NFL Playoff Picture Week 13: Latest AFC, NFC Standings and Bracket Scenarios

We’re just about to kick off the 13th week of the NFL season. The Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys will have the honor of doing exactly that on Thursday night.

Interestingly enough, both the Cowboys and the Vikings are in the mix for the NFC postseason this year. The 10-1 Cowboys are almost a lock to make the playoffs at this point, while the 6-5 Vikings are battling to gain ground in the playoff race.

In fact, there are a lot of teams still battling to remain in the playoff hunt in both the AFC and NFC. Is Week 13 too early for us to take a look ahead at the postseason? Heck no it isn’t. This is precisely what we’re going to do today.

We’ll be running down the AFC and NFC standings based on the playoff-seeding format. This means that division leaders will be ranked at the top of each conference, regardless of records. We will also examine what the playoff brackets would look like if the season ended today and check out some of the more interesting playoff-related storylines of the week.

Week 13 AFC, NFC Standings

Playoff Brackets (if season ended today)

Storylines to Follow

Oakland Raiders

As of right now, the Oakland Raiders are in position to secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye. At 9-2, the team has established itself as a dangerous force and a potential Super Bowl contender.

However, there is a lot left to be determined when it comes to upstart Oakland. The 8-3 Kansas City Chiefs are sitting right behind the Raiders in the AFC West and already hold a head-to-head victory. If Oakland loses a game where the Chiefs do not—or loses the next head-to-head matchup, which will be in Kansas City—the Chiefs could claim the division and the No. 2 seed.

At 7-4, the Denver Broncos are also in position to make a move on Kansas City, though things would be more difficult. The Chiefs have beaten Denver once already. Still, these two teams play in Week 16, and the game will likely carry a ton of weight.

At the same time, the Chiefs have an opportunity to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC if the team can move …

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