NFL Playoff Standings: Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings Take Charge Of NFL Standings

NFL playoff standings reveal some interesting results from Week 6. Though these early NFL playoff standings will inevitably change in the coming weeks, it still gives fans some bragging rights through the first chunk of the 2016 NFL season. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Oakland Raiders are setting the early pace. In the updated NFL standings, the only undefeated team left, though, is the 5-0 Vikings.

The last time that the Vikings lost was during last year’s playoffs, when Blair Walsh missed a field goal against the Seahawks that could have sent the team to a showdown with the Carolina Panthers. The Vikings have bounced back very well this season, with early victories over the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and those same Panthers. The Vikings are also allowing only 12.6 points per game, which ranks as the best in the league through Week 5.

In the current NFL playoff standings for the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) lead the NFC North and would have the No. 1 seed. The Dallas Cowboys (4-1) lead the NFC East and would have the No. 2 seed as well as the second bye. The other two division leaders are the Atlanta Falcons (4-1) in the NFC South and the Seattle Seahawks (3-1) in the NFC West. The Falcons win the current tie-breaker to take the No. 3 seed, putting the Seahawks as the No. 4 seed.

As for the two NFC wild card teams, they are currently the Green Bay Packers (3-1) and the Philadelphia Eagles (3-1), with the Packers holding the tie-breakers thus far. The Los Angeles Rams (3-2) and Washington Redskins (3-2) are the two teams closest to breaking into the 2016 NFL playoff standings in the NFC. If the playoffs began today, first-round matchups in the NFC would be the Falcons vs. Eagles and Seahawks vs. Packers.

Four teams are tied with 4-1 records atop the new AFC playoff standings. Currently, the Pittsburgh Steelers hold all the tie-breakers and reside as the No. 1 seed and the AFC North leader. The Oakland Raiders are at the top of the AFC West and currently hold the No. 2 seed. They are followed by the AFC East-leading Patriots (4-1) as the No. 3 seed and the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (3-2) as the No. 4 seed.

The Denver Broncos (4-1) are the first wild-card team in the AFC, losing the current tie-breakers to the Oakland Raiders for first place in the division. The team slides into the No. 5 seed, with the Baltimore Ravens (3-2) as the No. 6 seed. The Buffalo Bills (3-2) are the next team up in the AFC, but the team loses out on tie-breakers with the Ravens to this point. With 11 games left, the Bills have a lot of time to still make up ground. First-round matchups would be Patriots vs. Ravens and Texans vs. Broncos in the AFC Playoffs.

There are a number of very important games in the Week 6 NFL schedule, including the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks vs. Atlanta Falcons, and Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs. A victory by the Seahawks could put the team as the new No. 2 seed in the NFC. Those three games each received late starts on Sunday, October 16, setting up an exciting day of football that is definitely going to shift how the NFL playoff standings look come Monday morning.

Full 2016 NFL Playoff Standings

AFC Playoff Standings

1 – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
2 – Oakland Raiders (4-1)
3 – New England Patriots (4-1)
4 – Houston Texans (3-2)
5 – Denver Broncos (4-1)
6 – Baltimore Ravens (3-2)

7 – Buffalo Bills (3-2)
8 – Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)
9 – Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
10 – Tennessee Titans (2-3)
11 – Indianapolis Colts (2-3)
12 – Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)
13 – New York Jets (1-4)
14 – San Diego Chargers (1-4)
15 – Miami Dolphins (1-4)
16 – Cleveland Browns (0-5)

NFC Playoff Standings

1 – Minnesota Vikings (5-0)
2 – Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
3 – Atlanta Falcons (4-1)
4 – Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
5 – Green Bay Packers (3-1)
6 – Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)

7 – Los Angeles Rams (3-2)
8 – Washington Redskins (3-2)
9 – Arizona Cardinals (2-3)
10 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)
11 – New York Giants (2-3)
12 – Detroit Lions (2-3)
13 – New Orleans Saints (1-3)
14 – Chicago Bears (1-4)
15 – Carolina Panthers (1-4)
16 – San Francisco 49ers (1-4)

[Featured Image by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images]