Breaking down the NFL standings coming out of Week 16

The NFL is firmly into the holiday season and this year that means a busier Christmas Eve schedule than Christmas Day. The league has 11 games scheduled for Saturday and three on Sunday. These are bookended by the usual Thursday and Monday primetime games.

The week opened with the Jaguars beating the Jets with relative ease. Jacksonville can move into first place with a Titans loss, but regardless of Sunday’s outcome, the Week 18 Titans-Jaguars game will be for all the marbles in the AFC South.

The Bengals clinched a playoff berth with the Jets loss on Thursday and three more teams can punch their playoff ticket this weekend. Additionally, the Bills can clinch the AFC East title and the Eagles can clinch the NFC East plus the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Below are the eight divisional standings, along with some quick thoughts about each division after 16 weeks of football. We’ll update as the rest of the schedule wraps and we move toward Week 17.

AFC East

The Jets lost to the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football to open Week 16. The Bills thumped the Bears to clinch the AFC East title. The Patriots lost to the Bengals.

1. Buffalo Bills, 12-3 — clinched division title
2. Miami Dolphins, 8-7
3. New England Patriots, 7-8
4. New York Jets, 7-8

AFC North

The Ravens beat the Falcons. The Browns lost to the Saints and have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Bengals beat the Patriots, which helped Baltimore clinch a playoff berth. The Steelers beat the Raiders to close out the Christmas Eve slate.

1. Cincinnati Bengals, 11-4 — clinched playoff berth
2. Baltimore Ravens, 10-5 — clinched playoff berth
3. Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-8
4. Cleveland Browns, 6-9 — eliminated

AFC South

The Jaguars beat the Jets on Thursday to open the week. The Texans stunned the Titans to move Jacksonville into first place in the division. The Colts lost to the Chargers on Monday.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars, 7-8
2. Tennessee Titans, 7-8
3. Indianapolis Colts, 4-10-1 — eliminated
4. Houston Texans, 2-12-1 — eliminated

AFC West

The Chiefs beat the Seahawks and remain tied with the Bills in the race for the No. 1 seed. The Raiders lost to the Steelers on Saturday night. The Broncos lost to the Rams on Sunday afternoon. The Chargers beat the Colts on Monday to clinch a playoff berth.

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 12-3 — clinched division title
2. Los Angeles Chargers, 9-6 — clinched playoff berth
3. Las Vegas Raiders, 6-9
4. Denver Broncos, 4-11 — eliminated

NFC East

The Giants lost to the Vikings on a 61-yard field goal as time expired. The Commanders lost to the 49ers Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys beat the Eagles in a back-and-forth affair to keep their division title hopes alive.

1. Philadelphia Eagles, 13-2 — clinched playoff berth
2. Dallas Cowboys, 11-4 — clinched playoff berth
3. New York Giants, 8-6-1
4. Washington Commanders, 7-7-1

NFC North

The Vikings beat the Giants on a 61-yard field goal and remain a game up on the 49ers for the No. 2 seed. The Lions got thumped in Charlotte by the Panthers. The Bears lost to the Bills.

1. Minnesota Vikings, 12-3 — clinched division title
2. Detroit Lions, 7-8
3. Green Bay Packers, 7-8
4. Chicago Bears, 3-12 — eliminated

NFC South

The Panthers beat the Lions and the Saints beat the Browns. The Falcons lost to the Ravens. All three teams are keeping an eye on Bucs-Cardinals on Sunday. Atlanta will be eliminated by a Bucs win. UPDATE: The Bucs beat the Cardinals

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7-8
2. Carolina Panthers, 6-9
3. New Orleans Saints, 6-9
4. Atlanta Falcons, 5-10

NFC West

The Seahawks lost to the Chiefs. The 49ers beat the Commanders. The Rams beat the Broncos on Sunday afternoon and the Cardinals lost to the Bucs in overtime on Sunday evening.

1. San Francisco 49ers, 11-4 — clinched division title
2. Seattle Seahawks, 7-8
3. Los Angeles Rams, 5-10 — eliminated
4. Arizona Cardinals, 4-11 — eliminated