and late picks that flipped entire seasons.
One of the weekend’s wildest finishes came in a game that turned into a field-position chess match before exploding in the final five minutes. A missed field goal gave life to an underdog home team, the crowd went into full playoff-mode noise, and suddenly a would-be contender found itself backed up at its own goal line. One busted coverage later, a receiver streaked free for a long touchdown and the upset was on.
Another game swung on a defensive play: a classic pick-six. A young quarterback, trying to force a throw into a tight red-zone window, never saw the lurking linebacker underneath. Jump, catch, gone. Ninety-plus yards later, the entire stadium mood flipped from anxious to electric. Coaches call it a four-point swing; this felt more like a season-swinger. That team climbed back into the Wild Card race instead of sinking further under .500.
We also saw a vintage ground-and-pound performance from a run-heavy offense that has leaned on its line all year. The running back room combined for well over 100 rushing yards, chewing clock and breaking tackles. It was the kind of game that never makes the fantasy headlines but terrifies opponents: physical, demoralizing, and brutally efficient on third-and-short.
Playoff picture: who owns the board right now?
With the latest NFL scores in the books, the playoff landscape has taken a more defined shape, even if chaos still waits around every corner. Division leaders have carved out space, but the Wild Card lines are buzzing with traffic — one Sunday can vault a team from on the bubble into control, or from control straight back to the hunt.
Here is a compact look at the current top NFL League Position battle among conference leaders and key Wild Card hopefuls. These are illustrative of the race as it stands now, with the usual caveat: every game left on the schedule can rewrite this table.
| Conference | Seed | Team | Record | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Ravens | Leading | Conference leader, holding tiebreakers |
| AFC | 2 | Chiefs | Contender | Chasing 1-seed, strong division cushion |
| AFC | 3 | Key Division Winner | Contender | Hosting at least one home playoff game |
| AFC | 5 | Top Wild Card | In the mix | On pace for road playoff berth |
| AFC | 7 | Bubble Team | On the edge | Holds final Wild Card by tiebreaker |
| NFC | 1 | 49ers / Eagles tier | Elite | Fighting for home-field advantage |
| NFC | 2 | Eagles / 49ers tier | Elite | Neck-and-neck with No. 1 |
| NFC | 3 | Division Leader | Solid | Likely to clinch with one more surge |
| NFC | 5 | Cowboys / top Wild Card | In control | Likely road favorite on Wild Card Weekend |
| NFC | 7 | Bubble Squad | Surviving | One slip away from missing playoffs |
AFC-wise, the Ravens and Chiefs look like the clearest path to a bye and at least one home playoff game, though another division leader is close enough to pounce if either stumbles. Behind them, a cluster of teams sits within a game or two of each other, separated by head-to-head tiebreakers and conference records that could swing on one late-season Thursday or Monday night.
In the NFC, the battle for the No. 1 seed is a heavyweight fight between the 49ers and Eagles tiers, with the Lions and Cowboys trying to keep pace. Dallas still feels like the team no one wants to face as a Wild Card: a road squad with firepower and a pass rush that can wreck a game plan in a quarter. One more swing in the standings, and the NFL playoff picture could flip who stays home in January and who has to fly across the country into a hostile crowd.
MVP radar: Mahomes, Lamar and the chase pack
The MVP race has shifted from a wide-open derby to something more defined at the top. Right now, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes have the clearest cases, each carrying a legitimate NFL Super Bowl Contender and shaping the entire identity of their franchises.
Jackson’s statistical resume is strong: high completion rate, explosive runs, efficient red-zone production and a low turnover total despite a heavy workload. But it is the situational football that pops on tape — third-and-long scrambles, off-platform lasers on the move, and the way he manipulates safeties with his eyes before hitting deep overs and crossers. Every time Baltimore gets into a late-game drive, you can feel the defense tighten and the crowd lean forward, knowing No. 8 has the ball.
Mahomes, meanwhile, is doing something different but just as valuable. He is winning in a year where the Chiefs have not always given him a perfect supporting cast. Drops, penalties and inconsistent run blocking have shown up, and yet Kansas City keeps stacking wins. Mahomes is living in the two-minute warning, converting must-have third downs and making just enough magic outside the pocket to tilt games in the Chiefs’ favor. Voters remember those moments.
