Week 7 is final after Dallas’ 38–21 Monday night win in Philadelphia, and it ended with one unbeaten team instead of three. Minnesota is 6–0 after a 16–10 win over Indianapolis, while San Francisco lost 29–20 in Atlanta and Kansas City lost 20–3 in Seattle on Sunday night.
If the season ended today, the AFC seeds would be Kansas City, Buffalo, Cleveland and Jacksonville as division leaders, with Denver, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati as wild cards. In the NFC it would be Minnesota, San Francisco, the New York Giants and Carolina as division leaders, with Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay as wild cards, so all four NFC North teams would again be in the field. A week ago, as our picture entering Week 7 showed, New England held an AFC wild card and the 49ers held the NFC’s top seed.
Seattle after its 20–3 win over Kansas City, the Chiefs’ first loss of the season.
AFC: Chiefs keep No. 1, Bengals in and Patriots out
Kansas City (5–1) keeps the top seed despite the loss, because its 5–0 conference record beats Buffalo’s 3–1; the Bills (5–1) were on bye. The Chiefs’ cushion in their own division is gone, though. Denver (5–2) won 30–16 in Arizona for its third straight win and is half a game back, and the two meet in Denver on Sunday. Kansas City won the first meeting 31–10 in Week 1. Our Sunday night recap has how Seattle held the Chiefs without a trip inside its 20.
Cleveland (5–2) moved up to No. 3 after Andre Szmyt’s kick at the gun beat Tennessee 27–24, as our Browns report details. The Browns now have a better winning percentage than Jacksonville (4–2), which was on bye and drops to No. 4. Pittsburgh is also 5–2 after its 16–10 win over New Orleans in Paris, but Cleveland leads the AFC North because it beat the Steelers 27–24 in Week 4. Pittsburgh moves up to the No. 6 seed, behind Denver, whose 2–1 conference record is better than the Steelers’ 2–2.
Baltimore is out of last week’s three-way AFC North tie, and Cincinnati is the reason. The Bengals (4–2) trailed 13–0 at halftime in Baltimore and won 35–13, with Joe Burrow throwing four second-half touchdown passes, as our game recap explains. That lifted Cincinnati from ninth to the last wild-card spot and dropped Baltimore (4–3) to ninth after two straight losses.
The Bengals after their comeback win in Baltimore.
New England is the team that fell out. The Patriots (4–3) lost 30–24 in Chicago on Thursday night and slid from No. 5 to No. 8. They are first out, ahead of Baltimore on their 4–1 conference record. Las Vegas (3–4) has lost four straight. Miami won for the first time, 28–25 against the Jets, which leaves the Chargers (0–6) as the only winless team in the league.
Denver after its 30–16 win in Arizona.
AFC standings by seed after Week 7
| Seed | Team | Record | Conf | Div | PF | PA | Diff | Streak | Status | Seed before Week 7 | Week 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | 5–1 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 143 | 103 | +40 | L1 | Division leader | 1 | L 3–20 at Seahawks |
| 2 | Buffalo Bills | 5–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 197 | 171 | +26 | W2 | Division leader | 2 | Bye |
| 3 | Cleveland Browns | 5–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 133 | 146 | −13 | W2 | Division leader | 4 | W 27–24 at Titans |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 154 | 104 | +50 | L1 | Division leader | 3 | Bye |
| 5 | Denver Broncos | 5–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 144 | 141 | +3 | W3 | Wild card | 6 | W 30–16 at Cardinals |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 153 | 138 | +15 | W3 | Wild card | 7 | W 16–10 vs. Saints (Paris) |
| 7 | Cincinnati Bengals | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 163 | 122 | +41 | W2 | Wild card | 9 | W 35–13 at Ravens |
| 8 | New England Patriots | 4–3 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 160 | 143 | +17 | L1 | Outside | 5 | L 24–30 at Bears |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 4–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 169 | 167 | +2 | L2 | Outside | 8 | L 13–35 vs. Bengals |
| 10 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3–4 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 183 | 197 | −14 | L4 | Outside | 10 | L 21–35 vs. Rams |
| 11 | New York Jets | 2–5 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 137 | 150 | −13 | L2 | Outside | 11 | L 25–28 vs. Dolphins |
| 12 | Indianapolis Colts | 2–5 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 154 | 180 | −26 | L3 | Outside | 12 | L 10–16 at Vikings |
| 13 | Houston Texans | 2–5 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 165 | 170 | −5 | L1 | Outside | 13 | L 21–27 (OT) vs. Giants |
| 14 | Miami Dolphins | 1–5 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 98 | 157 | −59 | W1 | Outside | 15 | W 28–25 at Jets |
| 15 | Tennessee Titans | 1–6 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 108 | 156 | −48 | L1 | Outside | 14 | L 24–27 vs. Browns |
| 16 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0–6 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 90 | 151 | −61 | L6 | Outside | 16 | Bye |
NFC: Vikings take over at No. 1, NFC North still fills the wild cards
Minnesota (6–0) is the only team without a loss and takes the top seed from San Francisco, with a 4–0 conference record and a +51 point differential. The 49ers (6–1) lost for the first time when Atlanta forced four takeaways, as our Falcons report has it, and drop to No. 2. They still lead the NFC West by two games over Seattle and are on bye this week.
