NFL Playoff Bracket Scenarios 2024-25 Week 13: Standings After Ravens Beat Chargers

Harbaugh bragging rights at the Thanksgiving dinner table belong to John.

After all, John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens defeated Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers in Monday's AFC showdown at SoFi Stadium. The good news for the younger Harbaugh brother is both teams are still in the AFC playoff picture even after his loss.

They are only wild-card teams for now, though, as the Kansas City Chiefs are comfortably ahead of the Chargers in the AFC West while the Pittsburgh Steelers are ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North.

Here is a look at those standings with Week 12 officially in the books.

Division Leaders

1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1)

2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)

4. Houston Texans (7-5)

Wild-Card Race

5. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)

6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)

7. Denver Broncos (7-5)

8. Miami Dolphins (5-6)

9. Indianapolis Colts (5-7)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)

11. Cleveland Browns (3-8)

12. New York Jets (3-8)

13. Tennessee Titans (3-8)

14. New England Patriots (3-9)

15. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)

16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9)

The race for the No. 1 seed got a bit clearer at the start of Week 12 thanks to the Steelers' road loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Pittsburgh came storming back to take the lead in the snow with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter just for Cleveland to respond with a touchdown in the final minute to swing the game. The Steelers are now two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs and one game behind the Buffalo Bills in the loss column.

While they can still make up ground with a head-to-head matchup against Kansas City, which defeated the Carolina Panthers with a field goal as time expired Sunday, the Steelers also face the Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals twice and Philadelphia Eagles down the stretch.

It is difficult to envision them making up multiple games and jumping both Kansas City and Buffalo through that gauntlet, meaning the No. 1 seed could come down the Chiefs and Bills.

Patrick Mahomes and Co. are still on top, but the Bills have the tiebreaker thanks to their head-to-head win. All it might take from Kansas City is one slip up down the stretch to open the door for a first-round bye and home-field advantage for Josh Allen's side.

Elsewhere, the Houston Texans are benefitting from being in the AFC South, as they lost a stunner to the Tennessee Titans and have now dropped four of six following a 5-1 start as injuries along the offensive front are starting to become a problem.

Yet they are still two games clear of the Indianapolis Colts with the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series, so they will likely be hosting a playoff game even if the struggles continue down the stretch.

Division Leaders

1. Detroit Lions (10-1)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)

3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)

4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)

Wild-Card Race

5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)

6. Green Bay Packers (8-3)

7. Washington Commanders (7-5)

8. Arizona Cardinals (6-5)

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)

10 Los Angeles Rams (5-6)

11. San Francisco 49ers (5-6)

12. New Orleans Saints (4-7)

13. Chicago Bears (4-7)

14. Dallas Cowboys (4-7)

15. Carolina Panthers (3-8)

16. New York Giants (2-9)

The Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have one thing in common.

They all want the Detroit Lions to start losing.

Minnesota and Green Bay are still within striking distance in the NFC North, while Philadelphia is just one game back in the race for the conference's No. 1 seed. The Eagles have won seven in a row but haven't made up any ground during that stretch, as the Lions have won nine in a row.

Among those nine wins are road victories over the Packers and Vikings, so those divisional foes will likely have to figure out a way to beat the Lions in Detroit if they are going to make up ground in the NFC North.

It all makes for a fascinating stretch run in the NFC, as seeding even beyond the No. 1 spot will be critical with two dominant division leaders in Philadelphia and Detroit and two division leaders that are one game above .500 in the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.

Wild-card teams will be significantly better positioned to advance in the playoffs if they can avoid a matchup with whichever team doesn't win the No. 1 seed and settles for the No. 2 spot.

And the way the Lions are playing, it seems like everyone will have to settle for positions behind them in the standings.

Detroit has more wins of at least 38 points (three) than single-digit victories (two) in its last eight games, and things likely won't change on Thanksgiving with a home matchup against the 4-7 Chicago Bears.

Perhaps somebody will figure out the Lions down the stretch, but they look the part of the eventual No. 1 seed in the NFC.