One of the biggest keys to the NFL's approach to parity is the fact that we have a bunch of new playoff teams every year. Even though the top dogs like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers usually feel like the biggest threats to win a Super Bowl, part of the fun of the NFL is the idea that any team could find their groove in a given season and win 10 games to get into mid-January football.
While there could certainly be some turnover in the NFC, where the middling nature of the NFC East and South could lead to new postseason teams, the AFC appears to be far more locked in than usual. Let's dive deeper into the AFC's nearly set status in a post-Week 8 edition of the NFL Skinny.
The Big Skinny: We may already know the 7 AFC Playoff teams
A look at the actual AFC standings shows five of the seven teams that made the postseason a year ago back in the mix for this season: Buffalo, New England, Denver, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. Houston and Los Angeles are out while Kansas City and Cincinnati are in, but there is a very realistic scenario where all seven of these teams are our postseason field after Week 18.
There is a clear bottom half of the AFC that won't approach the postseason in the form of New York, Miami, Tennessee, Indianapolis and Los Angeles. Houston is in a deep hole at 2-5 thanks to an underwhelming defense while the main challengers to the established postseason field are Cleveland, Las Vegas and Baltimore.
The Browns have made a habit of winning close games, but their -34 point differential doesn't speak to a true playoff contender. The Raiders got off the schneid with a win over the slumping Jets on Sunday but a pitiful defense will likely stack enough losses to ensure that Fernando Mendoza takes over at quarterback at some point in the second half.
The last AFC team to cover is the Ravens, who were dealt a big blow as Lamar Jackson is on IR with a dislocated thumb that could sideline him for the rest of the season. Baltimore's offense has been quite stagnant without Jackson's services, making it tough to see how they stack enough wins together to catch someone like Cincinnati or New England in the Wild Card hunt.
Injuries could certainly change things, especially if a clear postseason team loses its starting quarterback, which could open the door for someone like Cleveland or Las Vegas to sneak in with a 9-8 record. In all likelihood, however, the final two and a half months of the regular season are set to feature the current seven playoff teams jockeying for positioning in January.
Biggest NFL Risers after Week 8
Denver Broncos
Even if Bo Nix isn't playing his best football right now the Broncos have discovered a winning formula of defense and running the football. Sunday's dramatic rally against the Kansas City Chiefs could be pivotal for Denver in the second half since a loss could have boxed them out of the AFC West entirely since it would ensure a loss to the Chiefs in the head-to-head sweep department.
Now both games against Kansas City are in the books and Denver has a very manageable stretch of their schedule ahead, with the only team they face with a winning record between now and Christmas being a Black Friday game with Pittsburgh. There is a good chance that the Broncos could even take the AFC West crown again if they can get Nix's game on track considering how thin Kansas City's receiving room is.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
An 0-4 start to the season would be a death sentence for most teams but the Bucs are fortunate enough to play in the 2026 NFC South. Sunday's 16-0 win over Atlanta was the third in four games for Tampa Bay, which is just a half-game back of Carolina in the division with a perfect 2-0 record in NFC South play.
The return of Baker Mayfield hasn't even been a catalyst yet since the Bucs have relied on a bullying running game to control the clock. There are also a lot of players on this roster who have a winning pedigree, giving them confidence they can still win this division if they find their stride.
The Trade Deadline
The rumor mill has been swirling ahead of the NFL's trade deadline and we have already seen three significant moves. Indianapolis has begun its fire sale, shipping Quenton Nelson to Seattle and DeForest Buckner to San Francisco, while the Bears paid a king's ransom to get Jeffery Simmons out of Tennessee to anchor their defensive line.
There has been a lot of smoke about more teams trying to take advantage of their situations with aggressive buys at the deadline. Running back could be a position of interest, as Jonathan Taylor and Tony Pollard look like strong candidates to get dealt if teams meet the respective prices of the Colts and Titans, respectively.
Biggest NFL Fallers after Week 8
Seattle Seahawks
For whatever reason, it just doesn't feel like the Seahawks can get fully on track this season. A strong Week 7 victory over Kansas City was essentially washed away with a bad performance against Chicago on Monday night, dropping the defending champs to just 4-4 on the season and into a second-place tie with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West.
Seattle does have two games left against Los Angeles in Weeks 16 and 18, which could end up determining which of them makes the postseason. With the NFC North poised to get three teams into the postseason and the two bad divisions guaranteed one spot, there is a realistic chance that Seattle could be left out of the postseason entirely if they can't get enough key NFC wins in the regular season.
Minnesota Vikings
The 1972 Dolphins were celebrating after Minnesota's loss ensured their run of perfection would remain untouched for another year, but the Vikings have a big offensive issue to deal with. Kyler Murray continued to stumble under center as the Vikings put up just 10 points against a putrid Detroit defense on Sunday, leaving star receiver Justin Jefferson fuming after the game.
Minnesota has scored just 140 points in seven games, which is a tough way to live when you run into more explosive offenses around the NFC. The six wins that the Vikings have in the bank should give them enough cushion to safely reach the postseason behind Brian Flores' defense, but they have a clear ceiling unless they find a way to generate more points.
Nick Sirianni
Sunday night's loss to Washington, which saw the Eagles blow a 10-0 lead and give up 27 unanswered points, feels like the unofficial end of Sirianni's run as head coach. A 2-6 record and the knowledge that Jalen Hurts is out for the season should lead to a deadline sale for Philadelphia, which will pull the rug out under a Super Bowl winning head coach.
Not all of the Eagles' issues are Sirianni's fault but it sure feels like Philadelphia has all but quit on the season. A proud defense's regression, which has been evident by the combined 65 points they've surrendered in division games the past two weeks, is the biggest sign that Sirianni isn't delivering the kind of message that can get a talented team to rally through adversity.
Week 8 Game Balls
MVP: Jordan Love
Joe Burrow had the gaudiest statistical day on Sunday, but his three interceptions to Amani Hooker played a big factor in Cincinnati needing overtime to outlast a bad Titans' team. The MVP of the week is Love, whose continued emergence as a passing threat has helped the Packers rally back from a slow start to be a huge threat to make the postseason, as they should get healthier over the course of the year.
LVP: Michael Penix Jr.
A driving rainstorm didn't make things easy in Tampa on Sunday, but Penix's performance in this game was downright putrid. Penix was extremely sloppy with the football, completing just 8-of-24 passes with four picks, to ensure that the Buccaneers could win the game without completing a pass. That stat alone locked up LVP status for someone on Atlanta, with Penix being the clear choice.
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