Cardinals and Steelers Move Into Cushty Positions as the NFL Playoff Picture Takes Shape Ahead of Week 9

Hitting the halfway stage of the regular season is usually an appropriate time to reflect on early performances, but also which teams look primed for a shot at the postseason. As Week 9 fast approaches, let’s examine the biggest movers in the NFL playoff picture.

NFL Playoff Picture – Week 9

October has been and gone, as the NFL braces itself for the pivotal festive period where dreams and aspirations are validated or voided.

The makeup of each conference, particularly at the very to top of the pile, is starting to take shape. Notably, Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs look almost certain to secure safe passage to a 10th consecutive year in the postseason, as they eye a third straight Lombardi Trophy.

As for the NFC, Detroit have fallen to defeat just once as they march menacingly towards what many are predicting to be another Championship game.

Elsewhere, Washington are commanding attention (excuse the pun) – no team has exceed pre-season expectations more than them, as they edged out a sixth win against Chicago last weekend courtesy of Hail Mary heroics from Jayden Daniels.

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JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko

— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

AFC Playoff Picture

Kansas City Chiefs extended their purple patch to seven games after clinching a seven-point victory over Las Vegas in Week 8 – not much to report here as their storming start continues.

Beyond the Chiefs, the real intrigue in the AFC starts to present itself; the Texans, Steelers and Bills all find themselves with identical 6-2 records, with each of them leading their respective divisions.

Pittsburgh’s third straight win puts them well in contention for a fourth postseason in five years, while Houston are just ahead of the Steelers and the Bills due to a superior conference record.

Elsewhere, Denver condemned the Panthers to their seventh defeat of the season, and in doing so moved themselves into the top wild card spot. The Ravens occupy the second spot due to an inferior conference record, while the Chargers endure in a wild card space despite a choppy start to their season.

NFC Playoff Picture

The Lions head into Week 9 as the top seed in the NFC after putting up 40+ points for a third game in four weeks. Their scintillating offense was on show last week as Jahmyr Gibbs and Jared Goff shone brightest in a 38-point victory over the Titans – they will take some stopping this season.

Much like the AFC, the NFC really comes alive once you remove the top seed from the equation.

Few would have predicted the Commanders, Falcons and Cardinals to be floating around the top seeds at the half-way stage, but such is the perfectly poised nature of the conference this season.

The only real disaster stories of the NFC this season can be found at the Saints, Giants and the Panthers in particular – beyond that, the NFL playoff picture really is still all the play for for wild card and automatic postseason berths.

Perhaps the biggest question mark remains over the 49ers, whose mixed bag of results leaves them wallowing around the middle of the seeding. There is usually no need to panic given their usual end-of-season flurries.

They did of course lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Cardinals for the division lead, having fallen to a one-point defeat against Arizona at the beginning of October.