The NFL has kicked off the second half of the 2023 regular season schedule, and Sunday is already seeing some statement games. The most impressive performance of the week saw the 49ers crush the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
The morning opened with the Colts getting a win over the Patriots to improve to 5-5 and they are firmly in the wild card race. The Jaguars loss also moves them to within 1.5 games of the division lead. However, they also have to deal with a hot Texans squad in front of them. Houston went into Cincinnati and stunned the Bengals, with C.J. Stroud quietly building an MVP case. The Texans are a game back of the Jaguars in the AFC South.
The Bengals could not gain ground in the AFC North while the Steelers took care of business at home to improve to 6-3. Pittsburgh picked up some ground after the Browns stunned the Ravens on a last-second field goal after coming back from a 17-3 deficit.
4 p.m. update: The Lions beat the Chargers on a last-second field goal, remaining 1.5 games up on the Vikings and dropping LA three games back of the Chiefs. The Cardinals beat the Falcons on a last-second field goal, leaving Atlanta a game back of the Saints. The Seahawks beat the Commanders on a game-winning field goal as time expired. The Cowboys crushed the Giants to gain a half-game on the bye-week Eagles.
The NFL will have a pair of bookends in primetime for a huge Week 11. Bengals-Ravens opens the week on Thursday while Eagles-Chiefs closes it with a Super Bowl rematch on Monday. In between, the Steelers and Browns face off on Sunday in what could be a massive week for the AFC North standings.
Here’s a look at what the playoff picture looks like as the NFL works its way through Week 10.
AFC playoff picture
1. Kansas City Chiefs, 7-2
2. Baltimore Ravens, 7-3
3. Jacksonville Jaguars, 6-3
4. Miami Dolphins, 6-3
5. Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-3
6. Cleveland Browns, 6-3
7. Houston Texans, 5-4
8. Cincinnati Bengals, 5-4
9. Indianapolis Colts, 5-5
10. Buffalo Bills, 5-5
11. Las Vegas Raiders, 5-5
12. Los Angeles Chargers, 4-5
13. New York Jets, 4-5
14. Denver Broncos, 4-5
14. Tennessee Titans, 3-6
16. New England Patriots, 2-8
NFC playoff picture
1. Philadelphia Eagles, 8-1
2. Detroit Lions, 7-2
3. San Francisco 49ers, 6-3
4. New Orleans Saints, 5-5
5. Seattle Seahawks, 6-3
6. Dallas Cowboys, 6-3
7. Minnesota Vikings, 6-4
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-5
9. Washington Commanders, 4-6
10. Atlanta Falcons, 4-6
11. Green Bay Packers, 3-6
12. Los Angeles Rams, 3-6
13. Chicago Bears, 3-7
14. New York Giants, 2-8
15. Arizona Cardinals, 2-8
16. Carolina Panthers, 1-8