NFL playoff picture: How things stand ahead of Bears-Seahawks

AFC races and tiebreakers

Buffalo leads the AFC at 6-1, followed by Denver and Pittsburgh at 6-2. Denver holds the No. 2 spot because its AFC record is 3-1, compared with Pittsburgh’s 3-2.

New England is seventh at 5-3, ahead of Cleveland despite matching records; the Patriots have a 5-1 conference mark, while the Browns are 3-3. Las Vegas is ahead of Baltimore at 4-4 because the Raiders have a 3-3 AFC record, versus 2-3 for the Ravens.

The Jets and Colts are both 2-6, but New York ranks higher with a 2-3 conference record, compared with Indianapolis at 1-5. The Jets also hold the Colts’ first-round pick through the Sauce Gardner trade.

NFC standings and close calls

San Francisco and Minnesota lead the NFC at 6-1. The 49ers take the top spot on strength of victory, .456 to .400, with both teams at 4-1 in conference games and too few common opponents played so far.

Detroit is fifth and Chicago sixth, both at 5-2. The Lions lead on division record, 2-0 to the Bears’ 0-2. Green Bay is seventh at 5-3. Among teams outside the current seven playoff places, Tampa Bay ranks ahead of Atlanta, Arizona and Dallas. The Buccaneers beat the Falcons and have wins over the Cowboys; Tampa Bay’s 3-2 NFC record gives it the edge over Arizona’s 2-4 mark. Atlanta’s 3-3 conference record puts it ahead of Arizona and Dallas, both 2-4.

Bears-Seahawks playoff stakes

Monday’s game could provide a tiebreaker advantage and alter Chicago’s position. A Bears victory would move them to No. 5 in the NFC standings. A Chicago loss would create a three-way tie with Green Bay and Seattle. The Bears would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Packers, and Green Bay would take No. 6 on its 4-3 conference record, compared with Seattle’s 2-2 mark.

The article’s NFC list places Seattle eighth at 4-3, outside the current playoff positions. It does not provide a complete outcome for how the remaining tiebreakers would rank the Seahawks after a Chicago loss.