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Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season is almost over, with only nine more weeks to complete the playoff picture.
Although November, December, January will decide final fates, September and October put many teams in favorable postseason positions.
Going full speed into the season's second half, here's a look at what 14 teams would be in the playoffs and how they would be seeded in the race for Super Bowl 60, from top division leaders to the final wild-card teams.
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NFL playoff picture for Week 9
AFC
1. Indianapolis Colts 7-2 (first place, AFC South)
The Colts are now in a three-way tie for the AFC's best record after playing poorly and losing to Pittsburgh in Week 9. Beating the Broncos now looms large, as does as stellar 6-1 conference record.
2. Denver Broncos 7-2 (first place, AFC West)
The Broncos are down a head-to-head tiebreaker and also have only a 4-2 conference record in relation to the Colts. Their wild victories over the Giants, Cowboys and Texans the past three weeks have kept them on top with two games still left against the Chiefs.
3. New England Patriots 7-2 (first place, AFC West)
The Patriots have kept pace with the Broncos and also gained on the Colts, winning six consecutive games after a 1-2 start. Drake Maye has them positioned well with a win at Buffalo already under their belts.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers 5-3 (first place, AFC North)
The Steelers made things a lot more interesting in the big AFC playoff picture given they have now beaten the Colts and Patriots. They have big tests left against the Chargers, Bears, Bills and Lions outside of the division on top of two with the second-place Ravens.
5. Buffalo Bills 6-2 (second place, AFC East)
The Bills got a massive victory over the Chiefs at home to keep pace with the red-hot Patirots in the AFC East and ensure they would also remain in a strong top wild-card position ahead of the second half.
MORE: Inside the numbers behind Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes head-to-head matchups
6. Los Angeles Chargers 6-3 (second place, AFC West)
The Chargers are sticking with the Broncos just ahead of them and putting extra pressure on the Chiefs behind them. Jim Harbaugh's team is a threat to win the conference title with more consistency. They get the Steelers next at home on Sunday night in Week 10. The other tough opponents outside of rematches with the Broncos and Chiefs are the Jaguars, Eagles and Texans.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars 5-3 (second place, AFC South)
The Jaguars outlasted the Raiders in an overtime thriller and have this last wild-card spot thanks to a head-to-head victory and a half-game to boot over the Chiefs.
Who's in the hunt?
8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
9. Houston Texans (3-5)
10. Baltimore Ravens (3-5)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (3-6)
Yes, that's not a misprint. The Chiefs would not be in the playoffs if they started in Week 10 as the third-place team in the tough AFC West. It will be interesting to see if Patrick Mahomes & Co. would still remain heavy Super Bowl favorites despite that.
MORE: How the Bears beat the Bengals in craziest game of NFL season
Who's left?
12. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-6)
14. Miami Dolphins (2-7)
15. New York Jets (1-7)
16. Tennessee Titans (1-8)
The Titans are back in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick, but the Jets could use it more to get a QB. The Browns and Dolphins may have coaching changes on the horizon. The Raiders will try to play spoiler more in the second half.
NFC
Bill Streicher, Lon Horwedel
1. Philadelphia Eagles 6-2 (first place, NFC East)
The Eagles, without playing a game during their Week 9 bye, jumped back up to the top seed and home-field advantage position after the Packers lost. They travel to Green Bay on Monday night in Week 10.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-2 (first place, NFC South)
The Buccaneers lead the division by 1.5 games over the fighting Panthers and also moved up into a top-two seed by virtue of the Packers' loss in Week 9.
3. Los Angeles Rams 6-2 (first place, NFC West)
The Rams have been methodical about crushing weaker teams and have lost only to the 49ers and Eagles in close fashion so far. They still can trend to become the best team in the NFC.
4. Green Bay Packers 5-2-1 (first place, NFC North)
The Packers fell from the only one-loss team in the conference to making the division race a lot tighter, with the Lions and Bears both only a half-game out of first place and the Vikings also rallying to get to .500.
5. Seattle Seahawks 5-2 (second place, NFC West)
The Seahawks will try to regain first place in the division by winning at Washington on Sunday night. They would have the tiebreaker based on having the better early division record than the 6-2 Rams.
6. San Francisco 49ers 6-3 (third place, NFC West)
The 49ers are right there with the Rams and 49ers in their quest to repeat as NFC West champions. San Francisco can jump back up finishing a season sweep of Los Angeles at home in Week 10.
7. Detroit Lions 5-3 (second place, NFC North)
The Lions wasted a big chance to take over first place in the division because they lost to the Vikings at home while the Packers were being shocked by the Panthers. They have huge matchups with the Eagles and Packers in the next month and also have beaten the Buccaneers.
Who's in the hunt?
8. Chicago Bears 5-3
9. Carolina Panthers 5-4
10. Minnesota Vikings 4-4
11. Dallas Cowboys 3-4-1
12. Atlanta Falcons 3-5
13. Washington Commanders 3-5
The Bears and Vikings are very much back in the NFC North race with the Packers and Lions getting upset as heavy favorites in Week 9. The Panthers and Falcons have been on roller-coasters, making it tough to catch the Buccaneers. The Cowboys and Commanders are shooting to make up ground in the wild-card race.
Who's left?
14. Arizona Cardinals 2-5
15. New York Giants 2-7
16. New Orleans Saints 1-8
The Saints will be battling with the Jets and Titans for the No. 1 overall draft pick while the Giants will look for some more positive second-half results with their franchise rookie QB, Jaxson Dart.
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