Week 11 brought us the NFL’s first official playoff elimination of the 2020 season — the New York Jets, naturally — as well as a fun series of events that shook up the standings in both conferences. Here’s a glimpse from Sunday afternoon:
4:15 p.m. ET: The Titans walked off with a 30-24 overtime victory over the Ravens, pulling Tennessee a half-game ahead of the Colts in the AFC South.
4:18 p.m. ET: The Browns completed a 22-17 victory over the Eagles, allowing them to leapfrog the Ravens in the AFC North standings.
7:52 p.m. ET: The Colts beat the Packers in overtime, pulling them even with the Titans to set up a massive Week 12 game. Oh, and the Packers’ loss puts the Saints in control of the NFC.
It’s now pretty clear that the league is competitively tilted toward the AFC, where nine teams have winning records. The NFC has five winning teams, and four three-win teams are pillow-fighting it out for the NFC East lead. Let’s take a closer look at the current playoff landscape, using ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) for context where appropriate.
AFC
FPI chances to make playoffs: 99.9%
FPI chances to win division: 95.7%
We’re starting to get into historic territory with these Steelers. After Sunday’s win over the Jaguars, they became the 18th team since 1966 to start a season 10-0. Of the previous 17, nine reached the Super Bowl, and six of them won it, most recently the Saints in 2009. They’ll have a chance to complete a season sweep of the Ravens on Thanksgiving as they near the AFC North title.
Up next: vs. Ravens
