49ers expose Eagles, Texans and Colts’ stay in AFC Wild Card chase
Sports Seriously’s Mackenzie Salmon recaps the best games from NFL Week 13.
Sports seriously
Each week for the duration of the 2023 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide real-time updates of the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture — starting with late Sunday afternoon games and then moving forward for the rest of the week (until Thursday’s game or Saturday if applicable ).
What just happened? what does that mean? What relevant factors (and perhaps deciding factors) come into play as the seven-team bracket in each conference begins to take shape? Everything will be explained and analyzed up until the moment the postseason field is finalized on Sunday night, January 7th.
Here’s where things stand with Week 13 of the 2023 season complete:
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1. Miami Dolphins (9-3), AFC East leader: Another blowout of a bad team on Sunday, as the Fins crushed the Washington Commanders 45-15. But the win moved them to the top of the conference standings, where Miami’s record in AFC games (6-2) gave them the edge over lethargic Baltimore. Remaining schedule: vs. the Titans, vs. the Jets, vs. the Cowboys, vs. the Ravens, vs. the Bills
2. Baltimore Ravens (9-3), AFC North leader: They are 6-3 against the AFC and will soon face some very tough opponents during an arduous journey. Remaining schedule: vs. the Rams, at the Jaguars, at the 49ers, vs. the Dolphins, vs. the Steelers
3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4), leader of the AFC West: Had they won in Green Bay on Sunday night, the defending champions would have climbed to the top of the AFC ladder. Instead, the loss here dropped them — although it is one point better than the Jaguars’ upset loss. A 6-1 record in AFC games and wins over Miami and Jacksonville keep KC in good position to play a sixth straight AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium. None of the remaining teams on the schedule currently have a winning record. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, at Patriots, vs. Raiders, vs. Bengals, at Chargers
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4), AFC South leader: Monday night’s loss has the potential to be season-crippling to the Bengals — mainly due to the ankle injury suffered by QB Trevor Lawrence. However, the Jags still had a chance to win in overtime, a win that would have pushed them to the top of the conference standings. But it won’t be. Suddenly it’s worth wondering again whether they’ll be able to hold off Houston as the division battle heats up again. Remaining schedule: In Browns, vs. Ravens, at Buccaneers, vs. Panthers, at Titans
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5), wild card No. 1: A bad defeat to Arizona and perhaps a more troubling loss with QB Kenny Pickett suffering an ankle injury. However, they are still ahead of Cleveland based on their superior record in divisional games, and of Indianapolis based on their slim lead in the common-opponent tiebreaker. Remaining schedule: Against the Patriots, at the Colts, against the Bengals, at the Seahawks, at the Ravens
6. Cleveland Browns (7-5), wild card No. 2: New QB Joe Flacco was unable to pull off a win over the Rams, a win that would have lifted Cleveland to the top of the conference standings. But at least the Browns’ 39-38 win at Indianapolis in Week 7 still served them well. Remaining schedule: vs. the Jaguars, vs. the Bears, at the Texans, vs. the Jets, at the Bengals
7. Indianapolis Colts (7-5), wild card No. 3: An additional escape in Nashville keeps them here… and the upcoming timeline may ensure they don’t fall. Remaining schedule: At the Bengals, against the Steelers, at the Falcons, against the Raiders, against the Texans
8. Houston Texans (7-5), off the field: They have already lost to Indy and also have a worse divisional record than the Colts. However, the escalating problems in North Asia seem to bode well for them. Houston waxed Pittsburgh earlier this year, so a tie with the Steelers would be beneficial. Remaining schedule: At the Jets, at the Titans, vs. the Browns, vs. the Titans, at the Colts
9. Denver Broncos (6-6) off the field: Their five games ended in Houston, where they also lost a major tiebreaker. At least Denver has already beaten Buffalo… and should be equipped to handle most of its remaining opponents. Remaining schedule: At Chargers, at Lions, vs Patriots, vs Chargers, at Raiders
10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-6) off the field: QB Jake Browning’s impressive performance Monday night put him back in the fringes of relevance… although a 2-6 record in conference games will be tough to overcome. Remaining schedule: vs. the Colts, vs. the Vikings, at the Steelers, at the Chiefs, vs. the Browns
