NFL Playoff Picture 2023-24: Updated AFC, NFC Standings After Week 17 Early Slate
December 31, 2023NFL Playoff Picture 2023-24: Updated AFC, NFC Standings After Week 17 Early Slate
The Baltimore Ravens stand atop the AFC and will receive a first-round bye after clinching the No. 1 overall seed Sunday by way of a dominant 56-19 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Lamar Jackson passed for five touchdowns and solidified himself as the front-runner for the MVP award, and the team's top-ranked defense contained the explosive Dolphins offense en route to their most complete victory of the season.
The question now, to be answered in Week 18, is which AFC squads will join them.
In the NFC, things are less clear with three wild-card spots up for grabs, the NFC East and, potentially, the No. 2 seed to be determined in the final week of the regular season.
With the stakes as high as they have ever been this late in the year, dive deeper into the current playoff scene with this recap of Week 17 action.
AFC Standings
- Baltimore Ravens (13-3, AFC North) (X, Y, Z)
- Miami Dolphins (11-5, AFC East) (X)
- Kansas City Chiefs (10-6, AFC West) (X, Y)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7, AFC South)
- Cleveland Browns (11-5, Wild Card) (X)
- Buffalo Bills (10-6, Wild Card)
- Indianapolis Colts (9-7, Wild Card)
Current AFC standings are:
On the Bubble
Houston Texans (9-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Eliminated
New England Patriots (4-12)
Los Angeles Chargers (5-11)
Tennessee Titans (5-11)
New York Jets (6-10)
Las Vegas Raiders (7-9)
Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
Denver Broncos (8-8)
(X): clinched playoffs, (Y): clinched division, (Z): clinched No. 1 seed
NFC Standings
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4, NFC West) (X, Y, Z)
- Dallas Cowboys (11-5, NFC East) (X)
- Detroit Lions (11-5, NFC North) (X, Y)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8, NFC South)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5, Wild Card)
- Los Angeles Rams (9-7, Wild Card)
- Green Bay Packers (8-8, Wild Card)
Current NFC playoff standings are:
On the Bubble
New Orleans Saints (8-8)
Seattle Seahawks (8-8)
Minnesota Vikings (7-9)
Chicago Bears (7-9)
Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
Eliminated
Carolina Panthers (2-14)
Arizona Cardinals (4-12)
Washington Commanders (4-12)
New York Giants (5-11)
(X): clinched playoffs; (Y): clinched division, (Z) clinched No. 1 seed
Eagles Falter Against Arizona
The Philadelphia Eagles look anything but the Super Bowl favorite they were earlier in the 2023 season Sunday in a 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The defense continued to struggle, giving up 449 yards of total offense, including an astonishing 221 on the ground. James Conner shredded the Eagles for 128 yards and a touchdown while Michael Carter, formerly of the Jets, averaged 8.1 on seven carries and found the end zone on a six-yard pass from Kyler Murray.
Murray completed 25 of 31 through the air for 232 yards and three touchdowns.
The one interception he threw, a 99-yard pick-six to Sidney Brown, was one of the few defensive highlights from an Eagles squad that looks more and more like a potential early out this season.
Jalen Hurts completed 18 passes for just 167 yards, but did find the endzone three times. He finished with a 118.4 passer rating.
The team's inability to get the running game going has been problematic, too, given how significant it was to the overall execution of the offense a season ago. The Eagles were held under 100 total rushing yards again, against an Arizona defense that ranked last against the run.
The Eagles have to find an answer defensively. Against Arizona, the rush got to Murray just once, allowing him to use his feet and make the plays that wowed the Cardinals organization and made him the No. 1 overall pick. Without the rush getting home, the Eagles have been picked apart and beaten by teams they have no business losing to.
How they expect to compete against the best in the NFC in two weeks when they are dropping shootouts to a four-win Arizona team, is a question for head coach Nick Sirianni and his staff.