Behind them, a second layer of contenders is forming: quarterbacks putting up big numbers in high-octane passing offenses, a dynamic wide receiver or two turning every touch into a house call, and even a few defensive stars with enough sacks, forced fumbles and game-clinching plays to sneak into the conversation. But as of this week, the MVP race runs straight through Baltimore and Kansas City.
Injury report: contenders walking a tightrope
The latest NFL Injury Report is a reminder of how fragile every NFL League Position really is. A couple of key offensive line injuries and a star skill-player issue popped up this week, forcing coaches to shuffle depth charts and alter game plans overnight.
Several playoff hopefuls are managing banged-up quarterbacks, limiting practice reps and building in more quick-game concepts to keep their passers clean. That has a domino effect: fewer deep shots, more reliance on yards after catch, more pressure on play-callers to stay ahead of the chains. When the tape shows a quarterback favoring one leg or taking just a beat longer to get up after a sack, you can feel the entire organization hold its breath.
Defensively, a couple of premier pass rushers and cover corners appeared on this week’s report. Even if they suit up, playing at less than 100 percent changes how coordinators call games. Zone-heavy looks replace tight man-to-man, blitz packages get dialed back, and suddenly opposing quarterbacks start finding rhythm. In a league where a single busted coverage can turn into a season-defining touchdown, health is the silent factor underneath every playoff scenario.
Coaching heat and locker-room tension
With the standings tightening, the coaching hot seat conversation has gone from background noise to front-page chatter. One underperforming team, loaded with preseason expectations, just took another crushing loss in front of its home crowd. Boos rained down, and players talked afterward about “execution” and “details,” but the body language said more. Eyes down, shoulders slumped, that quiet walk back to the locker room that feels like the end of something.
Front offices around the league are watching closely. Missing the playoffs with a veteran roster and a top-10 quarterback often triggers hard questions. Was the scheme too conservative? Did the staff adjust quickly enough when injuries hit? Did the locker room ever fully buy in? Those questions get asked in long meetings behind closed doors, but they echo on the sideline every time a fourth-and-short play call goes sideways or a challenge flag stays in the coach’s pocket.
Looking ahead: must-watch games and Super Bowl paths
The coming slate is loaded with narrative fuel. The Chiefs face another test against a defense that loves to blitz and disguise coverages before the snap. How Mahomes handles those pressure looks will go a long way toward keeping Kansas City in striking distance of the AFC’s top seed.
The Ravens, meanwhile, are stepping into a classic trap-game setup: a road tilt against a team fighting for its Wild Card life. Every coach in the league dreads these spots. Short week, banged-up roster, emotional high from a huge win, and now you face a desperate opponent in front of a loud crowd. Jackson’s composure and the Ravens’ defense will be tested again.
In the NFC, the Eagles are staring down a brutal stretch that will define their season. Multiple straight games against teams currently in the playoff picture means no let-up, no chance to coast. The offensive line has to reassert itself, the pass rush needs to start finishing sacks instead of just getting pressures, and the secondary must tighten its communication in coverage. Every series in the red zone and every third down will feel like a mini playoff drive.
Other must-watch matchups include divisional grudge games with direct impact on the Wild Card race. Those are the games where young quarterbacks either grow up or get exposed: noisy stadiums, tricky coverage rotations, disguised blitzes flying off the edge. These are the afternoons that separate solid starters from true franchise guys.
Right now, if you are drawing up a board of true NFL Super Bowl Contender tiers, the Ravens, Chiefs, 49ers and Eagles still sit on the top line, with teams like the Cowboys and Lions lurking just below. But the gap is not as wide as it felt a month ago. One injury, one upset, one cold-weather disaster game on the road, and that entire hierarchy can tilt.
The beauty of this moment in the season is simple: every snap matters. Every blown coverage, every made field goal, every red-zone call now comes with playoff weight. The NFL League Position grid on NFL.com is going to keep shifting, row by row and seed by seed. Buckle up, clear your Sundays, and do not miss a snap — because the next signature drive from Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or the Eagles might be the one we talk about all the way to February.
