NFL Playoff Standings 2016: Tom Brady, Philadelphia Eagles Flying High

NFL playoff standings for 2016 didn’t shift much at the top during Week 8. As the updated NFL standings show, the New England Patriots won again to move to 7-1 atop the AFC and the Minnesota Vikings remained at 5-1 with a game scheduled for Monday night (Oct. 31). The Patriots are now three games ahead of the Buffalo Bills for first place in the AFC East, while the Vikings moved a half-game further from the second place Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.

Within the Week 8 NFL scores, there were several other important games for the teams near the top of the AFC playoff standings. The Oakland Raiders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to improve to 6-2, the Houston Texans beat the Detroit Lions to move to 5-3, and the Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers to get to 6-2 on the season. All three teams are well on their way to clinching playoff spots in early December.

In the 2016 NFL playoff standings for the AFC, the New England Patriots are the current No. 1 seed and the Oakland Raiders are at No. 2. The Houston Texans, leaders of the AFC South are the No. 3 seed, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaders of the AFC North, are the No. 4 seed. The two current Wild Card teams are the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Tennessee Titans (4-4) and Buffalo Bills (4-4) are also trying to secure a Wild Card spot, but the teams are falling further behind the Broncos and Chiefs. Currently, three teams from the AFC West would make the 2017 NFL Playoffs, but there are some very important divisional games coming up on the schedule a bit later. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns lost again, falling to 0-8 and taking another step toward having the first overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.

In the NFC playoff standings, everything was affected by the late Sunday night game. This game of the week in the NFC was the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles. The teams were competing for first place in the NFC East, with a spot as one of the top two teams in the conference also on the line. Down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had to lead his team back into the game. Tied at 23-23, the battle between rookies Carson Wentz and Prescott came down to the very end.

The other impactful Week 8 games in the NFC included the New Orleans Saints beating the Seattle Seahawks, the Carolina Panthers beating the Arizona Cardinals, and the Atlanta Falcons beating the Green Bay Packers. The Seahawks dropped to 4-2-1 on the season, but hold on to the No. 3 seed after beating the Falcons (5-3) earlier in the season. The Packers (4-3) slid into the other Wild Card slot, owning tie-breakers over the New York Giants (4-3) so far. The Washington Redskins (4-3-1) are also within striking distance.

The Monday night game is an important one this week, as the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings travel to play the 1-6 Chicago Bears. It has all the appearances of a trap game, with the Vikings receiving a great opportunity to prove that they belong atop the NFC playoff standings heading into Week 9 of the NFL season.

Full 2016 NFL Playoff Standings

AFC Playoff Standings

1 – New England Patriots (7-1)
2 – Oakland Raiders (6-2)
3 – Houston Texans (5-3)
4 – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
5 – Denver Broncos (6-2)
6 – Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

7 – Tennessee Titans (4-4)
8 – Buffalo Bills (4-4)
9 – Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1)
10 – Baltimore Ravens (3-4)
11 – Miami Dolphins (3-4)
12 – New York Jets (3-5)
13 – Indianapolis Colts (3-5)
14 – San Diego Chargers (3-5)
15 – Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
16 – Cleveland Browns (0-8)

NFC Playoff Standings

1 – Dallas Cowboys (6-1)
2 – Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
3 – Seattle Seahawks (4-2-1)
4 – Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
5 – Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)
6 – New York Giants (4-3)

7 – Green Bay Packers (4-3)
8 – Washington Redskins (4-3-1)
9 – Detroit Lions (4-4)
10 – Arizona Cardinals (3-4-1)
11 – Los Angeles Rams (3-4)
12 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
13 – New Orleans Saints (3-4)
14 – Carolina Panthers (2-5)
15 – Chicago Bears (1-6)
16 – San Francisco 49ers (1-6)

[Featured Image by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images]