NFL Playoff Standings: Green Bay Packers Are Terrible, Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Bound?

NFL playoff standings have been updated and the Dallas Cowboys are at the top again. The latest NFL playoff standings also show that the Green Bay Packers aren’t very good this season, as the team lost again at home to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday (Nov. 6). The Week 9 NFL scores may have revealed that a number of teams are really just “pretenders” this year and that the Super Bowl contenders are starting to pull away from the pack.

The Green Bay Packers had a big chance to make a move in the NFC North, but instead struggled to score points against a notoriously bad Indianapolis Colts defense. The Packers did fight back into the game late in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late to overcome the deficit. The loss dropped the Packers to 4-4 on the season, while bumping the Colts up to 4-5 so far. It was a lost opportunity to catch the Minnesota Vikings in the division, as the Vikings also lost to the Detroit Lions.

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Cleveland Browns easily to improve to 7-1 on the season. This helps the Cowboys remain on top of the latest NFL playoff standings, but also shows how well the team has been able to play on the road. The Cowboys are 4-0 on the road this season and will continue to be the No. 1 seeded team in the NFC. Clearly, the Cowboys have emerged as the best team in the NFC through the first half of the 2016 NFL season.

Other games that affected the NFC playoff standings are the New York Giants beating the Philadelphia Eagles, the Detroit Lions beating the Minnesota Vikings, and the New Orleans Saints beating the San Francisco 49ers. The Atlanta Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday (Nov. 3) and the Seattle Seahawks play Monday night (Nov. 7) against the Buffalo Bills. The Seahawks will remain the first-place team in the NFC West no matter what the result of the game ends up being.

The adjustments to the NFL playoff standings weren’t just limited to the NFC, as the AFC also saw some big games take place. One very noticeable game was the bad loss that the Pittsburgh Steelers had against the Baltimore Ravens. In what amounted to a must-win game in the AFC North standings, the Steelers couldn’t capitalize on the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Instead, the Ravens completely shut down the Steelers, showing that the North won’t be settled just yet. The Ravens now own the head-to-head tie-breaker.

The New England Patriots continue to lead the AFC standings, but the Kansas City Chiefs are now 6-2 and just one game behind Tom Brady and his crew. The Chiefs also lead a very tough AFC West, with an important game between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders taking place late Sunday (Nov. 6). The winner of that game will take over first place in the division by win percentage. The loser, as well as the Chiefs, will slide into Wild Card slots in the AFC as the league heads into Week 10 action.

Full 2016 NFL Playoff Standings

AFC Playoff Standings

1 – New England Patriots (7-1)
2 – Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
3 – Houston Texans (5-3)
4 – Baltimore Ravens (4-4)
5 – Oakland Raiders (6-2)
6 – Denver Broncos (6-2)

7 – Miami Dolphins (4-4)
8 – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)
9 – Buffalo Bills (4-4)
10 – San Diego Chargers (4-5)
11 – Tennessee Titans (4-5)
12 – Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
13 – Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1)
14 – New York Jets (3-6)
15 – Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
16 – Cleveland Browns (0-9)

NFC Playoff Standings

1 – Dallas Cowboys (7-1)
2 – Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
3 – Seattle Seahawks (4-2-1)
4 – Minnesota Vikings (5-3)
5 – New York Giants (5-3)
6 – Washington Redskins (4-3-1)

7 – Detroit Lions (5-4)
8 – Green Bay Packers (4-4)
9 – Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)
10 – New Orleans Saints (4-4)
11 – Arizona Cardinals (3-4-1)
12 – Los Angeles Rams (3-5)
13 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)
14 – Carolina Panthers (3-5)
15 – Chicago Bears (2-6)
16 – San Francisco 49ers (1-7)

[Featured Image by Dylan Buell/Getty Images]