NFL Wild Card race 2013: Week 9 standings

We’re at the midway point of the season and the playoff picture is starting to take shape. Divisional races are still close for the most part and the Wild Card chase is in full effect. So we’re going to lay out to you the playoff scenarios if the season had just ended last night after Monday Night Football.

In the NFC, each division has a clear-cut winner and no tie breakers are needed. The first seed belongs to the one-loss Seattle Seahawks of the NFC West. The second seed would go to the New Orleans Saints of the NFC South, third place would go to the Green Bay Packers of the NFC North, and the Dallas Cowboys would slide into fourth with the NFC East crown. Their records don’t conflict and have them all in order.

The NFC Wildcard race is clear too; no tie-breakers needed at this point. The San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions get the two slots up for grabs. Lurking just out of reach are the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, both with 4-3 records. The 4-4 Arizona Cardinals can’t be counted out, but they play in an incredibly tough division.

In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West) and their undefeated record sit atop the conference standings. The Cincinnati Bengals (AFC North) and the New England Patriots (AFC East) have identical records. That goes to a tie breaker, which the Bengals win on head-to-head record.

The Indianapolis Colts are the fourth seed with the AFC South title. The 7-1 Denver Broncos have a strangle hold on that top Wild Card spot. The second one goes to the San Diego Chargers, who have a 4-3 record. The New York Jets are just out of reach, but could contend down the line, with a 4-4 record.

NFC

AFC