NFL Playoff Picture 2021-22: Updated AFC, NFC Standings After Week 18 Early Slate

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

There is no shortage of drama for the first Week 18 in NFL history.

The slate got underway Saturday when the Kansas City Chiefs escaped a challenge from the Denver Broncos and then the Dallas Cowboys handled the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kansas City’s win moved it into the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but the Tennessee Titans needed just a victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday to claim that spot thanks to a head-to-head win over the Chiefs in Week 7.

K.C. wasn’t the only team in the AFC West with plenty at stake heading into Sunday.

The formula for the final wild-card spot was fairly straightforward as long as the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars. That would have meant the Sunday Night Football clash between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders would be for the last playoff spot in the conference.

Jacksonville clearly missed the memo with a stunning win.

As for the NFC, the Green Bay Packers already clinched the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye before Week 18. However, the biggest pressure point comes in the wild-card race, as the San Francisco 49ers could clinch a spot with a win over the Los Angeles Rams.

If they lose, the New Orleans Saints could steal it with a victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Here is a look at the standings as Sunday’s games develop:

AFC

1. Tennessee Titans, 12-5 (clinched No. 1 seed)

2. Kansas City Chiefs, 12-5 (clinched playoffs)

3. Buffalo Bills, 10-6 (clinched playoffs)

4. Cincinnati Bengals, 10-7 (clinched playoffs)

5. New England Patriots, 10-6 (clinched playoffs)

6. Los Angeles Chargers, 9-7

7. Las Vegas Raiders, 9-7

8. Pittsburgh Steelers, 9-7-1

9. Indianapolis Colts, 9-8 (eliminated)

10. Miami Dolphins, 8-8 (eliminated)

11. Cleveland Browns, 8-9 (eliminated)

12. Baltimore Ravens, 8-9 (eliminated)

13. Denver Broncos, 7-10 (eliminated)

14. New York Jets, 4-12 (eliminated)

15. Houston Texans, 4-13 (eliminated)

16. Jacksonville Jaguars, 3-14 (eliminated)

NFC

1. Green Bay Packers, 13-4 (clinched No. 1 seed)

2. Los Angeles Rams, 12-4 (clinched playoffs)

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 12-4 (clinched playoffs)

4. Dallas Cowboys, 12-5 (clinched playoffs)

5. Arizona Cardinals, 11-5 (clinched playoffs)

6. San Francisco 49ers, 9-7

7. Philadelphia Eagles, 9-8 (clinched playoffs)

8. New Orleans Saints, 8-8

9. Minnesota Vikings, 8-9 (eliminated)

10. Atlanta Falcons, 7-9 (eliminated)

11. Washington Football Team, 7-10 (eliminated)

12. Seattle Seahawks, 6-10 (eliminated)

13. Chicago Bears, 6-11 (eliminated)

14. Carolina Panthers, 5-11 (eliminated)

15. New York Giants, 4-13 (eliminated)

16. Detroit Lions, 3-13-1 (eliminated)

The roller coaster of a season for the Colts took another dramatic turn Sunday.

Indianapolis went from 1-4 and looking well on its way to a lost season, then to 9-6 and looking like an AFC contender and finally finishing 9-8 with a stunning loss to the Jaguars. All it had to do in order to reach the playoffs without having to worry about other results was to win one of its last two games against the Raiders and Jaguars, but it lost both.

Perhaps the only thing more shocking than Jacksonville’s win is how easy it came.

Carson Wentz threw an interception and didn’t even get the Colts offense into the end zone until the fourth quarter when the visitors were trailing by 23 points. The defense also struggled to contain rookie Trevor Lawrence, who threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns without a pick.

That kept the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens alive, and the two AFC North rivals fittingly went into overtime with so much at stake.

Ben Roethlisberger delivered in perhaps the final regular-season game of his career by hitting Ray-Ray McCloud for a key fourth-down conversion to set up the winning field goal for Chris Boswell.

Not only did the field goal eliminate the Ravens, but it also eliminated the Colts.

All the wild-card contenders were left looking up at the Titans, who clinched the No. 1 seed with a narrow 28-25 win over the Texans. Tennessee looked to be in cruise control with a 21-0 advantage at halftime, but Houston almost did Patrick Mahomes a big favor with a late comeback.