clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Warpath To The Postseason: NFL Week 11

Let’s take a look at the road ahead to the playoffs through week 10 in the NFL.

By Bryan H. Stabbe
Minnesota Vikings v Washington Redskins Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

With week 10 in the books, it's time to begin, however tentatively, mapping out potential playoff scenarios as the the postseason picture starts to take shape. Following a comeback win at home over the Vikings on Sunday to improve their record to 5-3-1, the Redskins are currently the 6th seed in the NFC. If the season were to end today, they would match up with the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round.

Presently the playoff picture in the NFC looks like this:

SEED TEAM DIVISION RECORD
1
Dallas
East 8-1-0
2
Seattle
West 6-2-1
3
Atlanta
South 6-4-0
4
Detroit
North 5-4-0
5
N.Y. Giants
East 6-3-0
6
Washington
East 5-3-1

STILL ALIVE
SEED TEAM DIVISION RECORD
7
Philadelphia
East 5-4-0
8
Minnesota
North 5-4-0
9
Arizona
West 4-4-1
10
Tampa Bay
South 4-5-0
11
New Orleans
South 4-5-0
12
Green Bay
North 4-5-0
13
Los Angeles
West 4-5-0
14
Carolina
South 3-6-0
15
Chicago
North 2-7-0
16
San Francisco
West 1-8-0

The powerhouse NFC East currently has three (!!) of the top six teams in the conference with the Eagles just a half game behind the Redskins for the second wild card. After losing their first contest of the season to the Giants, the Cowboys have reeled off 8 straight victories on the shoulders of rookie phenoms Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. The Giants fended off the Bengals on Monday night, and the Eagles ended their two game losing skid by beating the Falcons over the weekend. The Redskins will face all three division opponents again this season, after going 2-1 in the NFC East their first time through.

One thing to keep an eye on as the season progresses is the ties recorded by Washington and Arizona, and how that may affect final winning percentages and potential playoff positioning.

For what it’s worth and presented without additional comment, Five Thirty Eight has the Redskins with a 42% chance to make the playoffs, and Club Sports Stats has their chances at 39%.

Over in the AFC:

SEED TEAM DIVISION RECORD
1
New England
East 7-2-0
2
Kansas City
West 7-2-0
3
Houston
South 6-3-0
4
Baltimore
North 5-4-0
5
Oakland
West 7-2-0
6
Denver
West 7-3-0

STILL ALIVE
SEED TEAM DIVISION RECORD
7
Miami
East 5-4-0
8
Tennessee
South 5-5-0
9
Pittsburgh
North 4-5-0
10
Indianapolis
South 4-5-0
11
Buffalo
East 4-5-0
12
San Diego
West 4-6-0
13
Cincinnati
North 3-5-1
14
N.Y. Jets
East 3-7-0
15
Jacksonville
South 2-7-0
16
Cleveland
North 0-10-0

Chin up Browns fans, it’s not over yet!

Following their loss to the Seahawks, the Patriots lose claim to the NFL’s best overall record, but still retain the top spot in the AFC standings. At 5-4, the Ravens are the only team in the AFC North that seems to have any interest in not losing the division, and as of now are slated to square off against the Texans who are in a similar position in the anemic AFC South. The AFC West is in the same situation as the NFC East, with three teams (Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos) currently in the top six and battling for playoff berths.

Check back with us weekly for additional updates, and we will be sure to get a little deeper in the weeds with tie-breakers and clinching scenarios as the picture becomes clearer in the coming weeks.

cbssports.com

More From Hogs Haven