NFL Playoff Picture: Who's in, who's out and what's on the line in Week 11

Week 11 contains several games that affect the NFL playoff standings

By Jared Dubin

Nov 18, 2016 at 11:33 am ET • 4 min read

Week 11 of the NFL season is under way. The Panthers worked their way back into the NFC South race by defeating the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. Both teams now sit two games back of the Atlanta Falcons in the division.

As of today, here's how the rest of the NFL playoff picture looks, as well as a snapshot of some games that could potentially impact what it looks like next week and beyond:

AFC: Who's in

No. 1 New England Patriots (7-2)
No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)
No. 3 Houston Texans (6-3)
No. 4 Baltimore Ravens (5-4)
No. 5 Oakland Raiders (7-2)
No. 6 Denver Broncos (7-3)

AFC: Who's out

No. 7 Miami Dolphins (5-4)
No. 8 Tennessee Titans (5-5)
No. 9 Pittsburgh Steelers (4-5)
No. 10 Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
No. 11 Buffalo Bills (4-5)
No. 12 San Diego Chargers (4-6)
No. 13 Cincinnati Bengals (3-5-1)
No. 14 New York Jets (3-7)
No. 15 Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
No. 16 Cleveland Browns (0-10)

NFC: Who's in

No. 1 Dallas Cowboys (8-1)
No. 2 Seattle Seahawks (6-2-1)
No. 3 Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
No. 4 Detroit Lions (5-4)
No. 5 New York Giants (6-3)
No. 6 Washington Redskins (5-3-1)

NFC: Who's out

No. 7 Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
No. 8 Minnesota Vikings (5-4)
No. 9 Arizona Cardinals (4-4-1)
No. 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
No. 11 Green Bay Packers (4-5)
No. 12 Los Angeles Rams (4-5)
No. 13 New Orleans Saints (4-6)
No. 14 Carolina Panthers (4-6)
No. 15 Chicago Bears (2-7)
No. 16 San Francisco 49ers (1-8)

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Games to watch in Week 11

Week 11 features two games where both teams are currently in playoff position heading into the contest.

Ravens at Cowboys

Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET, TV: CBS

How it affects the standings: The Cowboys enter this game having won eight in a row. They have the top seed and the best record in the league with Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and the offensive line leading the way. Baltimore, meanwhile, has vaulted into first place in the AFC North by following up its four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over divisional opponents (the Steelers and Browns). The Steelers are only a game back, though, so they need to keep coming away with wins in order to maintain hold on that playoff spot. With the AFC West so strong, it seems doubtful more than one team from the North gets in.

Texans at Raiders

Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET (Monday), TV: ESPN

How it affects the standings: The Raiders no longer have hold of first place in the AFC West, with the Chiefs sliding into that position last week. They're still in playoff position (No. 5), though, a half-game ahead of the Denver Broncos (No. 6) and two games ahead of the No. 7-seed Dolphins. Houston still maintains a lead in the AFC South, though that lead is only 1.5 games over the Titans. Oakland has been worse at home than on the road this season, but Houston hasn't had much success moving the ball in any stadium.

The Raiders need a win in order to keep pace in the AFC West. USATSI

Week 11 features three additional games where both teams are currently within one game of a playoff spot heading into the contest.

Cardinals at Vikings

Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET, TV: FOX

How it affects the standings: The Vikings have lost four straight games after opening the season 5-0, and now join the Cardinals in the morass of teams fighting for a wild-card spot. There are an incredible 10 NFC teams with either four or five wins. Either the Vikes, Lions, and Packers will win the NFC North, and then the other nine teams will have to fight it out for the two wild-card spots. Every game matters the rest of the way.

Eagles at Seahawks

Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. ET, TV: CBS

How it affects the standings: The Eagles are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, but not by much. They're in last place in the NFC East but have hold of the No. 7-seed in the conference. A win over Seattle, currently in the No. 2 hole, would go a long way toward putting them back in place for a stretch run toward the postseason. They'll face a tougher test in these Seahawks than it looked like they might a couple weeks ago, as Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense once again seem to be hitting their stride as the season moves into the second half.

Packers at Redskins

Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET, TV: NBC

How it affects the standings: Green Bay's losing streak (three in a row to the Falcons, Colts, and Titans) has coincided with the Vikings' and it has allowed the Lions to move into first place in the division. Washington keeps flip-flopping a hold of a playoff spot with the non-Cowboys teams in the NFC East, and currently holds the No. 6-seed by virtue of having a tie on its record instead of a loss.

Other games with playoff implications

A couple other games, like Bills at Bengals (1 p.m.), Titans at Colts (1 p.m.) feature two teams within shouting distance of a playoff spot, and could conceivably knock one team too far out of the picture to reasonable come back by the end of the year, pending results of other games.