THE WHY BEHIND THE GAME
2021 NFL standings.
The race for the postseason starts here.
In the 2021 regular season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers shared the best record (13–4). 14 teams reached the playoffs, and the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20 in the Super Bowl.
AFC
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 483 | 289 | +194 | Lost Divisional |
| New England Patriots | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 462 | 303 | +159 | Lost Wild Card |
| Miami Dolphins | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 341 | 373 | -32 | — |
| New York Jets | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 310 | 504 | -194 | — |
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 460 | 376 | +84 | Lost Super Bowl |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | 1 | .559 | 343 | 398 | -55 | Lost Wild Card |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 387 | 392 | -5 | — |
| Cleveland Browns | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 349 | 371 | -22 | — |
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 419 | 354 | +65 | Lost Divisional |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 451 | 365 | +86 | — |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 280 | 452 | -172 | — |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 | 14 | 0 | .176 | 253 | 457 | -204 | — |
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 480 | 364 | +116 | Lost conference championship |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 374 | 439 | -65 | Lost Wild Card |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 474 | 459 | +15 | — |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 335 | 322 | +13 | — |
NFC
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 530 | 358 | +172 | Lost Wild Card |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 444 | 385 | +59 | Lost Wild Card |
| Washington Commanders | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 335 | 434 | -99 | — |
| New York Giants | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 258 | 416 | -158 | — |
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 450 | 371 | +79 | Lost Divisional |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 425 | 426 | -1 | — |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 311 | 407 | -96 | — |
| Detroit Lions | 3 | 13 | 1 | .206 | 325 | 467 | -142 | — |
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 511 | 353 | +158 | Lost Divisional |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 364 | 335 | +29 | — |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 313 | 459 | -146 | — |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 304 | 404 | -100 | — |
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Diff | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 460 | 372 | +88 | Won Super Bowl |
| Arizona Cardinals | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 449 | 366 | +83 | Lost Wild Card |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 427 | 365 | +62 | Lost conference championship |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 395 | 366 | +29 | — |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2021 regular-season and playoff game. Order within a division is win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied, so tied clubs may appear in a different order from the official standings. Playoff results come from the postseason games themselves.