The Giants (4–2–1) moved up to No. 3 with a 27–21 overtime win in Houston, and they lead the NFC East by a game and a half over Dallas (3–4). Carolina (3–3) slipped to No. 4 after a 43–13 home loss to Tampa Bay, but the Panthers still lead the NFC South by half a game over Atlanta (3–4), whom they beat 34–3 in Week 2.
Chicago (5–2) beat New England and holds the No. 5 seed, the best record among the wild cards. Detroit (4–2) is No. 6 after Jake Bates’ 22-yard field goal at the gun beat Green Bay 20–17, as our Lions recap details. The Packers (4–3) fell from No. 5 to No. 7 and are level with Seattle (4–3), but they keep the last spot on conference record, 3–3 against the Seahawks’ 1–2. The two have not played each other.
Chicago after Thursday night’s 30–24 win over New England.
Detroit after the last-second win over Green Bay.
Below the line, the Rams climbed from 14th to 10th with a 35–21 win in Las Vegas and Dallas moved from 12th to 11th. Philadelphia has lost five straight and is 15th at 2–5 after the Monday night loss, as our Cowboys-Eagles recap covers. Washington (1–4–1), on bye, is last.
NFC standings by seed after Week 7
| Seed | Team | Record | Conf | Div | PF | PA | Diff | Streak | Status | Seed before Week 7 | Week 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings | 6–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 125 | 74 | +51 | W6 | Division leader | 2 | W 16–10 vs. Colts |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 6–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 197 | 139 | +58 | L1 | Division leader | 1 | L 20–29 at Falcons |
| 3 | New York Giants | 4–2–1 | 2–2–1 | 1–0–1 | 163 | 161 | +2 | W1 | Division leader | 4 | W 27–21 (OT) at Texans |
| 4 | Carolina Panthers | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 159 | 166 | −7 | L1 | Division leader | 3 | L 13–43 vs. Buccaneers |
| 5 | Chicago Bears | 5–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 180 | 143 | +37 | W2 | Wild card | 6 | W 30–24 vs. Patriots |
| 6 | Detroit Lions | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 184 | 165 | +19 | W2 | Wild card | 7 | W 20–17 vs. Packers |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | 4–3 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 144 | 145 | −1 | L1 | Wild card | 5 | L 17–20 at Lions |
| 8 | Seattle Seahawks | 4–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 168 | 125 | +43 | W1 | Outside | 8 | W 20–3 vs. Chiefs |
| 9 | Atlanta Falcons | 3–4 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 171 | 173 | −2 | W1 | Outside | 9 | W 29–20 vs. 49ers |
| 10 | Los Angeles Rams | 3–4 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 170 | 159 | +11 | W1 | Outside | 14 | W 35–21 at Raiders |
| 11 | Dallas Cowboys | 3–4 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 189 | 180 | +9 | W1 | Outside | 12 | W 38–21 at Eagles |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2–5 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 162 | 151 | +11 | W1 | Outside | 16 | W 43–13 at Panthers |
| 13 | New Orleans Saints | 2–5 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 162 | 194 | −32 | L1 | Outside | 10 | L 10–16 vs. Steelers (Paris) |
| 14 | Arizona Cardinals | 2–5 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 142 | 208 | −66 | L1 | Outside | 13 | L 16–30 vs. Broncos |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | 2–5 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 127 | 175 | −48 | L5 | Outside | 11 | L 21–38 vs. Cowboys |
