NFL Standings - Division Leaders & Playoff Picture

The NFL standings page shows you a clear look at how each team fares this year. You can switch between Divisions, AFC, NFC, Playoff Outlook, and Wild Card Race with the tabbed bar at the top.

Each tab updates right after games end, so you always see the newest facts without needing to reload the page.

Moving through the tabs is easy:

• On desktop, click the tab you want, and the board below will shift to show that view.
• On mobile, swipe left or right to move through tabs with ease.

Each board shows the full standings for that division, with wins, losses, ties (W-L-T), win share (PCT), division mark (DIV), league mark (CONF), and games behind the leading team (GB).

Teams that clinch a playoff spot, division, or first-round are shown in color, while the eliminated teams are marked gray for easier navigation.

Here are the tabs you can use on this page:

• The Divisions tab shows all eight divisions side-by-side on big screens or in one-column view on mobile. Here, you can see the team at the head of each group and how many games set them apart from the rest.
• The AFC and NFC tabs let you track league standings if you want a wider view.
• The Playoff Outlook tab sums up which teams now fight in playoff reach, while the Wild Card tab marks the teams chasing the last spots.
• Standings always show in Eastern Time (ET), which is the NFL's set time.

The page also explains the meaning of each line and how helps you read the standings.

For one, "GB" tells you how many games a team trails the leader, while "DIV" shows how they have done against rivals in their division. On mobile, just tap a team's row to see more about its mark, streaks, and games left.

How NFL Standings & Playoffs Work

NFL standings show how each franchise does through the 17-game regular season. Each team's record consists of wins, losses, and ties (W-L-T), and these numbers set their place within their division and conference.

• The win rate (PCT) comes from the count of wins plus half the count of ties, then split by the number of games played. This gives you a fair read of how well a team has done against its opponents.
• Each conference -- AFC and NFC -- has four divisions, and the team with the best record in each division stands as division champ. These teams lock in a spot in the 14-team playoff field.
• Along with the division champs, three wild card teams from each conference win a playoff berth. Wild card teams are the non-division champs with the best records, so even teams that stand second or third in their division can fight their way into the postseason.

Keep in mind not all records weigh the same when it comes to playoff spots. Tie-break rules step in if two or more teams end with the same W-L-T mark.

• Head-to-head games, division record, and shared opponents can decide which team moves on. These rules keep things fair and help fans see why a team might hold a higher seed even if its full record looks close to another's.
• The playoffs themselves split by conference. Each conference sends seven teams: four division champs and three wild cards. The teams seed by record, with division champs taking the top spots.
• The top seed earns a first-round bye, skipping the first week of the playoffs. This makes each game in the season important, as each win can bring a team nearer to a better seed and home-field edge.

NFL Division Standings Breakdown

The most gripping part of the NFL season is the division race. Each conference -- AFC and NFC -- has four divisions:

• East
• North
• South
• West

Within each division, four teams fight not only for the top spot but also for a shot at the playoffs. The division standings show each team's record, division mark (DIV), games behind the leader (GB), and remaining division games. This lets fans see at once how close the race truly stands.

Division games carry extra weight. Wins and losses against division rivals count most in tiebreaker spots. A team might share the same overall record, but a stronger division mark can push it ahead in the standings.

Each table also shows the games behind (GB) for teams chasing the division leader. This number updates after each game and shows how many wins or loses set a team apart from the top spot.

• For one, if the leader has 8 wins and a rival has 6, the trailing team is 2 games back. Remaining division games are also flagged so you can see which matchups could swing the standings before the season ends.
• Long rivalries add more fire to the race. Teams like the Patriots vs. Bills in the AFC East or the Packers vs. Bears in the NFC North often shape the fight for the crown. These games are more than wins and losses -- they bring pride, old grudges, and playoff stakes.

Most division champs end the year with strong marks, often 10 wins or more, but each season brings its own turns. Some divisions stay tight, with many teams stuck around 7-8 wins, making the last weeks a tense fight. Others see one team pull away early, giving fans time to watch the wild card race heat up instead.