11. Buffalo Bills (6-6) off the field: Even the bye week looked like a loss, with legal issues now tied to OLB Von Miller. Not the way you want to start the upcoming doubleheader against Kansas City and Dallas. Not only that, but losses to Denver and Cincinnati pushed them down the standings. Remaining schedule: At Chiefs, vs. Cowboys, at Chargers, vs. Patriots, at Dolphins
NFC playoff picture
1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2), NFC East leader: They still have the best record in the league, but Sunday’s convincing loss to the Niners could leave them exposed — starting with the conceded tiebreaker to San Francisco. But even more troubling? A loss to Dallas in Week 14 would drop Philly out of first place in the division and down the conference ladder. Remaining schedule: At Cowboys, at Seahawks, vs. Giants, vs. Cardinals, at Giants
2. San Francisco 49ers (9-3), NFC West leaders: Sunday’s blowout win at Lincoln Financial Field puts them squarely in the chase for home-field advantage and a first-round bye, as the Niners now only have to match the Eagles’ regular-season record. The Niners’ superior record (7-1) in NFC games also keeps them ahead of the Lions. Remaining schedule: vs. the Seahawks, at the Cardinals, vs. the Ravens, at the Chiefs, vs. the Rams
3. Detroit Lions (9-3), NFC North leaders: They held on for the win in New Orleans on Sunday, increasing their margin of error ahead of second-place Minnesota in the divisional race. The lions continue to quietly lurk behind the teams in front of them. Remaining schedule: At Bears, vs. Broncos, at Vikings, at Cowboys, vs. Vikings
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6), NFC South leader: They outgained the Jets and opened up a one-game lead in the division thanks to a loss to New Orleans. A 3-0 record in NFC South games also gives Atlanta a huge advantage at this point. Remaining schedule: vs. the Buccaneers, at the Panthers, vs. the Colts, at the Bears, at the Saints
5. Dallas Cowboys (9-3), wild card No. 1: First place in the NFC East is now in sight. They won their 14th straight home game on Thursday night, outscoring Seattle 41-35. Dallas has strengthened its grip on its current spot — which will likely provide a matchup with the non-intimidating NFC South champion in the wild-card round. However, a loss to Philadelphia means the Cowboys can claim first place in their division with a win over the Eagles in Week 14 — and that means playing at least one postseason game at home for a superior team at AT&T Stadium. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, vs. Bills, vs. Dolphins, vs. Lions, vs. Leaders
6. Minnesota Vikings (6-6), wild card No. 2: They could still make a run in the NFC North given both history with Detroit is ahead. But Minnesota needs to come back from the bye prepared to deal with a group of teams ready to compete for the spot. Remaining schedule: At Raiders, at Bengals, vs. Lions, vs. Packers, at Lions
7. Green Bay Packers (6-6), wild card No. 3: They took out the Chiefs on Sunday night – with some help from the officials? — to move up to the final playoff spot, which began Sunday in Seattle and was temporarily held by the Rams before being clinched by the Rams. Green Bay’s Week 9 win over Los Angeles-less Matthew Stafford is crucial at this point. Remaining schedule: At Giants, at Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Vikings, at Bears
8. Los Angeles Rams (6-6) off the field: They beat Cleveland on Sunday — a win that tied Los Angeles with Seattle (6-6), a team the Rams had already swept and thus passed. A loss at Lambeau Field earlier this year could haunt them to the bitter end. Remaining schedule: At the Ravens, vs. the Leaders, vs. the Saints, at the Giants, at the 49ers
9. Seattle Seahawks (6-6), Off the field: That’s four losses in their past five games after Thursday’s heartbreaking game against Dallas. Dropping both games to the Rams could be a lingering issue. The schedule gets tougher in the next two weeks for Seattle, which may be on an unrecoverable decline. Remaining schedule: At 49ers, vs. Eagles, at Titans, vs. Steelers, at Cardinals
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) off the field: They are in a tough pursuit but will likely have a bigger role in the NFC South race, just a game behind Atlanta. Remaining schedule: At Falcons, at Packers, against Jaguars, against Saints, at Panthers
11. New Orleans Saints (5-7), off: They are in a tough pursuit but will likely have a bigger role in the NFC South race, just a game behind Atlanta. The schedule isn’t bad…although QB Derek Carr’s mounting injuries certainly seem so. Remaining schedule: vs. the Panthers, vs. the Giants, at the Rams, at the Buccaneers, vs. the Falcons
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