Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season is almost over, with two months left to complete the playoff picture.
November and December will decide postseason fates, but September and October put many teams in favorable positions.
Going full speed into the season's second half, here's looking at what 14 teams would be in the playoffs and how they would be seeded in the race for Super Bowl 59, from top division leaders to the final wild-card teams.
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NFL standings for Week 9
AFC playoff picture
1. Kansas City Chiefs 8-0 (first place, AFC West): The last undefeated team in the NFL is aiming for a perfect season and looking well-positioned to chase a third consecutive Super Bowl victory.
2. Buffalo Bills 7-2 (first place, AFC East): The Bills are looking to run away with the East for a fifth consecutive division title, as the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets have combined for just seven wins. Buffalo put away Miami on Sunday, which also put the team a half-game ahead of Pittsburgh at No 2.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2 (first place, AFC North): The Steelers lead the division by a game over the Ravens. They also enjoy this position during their Week 9 bye because of the Texans losing Thursday night and the Bills winning on Sunday.
4. Houston Texans 6-3 (first place, AFC South): The Texans didn't look good losing to the Jets on Thursday with C.J. Stroud under siege and the pass defense getting ripped apart. They can still roll in their weak division given they already swept the second-place Colts. They also have a win over the Bills, but No. 3 for now seems like the best case.
5. Baltimore Ravens 6-3 (second place, AFC North): The Ravens have some work to do in their two-team race with the Steelers before the teams face each other in Pittsburgh in Week 11. First, it was important for them to take care of the playoff-hungry Broncos easily at home in Week 9.
6. Los Angeles Chargers 5-3 (third place, AFC West): The Chargers would make it three teams from the AFC West in the playoffs, as Jim Harbaugh is seeing better play from Justin Herbert to add to the running-and-defense winning formula. They dominated another weak team, the Browns, on the road in Week 9.
7. Denver Broncos 5-4 (second place, AFC West): The Broncos have been a pleasant surprise, taking advantage of a favorable schedule, a good pass defense, and fine rookie QB play from Bo Nix to prove that Sean Payton still has plenty of coaching chops. They got a bit of a wake-up call, however, against the Ravens, falling two spots.
Who's in the hunt?
- 8. Indianapolis Colts 4-5 (second place, AFC South)
- 9. Cincinnati Bengals 4-5 (third place, AFC North)
Of these two teams right behind the Broncos, the Bengals are better equipped to make a late run because of having the big quarterback edge with Joe Burrow over Joe Flacco.
Who's left?
- 10. New York Jets 3-6 (second place, AFC East)
- 11. Tennessee Titans 2-6 (third place, AFC South)
- 12. Miami Dolphins 2-6 (third place, AFC East)
- 13. Cleveland Browns 2-7 (fourth place, AFC North)
- 14. Jacksonville Jaguars 2-7 (fourth place, AFC South)
- 15. Las Vegas Raiders 2-7 (fourth place, AFC West)
- 16. New England Patriots 2-7 (fourth place, AFC East)
NFC playoff picture
Peter Casey-Imagn Images
1. Detroit Lions 7-1 (first place, NFC North): The Lions have been a balanced, explosive, and almost-unstoppable scoring machine with Jared Goff and the running game. They are even stronger NFC title favorites after beating the Packers in the rain in Green Bay.
2. Washington Commanders 7-2 (first place, NFC East): Everything is falling into place in the first season together for Jayden Daniels, Dan Quinn, and Kliff Kingsbury — including last week's improbable game-winning Hail Mary touchdown and this week's methodical victory. They will be headed to the playoffs but need to keep fighting to stave off the Eagles for the division title.
3. Atlanta Falcons 6-3 (first place, NFC South): The Falcons are 4-0 in division play, already having swept Tampa Bay, leading by a game-plus and a head-to-head tiebreaker. They will be easy division champions barring a second-half disaster, just as they should have expected with Kirk Cousins turning on the offense to help the defense. The Cowboys were a great test to ace in Week 9.
4. Arizona Cardinals 5-4 (first place, NFC West): The Cardinals are in first place by a half-game over the .500 Rams and 49ers, two teams they beat earlier, and a full game over the Seahawks. They got a huge home win vs. the Bears to keep up the momentum.
5. Minnesota Vikings 6-2 (second place, NFC North): The Vikings ended their two-game losing streak on Sunday night vs. the Colts to stay ahead of the losing Packers and keep pace with the Lions in the division and Eagles in the wild-card race.
6. Philadelphia Eagles 6-2 (second place, NFC East): The Eagles have won four consecutive games to jump into this spot, only a game behind the Commanders in the division race and well positioned for at least a wild-card spot.
7. Green Bay Packers 6-3 (third place, NFC North): The Packers dropped a game and a half out of first place by losing badly on their home field to the Lions. They also dropped two spots in the wild-card race. They missed a big chance with Jordan Love's poor quarterback play battling through injury.
Who's in the hunt?
- 8. Chicago Bears 4-4 (fourth place, NFC North)
- 9. Los Angeles Rams 4-4 (third place, NFC West)
- 10. San Francisco 49ers 4-4 (second place, NFC West)
- 11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-5 (second place, NFC South)
- 12. Seattle Seahawks 4-5 (fourth place, NFC West)
- 13. Dallas Cowboys 3-5 (third place, NFC East)
The Bears' once-strong wild-card aspirations took a hit in Week 9, while the Buccaneers' key injury issues can continue to hamper them in the South and beyond. The 49ers should be better after the bye, and the Cowboys might already be too far behind the Commanders and Eagles with no Dak Prescott for a while.
Who's left?
- 14. Carolina Panthers 2-7 (third place, NFC South)
- 15. New Orleans Saints 2-7 (fourth place, NFC South)
- 16. New York Giants 2-7 (fourth place, NFC East)
