2024 NFL Playoff Picture: Wild races building as Broncos, Commanders cling to berths

The Chiefs and Bills, and the Ravens and Steelers engaged in heavyweight battles on Sunday, and they all came out looking like Super Bowl contenders. The Lions and Eagles showed they belong in that conversation too.

Everybody else better be ready for a wild scramble down the stretch, because the final playoff spots in each conference are far from secure. The Broncos looked great on Sunday, but their hold on the seventh spot in the AFC is tenuous. And the standings are packed in the NFC South and especially in the NFC West.

So while the top teams jockey for position, there's a large group of teams that will be battling for their postseason lives over the next seven weeks.

Here is the NFL playoff picture through Week 11:

NFC

1. Detroit Lions (9-1)

Maybe someone can stop them, but it certainly wasn't going to be the awful Jacksonville Jaguars. The Lions won one of the most lopsided games the NFL has seen in decades. It was a pretty impressive muscle flex. It was also their eighth win in a row. So who can stop them? Well, the Colts, Bears and Packers are up next, and the Lions are a few steps up in weight class for all of them. The next real test might come on Dec. 15 against the Buffalo Bills.

Playoff probability: 99%

2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)

They reasserted their dominance in the NFC East on Thursday night by swatting back the upstart Washington Commanders and opening a two-game division lead. It wasn't easy and it was dicey for a while, but that's who the Eagles are. It sometimes takes them a while to get going. But they are so relentless with their Saquon Barkley-led ground attack that they wear down opponents and eventually break games open. That, and their strong defense, is what will really make them