NFL Standings shake-up: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and 49ers stars flip the playoff script
24.01.2026 - 23:03:12
The NFL standings just got a massive jolt, and the entire playoff picture feels different after this week. Between Patrick Mahomes pulling off another late-game thriller, Lamar Jackson shredding a top defense, and the 49ers flexing with their star trio, the Super Bowl contender hierarchy has been shaken from top to bottom.
[Check live NFL scores & stats here]
Fans woke up to an NFL standings board that looks nothing like it did a week ago. In both conferences, division leaders felt the heat, Wild Card hopefuls tightened the race, and a couple of preseason favorites suddenly look like they are fighting just to stay in the hunt. The margin for error heading into the final stretch is shrinking with every snap.
Mahomes delivers, Chiefs remind everyone they are still a problem
Patrick Mahomes once again played like the league’s metronome in chaos. In a high-pressure matchup with direct seeding implications, he picked apart coverages, extended plays with his legs, and delivered in the clutch. A fourth-quarter touchdown drive under two minutes, capped by a laser in the back of the end zone, flipped the narrative from “What is wrong with the Chiefs?” back to “This is why Kansas City is never out of the Super Bowl conversation.”
Their offense still has stretches where it looks out of sync, but Mahomes’ pocket presence and improvisation carried them into field goal range multiple times, allowing the Chiefs to control tempo and clock. Defensively, an opportunistic unit came up with a key pick-six that completely changed momentum right after halftime. In terms of the broader playoff picture, this win tightened the race for the AFC No. 1 seed and kept Kansas City firmly in the top tier of contenders.
Inside the locker room, the tone was defiant rather than celebratory. Players talked about “cleaning up the details in the red zone” and “finishing drives,” signaling that the standard remains sky-high. Even in a statement win, this team feels like it left points on the board, which is exactly what should scare the rest of the AFC.
Lamar Jackson’s MVP-level surge keeps Ravens in the AFC race
On the other side of the conference, Lamar Jackson reminded voters why his name keeps popping up in every MVP race conversation. Against a defense that has lived in the top five across most metrics, Jackson diced up coverages with a balanced attack: precision passing on intermediate routes and crushing keepers on designed runs in the red zone.
He spread the ball to multiple targets, hitting tight ends down the seam, wideouts on deep crossers, and backs on checkdowns that turned into chunk plays. The offense stayed on schedule, living in second-and-short and controlling the line of scrimmage. When the game drifted into that late third-quarter lull, Jackson reset the energy with a perfectly timed deep strike that had the stadium erupting like it was January football.
Defensively, the Ravens’ front generated constant pressure and closed the game with a strip-sack that sealed the win. From an NFL standings perspective, the victory keeps Baltimore within striking distance of the AFC’s top seed and gives them a critical tiebreaker over another potential Wild Card or division champion. That is the kind of result that can decide home-field advantage down the line.
49ers roll behind their stars, Eagles scrape, Cowboys wobble
Over in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers delivered the kind of performance that screams Super Bowl contender. Christian McCaffrey punished the box on early downs, Deebo Samuel bullied corners after the catch, and George Kittle kept chains moving on third-and-medium. The offense felt inevitable, methodically marching into field goal range before detonating on explosive plays.
Their defense suffocated the run, dictated protections, and forced the opposing quarterback into hurried decisions all night. A timely interception late in the second quarter swung momentum, and the Niners never really took their foot off the gas. In terms of pure balance, no team looked more complete this week.
Meanwhile, the Eagles survived a heartbreaker scenario and escaped thanks to a late defensive stand and a clutch field goal. Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown connected on a couple of key plays, but the offense still looks like it is searching for rhythm. Their narrow win keeps them atop their division, but the pressure from Dallas is no longer their only concern. The 49ers’ rise in the NFL standings means that every slip-up could cost Philadelphia the NFC’s top seed.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, took a hit that may linger. A slow start, costly penalties, and a late turnover in the red zone turned a winnable matchup into a gut punch. Dak Prescott had moments where he looked in total command, but one misread against a disguised coverage led to a drive-killing interception. In the larger playoff picture, this was a game they could not afford to drop if they wanted a serious shot at catching the Eagles or pushing for the No. 1 seed.
Playoff picture and NFL standings: who controls the board?
