The 2023 NFL Standings Heading into Week 17
Week 16 of the NFL season is officially behind us.
Hopefully, the holiday weekend brought plenty of great company, food, and football for all of our readers, but now, it’s time to get back down to business. Here is a look at where the 2023 NFL standings have landed with just two weeks left in the regular season.
2023 NFL Standings Heading into Week 17
AFC East
- Miami Dolphins (11-4)
- Buffalo Bills (9-6)
- New York Jets (6-9)
- New England Patriots (4-11)
The Dolphins maintained their two-game lead in the AFC East this past weekend by narrowly defeating the Dallas Cowboys at home on Christmas Eve by a score of 22-20. Miami needed that win because the Bills managed to earn a road win against the Los Angeles Chargers a day earlier.
Heading into New Year’s weekend, the Dolphins have a chance to clinch the division and reclaim the No. 1 seed in the AFC if they can knock off the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday.
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
- Cleveland Browns (10-5)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)
The Baltimore Ravens made a statement on Christmas night by putting together a dominant victory on the road against the San Francisco 49ers, 33-19. They have a chance to seal homefield advantage throughout the playoffs if they beat the Dolphins at home, but Cleveland is still hovering around after their own double-digit victory against the Houston Texans.
AFC South
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-7)
- Houston Texans (8-7)
- Tennessee Titans (5-10)
None of the AFC South teams were able to treat their fanbases to a win during the Christmas weekend, and it remains a three-way tie for the division lead. Houston has fallen all the way out of the playoffs with their loss and Buffalo’s win while the Colts continue to cling onto the No. 7 seed, and Jacksonville remains the division leader due to tiebreakers despite four consecutive losses.
AFC West
- Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)
- Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)
- Denver Broncos (7-8)
- Los Angeles Chargers (5-10)
The AFC West is quickly heading towards chaos at the end of the year following Kansas City’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. The Chiefs have now lost four of their six games since their bye week, and if they are going to make it to another Super Bowl, they will most likely need to win a game away from Arrowhead in the playoffs, since they are officially out of the running for the No. 1 seed.
NFC East
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
- Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
- New York Giants (5-10)
- Washington Commanders (4-11)
The Eagles took back the NFC East lead this weekend with their victory over the New York Giants on Monday afternoon, and Dallas’ loss to the Dolphins. Dallas has a tough matchup against the Detroit Lions this weekend, so if the Cowboys lose that game, the Eagles can close this division race out with a win over the Arizona Cardinals.
NFC North
- Detroit Lions (11-4)
- Minnesota Vikings (7-8)
- Green Bay Packers (7-8)
- Chicago Bears (6-9)
Detroit officially claimed its first division title in 30 years by knocking off the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday on the road. The game sent the Vikings out of the playoff picture, and the Lions remain in the mix for the No. 1 seed, sitting in a three-way tie at the top of the conference. Both Chicago and Green Bay kept their narrow playoff hopes alive with victories on Sunday afternoon as well.
NFC South
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
- Atlanta Falcons (7-8)
- New Orleans Saints (7-8)
- Carolina Panthers (2-13)
The NFC South remains a tightly contested division, but the Buccaneers held onto their one-game advantage within the division by taking down the Jaguars on Sunday. Atlanta took down the Colts to keep their divisional hopes alive while New Orleans fell off the pace with a Thursday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
NFC West
- San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
- Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
- Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-12)
The 49ers had already sealed up the NFC West last weekend, so their loss to the Ravens didn’t change anything in that perspective. However, the No. 1 seed is now in danger after both Detroit and Philadelphia joined San Francisco at 11-4 on the season. Los Angeles and Seattle jumped into the playoff picture with wins this weekend as well, so if the season ended today, three NFC West teams would be in the playoffs.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
