In the winding down of the NFL regular season, the NFL playoff mix-up is revving up. If you take a look at the current NFL standings 2023, you'll see things are a lot closer than they seem. The final two weeks of the NFL regular season are going to have us all sitting on the edges of our seats as no team is really safe; making the phrase "any given Sunday" more applicable than ever before.
NFL Standings 2023: AFC Showdowns
Get ready for these last two weeks, especially in the AFC, because it's about to be a wild ride. The American Football Conference holds so many playoff contenders that it almost builds the argument to add more teams to the playoff slate.
Starting at the top, we have the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins. Baltimore just came off a decisive win against the feared San Francisco 49ers. In this game the Ravens defense made Niners quarterback Brock Purdy wish he was Mr. Irrelevant again and not in the MVP race. Now the Dolphins just came off a big win against the Dallas Cowboys, although it wasn't as convincing as we are used to in Miami wins.
We all got a gift on Christmas as the Ravens played the 49ers in a speculated Super Bowl preview, but now we get a potential AFC Championship preview with Miami heading to Baltimore for their matchup on New Years Eve. The Ravens stand at 12-3, while the Dolphins hold an 11-4 record; which means Miami has a chance to steal the one seed in the AFC.
And now, with all this idea of the Dolphins stealing the top spot from the Ravens; Miami could also fall flat on their face and lose the AFC East Division Title. The Dolphins face quite a gauntlet in the last two weeks; playing the Ravens this week and the Buffalo Bills the following.
As we mention the Bills, we can look into their AFC East run down the playoff stretch. The Bills are arguably the hottest team in the AFC as they won four of their last five games, with two of their wins coming against the Super Bowl Champs Kansas City Chiefs and the regular season champs Dallas Cowboys. If the Bills win this week against the New England Patriots, they have a chance to snatch the division from Miami in their Week 18 showdown.
Related Article: NFL Standings 2023: NFC Fighting for Survival
Even Baltimore isn't safe from playoff blunders in the final two weeks as the Cleveland Browns are breathing down their necks. The Browns, led by none other than former Ravens Super Bowl Champ quarterback Joe Flacco, can knock the wind out of their sails. The Ravens play the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18, so the final two games for Baltimore can be pretty tough to pull out.
Now for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs held the hopes of building the new NFL dynasty, but as it seems this year, they are taking like their receivers and dropping the ball. Anything can happen once playoffs come around, but it would be odd to not worry a little bit about this team. The obsession of tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift is beyond a distraction along with quarterback Patrick Mahomes basically trying to throw penalty flags more often than touchdown passes.
After falling to the AFC West division rivals Las Vegas Raiders, the Chiefs may actually be in trouble of losing the division title. The Raiders and Denver Broncos are definitely on the outside looking in as the 11th and 12th teams in the standings with a record of 7-8, but do have a slim chance of making playoffs as a wild card or even stealing the division from the Chiefs. Their Chiefs' next two games are against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have notoriously given the Chiefs a hard time; and against the Los Angeles Chargers, who just went toe to toe with the Buffalo Bills.
NFL Standings 2023: Get Ready for Playoff Musical Chairs
Finally is the five team tie between the rest of the AFC playoff contenders. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cincinnati Bengals all have a record of 8-7 and are in the hunt for playoff spots. The Jaguars have the most to lose as they share the same record as their AFC South division rivals, the Colts and Texans. The Jags are definitely limping to the end of the regular season as their quarterback Trevor Lawrence is playing through quite a few injuries towards the end of the season. The Colts are making a fantastic run with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, but did fall to the odd Atlanta Falcons this past week. The Texans might have the best chances out of these two with their savior being rookie quarterback CJ Stroud likely returning from a concussion injury this week.
The Steelers and Bengals continue their brawl in the AFC North division. Both teams are missing their starting quarterbacks but continue to grind out tough wins and stay competitive in each game. The Steelers having the edge between the two, being that they just defeated the Bengals in Week 16 through defense and wide receiver George Pickens erupting for a monster game.
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