NFL Playoff Race & Wild Card Standings

Once the division leaders are set, the wild card race becomes the most unpredictable part of the NFL season. Each conference hands out three wild card spots, so even teams that don't win their division can fight their way into the playoffs.

The Wild Card tab shows which teams are still in the hunt, their records, and how close they are to clinching a spot. The Playoff Picture tab zooms out so you can see all the teams that would make the postseason if the season ended today -- division winners and wild cards alike.

To make things simple, the table uses a few marks:

These marks make it easy to see who's locked in and who's still fighting. Late in the year, every game counts. One win or loss can completely change the standings.

Wild card standings can swing quickly. Teams that look out of contention can go on a run, while others can fall behind if rivals start winning. The tables help fans track both the current standings and which teams still have a shot.

You can also view the boards by conference, division, or wild card spot. On mobile, tap or swipe to see a team's record, streak, and remaining games. No matter where you are, it's easy to follow the playoff race.

The wild card race isn't just a footnote -- it drives late-season drama, shapes playoff seeding, and decides which teams enter the postseason with momentum. Serious fans watch it as closely as the division battles.

NFL Tiebreaker Procedures

Tiebreakers decide which teams move on to the playoffs when two or more teams have the same record. They also decide who wins a division and who gets a better seed in the playoffs. Without tiebreakers, the standings would be unclear.

• In a division race, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head games. If one team has beaten the other more times, that team goes ahead.
• Next, the league looks at division record (DIV). This shows how well a team did against other teams in its division.
• If the tie is still not broken, the league looks at common matchups -- games both teams played against the same opponents.
• After that comes conference record (CONF), which shows how a team did against teams in its conference.
• Finally, strength of victory is used. This looks at how well the teams a club beat have done.

Wild card tiebreakers work in a similar way. Head-to-head games come first, then conference record. If teams have at least four common games, those are compared next. Then the league checks strength of victory and strength of schedule.

Two teams with the same record can end up in very different spots. One team might get a higher seed because it won a key game or did better in its division.

The standings tables show these tiebreakers automatically. After each game, they update to show which teams are ahead and which are still fighting.

NFL Strength of Schedule & Standings

Strength of Schedule tells us how strong the opponents a team faces during the season are. It explains why some teams come to victories easily and quickly while others struggle, even though on paper they seem equal.

The SOS is based on how the opponents performed in the previous season and changes during the season depending on the results, and is a very important factor when teams are tied in the standings - the one with the tougher schedule may get a higher playoff seed or wild-card spot.

The NFL schedule is designed to balance the competition. Each team plays 17 games:

• Six against teams in its own division (home and away)
• Four against another division in the same conference
• Four against a division from the other conference
• Two against teams that finished in the same position in other divisions
• One extra game against a same-conference team from a division in the other conference

This system ensures that each team faces a mix of strong and weaker opponents, which keeps the season fair, exciting, and full of surprises.

NFL Standings Records & Milestones

Here are some of the most interesting facts about the past NFL seasons:

• The New England Patriots (2007): The famous franchise went 16-0 in the regular season, achieving what no other team could since the league embraced the new format. The only thing that could've rounded up a perfect season for them was winning the Super Bowl, but the New York Giants ended that dream beating the Patriots 17-14.
• The Miami Dolphins (1972): The South Beach NFL team completed the regular season with at the time perfect record 14-0, and went on a perfect post-season run as well, beating the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Washington Redskins to earn their first ever NFL title.
• The Seattle Seahawks (2010): The team ended the regular season with a 7-9 record, but winning their division helped them reach the playoffs. They went on to win the wild-card matchup against the New Orleans Saints, and were just one win away from reaching the Super Bowl, but got stopped by the Chicago Bears in the Divisional game.
• The New England Patriots (2008): This time, the Patriots were on the negative side of history, ending the regular season with 11-5 record, but still missing the post-season. Why? They got edged out by unfortunate tie-breaking circumstances, proving wins alone don't guarantee you a playoff spot in the NFL.