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We investigate the NFL playoff contenders as we head into Week 11 of the NFL season. Which teams improved their position and who fell following Week 10? What key games lay ahead as we look toward the postseason?
AFC Contender #1: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts improved to 8-2 with a Jonathan Taylor-led win over Atlanta in Berlin. The superstar back ran roughshod over the Falcons for 244 yards and three scores on 32 carries, with another 42 yards on three catches. That makes five games with a hat trick of TDs for JT, who now enjoys a break on bye before hitting Arrowhead Stadium for a big test against the Chiefs.
A win there would help them take a big step toward establishing themselves as a home-field favorite throughout the playoffs. We have questions about Daniel Jones over the long run, but there are enough playmakers around him where he doesn’t have to be the hero. Let’s see where this goes.
AFC Contender #2: New England Patriots
New England extended their win streak to seven games with a 28-23 win over the Buccaneers, who had no answers for the Pats’ explosive plays. TreVeyon Henderson displayed his top-end speed on a pair of long TDs, perhaps finally earning the starting RB job and stabilizing the position.
They’re in an exceptional spot in the conference with both Jets games ahead of them, as well as matchups with the Giants and Miami.
AFC Contender #3: Denver Broncos
The Broncos eked past the Raiders on Thursday night, winning 10-7 for their fourth win of three or fewer points in the last five games. J.K. Dobbins ran well, but is being evaluated for a foot injury that could thrust rookie RJ Harvey into the spotlight. Troy Franklin continues to emerge as a real WR2 next to Courtland Sutton, and Nik Bonitto’s defense remains a reliable anchor.
Most Denver faithful will not feel comfortable come playoff time until Bo Nix shows more, but they could erase much of the doubt with a win over Kansas City in Week 11.
AFC Contender #4: Buffalo Bills
There’s no skirting that the Bills got absolutely rolled by a Miami team that has often rolled over in 2025. First downs were rare for Buffalo in the first half. Then, the first drive of the second half ate up nine minutes and concluded with a Josh Allen INT in the end zone. Tack on Allen’s fourth-quarter fumble after rushing for 15 yards, as well as two massive TDs for De’Von Achane, and the game was out of reach.
Standing at 6-3 is still a healthy position, but being 2-3 over the last five games puts things in perspective. Losing by three to the Pats is fine, but double-digit losses to Atlanta and Miami are concerning. This team needed trade reinforcements, but general manager Brandon Beane stood pat. They’ll return home to host the Bucs, with both teams at 6-3 seeking a rebound.
AFC Contender #5: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers dominated Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football, with a 25-10 final score that underrepresented the one-sided nature of the game. Even though the Steelers pushed through LAC’s beleaguered offensive line for five sacks, Justin Herbert battled through an ankle issue to lead the team.
Kimani Vidal turned 26 touches into 108 yards and a score as well. But the true star was its defense, which held Pittsburgh to three points before a garbage-time TD and has only allowed 34 total points in its last three games. They’ll face Jacksonville before the bye.
AFC Contender #6: Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh’s thin offense was exposed on Sunday night, with the Chargers able to erase DK Metcalf and bottle things up for much of the 60 minutes. While T.J. Watt and the defense did well to limit the damage to 23 points, Aaron Rodgers took an ugly safety and threw two interceptions.
They’ll look to regain the momentum with a home game against a league-worst Cincinnati defense that yielded 31 points in the Week 7 match (but scored 33 themselves to pull off the win!).
AFC Contender #7: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars had the step ahead to a 6-3 record in their sights, but they couldn’t stave off Houston’s heroics, with the Texans now just one game behind Jacksonville. We’ll respect the 5-4 record for now, but their -15 point differential pales in comparison to Houston’s +54 mark (thanks, defense).
The Jags have much to prove when they host the Chargers next week. They’ll need to win some games to make it to the dance, even if you blindly give them both wins against Tennessee and a home date with the Jets.
AFC Contender #8: Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City had to sit back at 5-4 and watch both the Broncos and Chargers win during the bye week. It creates a must-win environment at Denver in Week 11 as far as the division is concerned, and then the Colts follow.
They play a good game with their home crowd behind them at Arrowhead Stadium, but they’re 1-3 on the road. They’ll need a good second half of the season to host many playoff games in a tough conference!
AFC Contender #9: Baltimore Ravens
The healthier Ravens improved to 4-5 after that injury-marred 1-5 start, beating the Vikings 27-19 in Minnesota. Baltimore came out flat and found themselves trailing 10-9 at halftime, but they won in the end! They must’ve loved watching the Steelers get trampled on Sunday night, which pulls them within one game of the division lead.
These next two weeks against the Browns and Jets should be doable, and then the schedule gets rough. Baltimore must finish against the Patriots, Packers, and both games against the Bengals and Steelers. It’s all up for grabs!