| 16 | Washington Commanders | 1–4–1 | 1–3–1 | 0–2–1 | 132 | 172 | −40 | L1 | Outside | 15 | Bye |
Division races
| Division | Leader | Record | Closest chaser | Record | Games back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC East | Buffalo Bills | 5–1 | New England Patriots | 4–3 | 1.5 |
| AFC North | Cleveland Browns | 5–2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5–2 | 0 (Browns hold tiebreaker) |
| AFC South | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4–2 | Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts | 2–5 | 2.5 |
| AFC West | Kansas City Chiefs | 5–1 | Denver Broncos | 5–2 | 0.5 |
| NFC East | New York Giants | 4–2–1 | Dallas Cowboys | 3–4 | 1.5 |
| NFC North | Minnesota Vikings | 6–0 | Chicago Bears | 5–2 | 1.5 |
| NFC South | Carolina Panthers | 3–3 | Atlanta Falcons | 3–4 | 0.5 |
| NFC West | San Francisco 49ers | 6–1 | Seattle Seahawks | 4–3 | 2 |
Week 8 games that can move the picture
Two division leads are on the line on Sunday. Cleveland visits Pittsburgh with first place in the AFC North at stake: a Steelers win would put them a game ahead of the Browns. Later, Kansas City plays at Denver, and a Broncos win would move them ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC West on winning percentage. Minnesota’s first game as the NFC’s top seed is at Detroit, and the Bears’ trip to Seattle on Monday night pits the No. 5 seed against the first NFC team out.
Houston, New Orleans, the Giants and San Francisco are on bye. Egypt moves to winter time on Thursday night, so the Panthers-Packers game starts at 2:15 a.m. on Friday in Cairo, an hour earlier than usual, as our Cairo kickoff guide explains. The table shows each team’s current seed.
| Game | Kickoff (ET) | Cairo time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers (NFC 4) at Packers (NFC 7) | Thu, Oct. 29, 8:15 p.m. | Fri 02:15 | |
| Ravens (AFC 9) at Bills (AFC 2) | Sun, Nov. 1, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | |
| Titans (AFC 15) at Bengals (AFC 7) | Sun, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | |
| Cardinals (NFC 14) at Cowboys (NFC 11) | Sun, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | |
| Vikings (NFC 1) at Lions (NFC 6) | Sun, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | NFC North |
| Raiders (AFC 10) at Jets (AFC 11) | Sun, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | |
| Browns (AFC 3) at Steelers (AFC 6) | Sun, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | AFC North lead |
| Falcons (NFC 9) at Buccaneers (NFC 12) | Sun, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | NFC South |
| Colts (AFC 12) at Jaguars (AFC 4) | Sun, 1:00 p.m. | Sun 20:00 | AFC South |
| Chargers (AFC 16) at Rams (NFC 10) | Sun, 4:05 p.m. | Sun 23:05 | SoFi Stadium |
| Chiefs (AFC 1) at Broncos (AFC 5) | Sun, 4:25 p.m. | Sun 23:25 | AFC West lead |
| Patriots (AFC 8) at Dolphins (AFC 14) | Sun, 4:25 p.m. | Sun 23:25 | AFC East |
| Eagles (NFC 15) at Commanders (NFC 16) | Sun, 8:20 p.m. | Mon 03:20 | NFC East |
| Bears (NFC 5) at Seahawks (NFC 8) | Mon, Nov. 2, 8:15 p.m. | Tue 03:15 |
This is a snapshot of the current order from completed games only, with 107 of the season’s 272 games played. No team can clinch or be eliminated yet. The road ends at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 14, where Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show.
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