With the dust barely settled from this week’s slate, the NFL standings tell a story of razor-thin margins between elite and merely good. Division leaders are still in position, but the gap to the Wild Card pack has narrowed.
| Conference | Seed | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 1 | Chiefs | Inside track to home-field, Mahomes heating up |
| AFC | 2 | Ravens | Chasing top seed, Lamar in MVP form |
| AFC | 5 | Wild Card contender | Firm in the hunt, eyeing division slip-ups |
| AFC | 7 | Bubble team | Needing tiebreakers and help |
| NFC | 1 | 49ers | Most complete roster, surging at the right time |
| NFC | 2 | Eagles | Winning but not peaking, under pressure |
| NFC | 5 | Cowboys | Dangerous, but stumbling in key spots |
| NFC | 7 | Wild Card bubble | Every week is now an elimination game |
That upper tier in each conference remains defined by the Chiefs and Ravens in the AFC and the 49ers and Eagles in the NFC, but the separation is not as comfortable as those fanbases might like. A single upset can swing tiebreakers and reorder the entire bracket.
In the Wild Card race, it already feels like January. Teams on the bubble are playing playoff-level football in November and December, knowing that a single slip drops them back into the pack. Head-to-head results inside the conference are becoming as important as win totals; coaches are clearly managing in-game decisions with tiebreakers in mind, whether it is going for two or pushing for points before the two-minute warning.
MVP race: Mahomes, Lamar and an NFC challenger
The MVP race is starting to crystallize, and this week was a statement round for both Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Mahomes put together one of those stat lines that looks clinical on paper and even more impressive on tape: clean in the pocket, limited turnover-worthy throws, and surgical execution in the red zone when it mattered most.
Lamar answered with a different flavor of dominance. His dual-threat production, piling up big passing yards alongside drive-extending scrambles, made a top-tier defense look gassed by the fourth quarter. That blend of efficiency and explosiveness has always been his calling card, but the way he is reading the field from the pocket this season elevates his candidacy.
In the NFC, the 49ers’ offensive engine also has a case. Surrounded by playmakers like McCaffrey, Deebo and Kittle, the quarterback is thriving in a scheme that constantly manufactures mismatches. The box score might show an efficient day with multiple touchdowns and high completion percentage, but the eye test is about timing, anticipation and command at the line of scrimmage.
Voters love big moments, and this week delivered. Primetime drives, game-winning series under the lights and clutch throws into tight windows will live in the MVP highlight reels for months. The race is far from over, but the narrative momentum clearly swung toward Mahomes, Lamar and the 49ers’ offensive leader.
Injury report and what it means for Super Bowl contenders
No week in the NFL reshapes the standings without the shadow of the injury report. Several teams took hits that could alter their Super Bowl chances. A key offensive lineman for a contender left with a lower-body injury, putting protection schemes under the microscope heading into next week. Another playoff hopeful lost a starting corner, a blow that could haunt them in the red zone against heavy passing teams.
Coaches tried to downplay the long-term concern, using phrases like “day-to-day” and “we will see how he responds to treatment,” but the tape tells a harsher story. Depth is being tested, especially along the offensive line and in the secondary, where matchups determine whether a defense can stay in its preferred coverage shells or has to lean on soft zones.
From a Super Bowl contender lens, the healthiest rosters now have a hidden advantage. Teams like the 49ers and Ravens, who have weathered early-season absences, suddenly look deeper than some of their main rivals. If one of the top quarterbacks were to lose a primary weapon or blind-side protector, the entire offense would need to be reshaped around quick game and timing routes to stay out of obvious passing downs.
What is next: must-watch games that will define the stretch run
Next week’s slate feels like a continuation of this week’s chaos. The NFL standings will again be in flux as contenders and hopefuls collide in games that feel like early playoff matchups.
The Chiefs are staring down another high-intensity contest against a team desperate to stay in the Wild Card picture. A loss would reopen the AFC No. 1 seed race, while a win would allow Kansas City to start thinking seriously about resting banged-up starters down the stretch.
The Ravens face a physical opponent that wants to drag them into a slugfest in the trenches. How Lamar handles pressure, both in the pocket and on the perimeter, will say a lot about where this offense truly is. Another big performance keeps him at the center of the MVP race and cements Baltimore as a true Super Bowl contender.
In the NFC, the 49ers step into a trap-game setup against an under-the-radar team still clinging to Wild Card hopes. If San Francisco maintains its current standard on both sides of the ball, it can create real separation at the top of the conference. If not, the door swings wide open for the Eagles to reclaim full control.
Dallas, meanwhile, is entering a prove-it stretch. With their recent stumble, every snap now feels like a referendum on their legitimacy. Cleaning up penalties, tightening red zone execution, and protecting Dak in obvious passing situations will be critical if they want to be more than a flashy regular-season story.
For fans, this is the sweet spot of the season: the NFL standings finally matter on every drive, the Wild Card race is a weekly roller coaster, and every prime-time game feels like a preview of January football. Clear your Sunday, circle the marquee matchups, and do not blink in the fourth quarter. The road to the Super Bowl is getting narrower by the week.