NFC Contender #1: Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles battled to a gritty 10-7 win over the Packers on Monday night, which improved their record to 7-2 for a massive advantage in the NFC East. Regardless of your opinions surrounding Philadelphia as a contender against the field, there’s no doubting the inside track they hold to the playoffs.
Within the division, Dallas is 3-5-1, which is somehow good for second place. The Eagles need to find their offensive rhythm again, because Saquon Barkley finding space and becoming a primary threat is what will make playaction passing more effective. Fortunately, the defense is in good shape, and the NFC East has presented Philly with a lengthy runway to the postseason.
NFC Contender #2: Seattle Seahawks
Seattle’s foot remains on the gas pedal, as they leapt out to a 21-0 lead over Arizona in the first quarter, and 38-7 at the half. This echoed the 38-14 rout of Washington seen last week. The team has been able to engage cruise control in the second half lately, but that’s unlikely to hold next week.
They’ll now head to the Rams and face a fellow 7-2 team that also has a point differential around +100. Will the defense be able to put the clamps on Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Kyren Williams?
NFC Contender #3: Los Angeles Rams
So the Rams were able to knot up the seasonal series with San Francisco via a 42-26 victory on Sunday, which saw Matthew Stafford make NFL history. The signal-caller became the first quarterback to toss four TDs with zero INTs in three straight games. He’ll need that to hold up against a robust Seattle defense that flies to the ball!
Davante Adams is dealing with an oblique injury, but Sean McVay seemed optimistic and believed that Adams could’ve returned to play if the score was tight. This Seahawks-Rams tilt will be a premier playoff preview.
NFC Contender #4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay started Week 10’s tilt with the Patriots hot, scoring a TD in six plays on the opening drive, but would largely stall out for the rest of the first half. It was enough to fall behind the eight-ball as New England found several big plays, which led to a 28-23 loss.
Of course, the Bucs did come close to a miracle comeback, because that’s what they do. Fortunately, both Carolina and Atlanta also lost, so the 1.5-game lead is intact. Tampa Bay will hope Buffalo’s slide continues in their Week 11 showdown in New York.
NFC Contender #5: Detroit Lions
The Lions put that home loss to the Vikings out of their mind by racking up 44 points in a sound defeat of the Commanders. They reversed course with plenty of Jahmyr Gibbs after he only had 28 total yards in Week 9, which led to 172 total yards and three scores from the star RB. Jameson Williams also continues to build steam, this time with six catches for 119 yards and a score.
Now 6-3 with a head-to-head win over 6-3 Chicago in the bank, the Lions are sixth in the NFC with the third-best point differential (+83). All eyes are now on Sunday night in Philadelphia for a marquee matchup with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
NFC Contender #6: Chicago Bears
The Bears battled through the wind and rain to an incredible fourth-quarter comeback win over the Giants, scoring a pair of TDs with under four minutes left for the 24-20 victory. Whether they would’ve won if Jaxson Dart didn’t exit with a concussion is up for debate, but the bottom line is they’re now 6-3 despite an -8 point differential.
They got Rome Odunze involved early after last week’s donut, but must now gear up for the most difficult remaining strength of schedule in the NFL. Can Ben Johnson’s team navigate this odyssey in Year 1?
NFC Contender #7: Green Bay Packers
Well, there’s no mincing words about how ugly a loss that was to the Eagles on Monday. The clear “bright side” here is that the defense held the defending Super Bowl champions to 10 points in a primetime matchup. Green Bay’s three losses on the year have come at the hands of these scores: 13-10, 16-13, and 10-7.
If you buy into the notion that “defense wins championships,” then the Packers have plenty of infrastructure in place to make a run. But there are limits to these things, as averaging 10 points per game in those losses creates razor-thin margins. Add in that Brandon McManus is only 11-of-17 on field goal attempts thus far, and things are very tight. They’ll need to get as healthy as they can on offense and sustain that down the stretch to be a serious contender.
NFC Contender #8: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were able to get 319 yards and three touchdowns from Mac Jones, but what’s left of the defense got rolled for 42 points by the Rams. While Brock Purdy may return for Week 11, and hope remains that Ricky Pearsall could also be on the way, the defense will be a liability without Fred Warner.
I’d like to point out that Christian McCaffrey now has more receiving yards (626) than rushing yards (596). Can they handle a divisional game at Arizona next, and then take care of business against Carolina, Cleveland, and Tennessee before a tricky home stretch?
NFC Contender #9: Carolina Panthers
Carolina started Week 10’s matchup with New Orleans hot by riding Rico Dowdle down into the end zone to open up the scoring. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t score another point in the 17-7 loss to a 2-8 Saints squad. Bryce Young couldn’t push the ball and only recorded 124 yards on 17 completions, with a form like this seemingly taking them off of any serious playoff boards.
But with Tampa Bay’s loss and by virtue of two remaining games against the divisional foe, Carolina is still a contender (on paper). But their remaining strength of schedule trails only Chicago in difficulty, and they just lost to an opponent that’s supposed to be “easy.” How creative can Dave Canales get with the current roster?
