The rise of once-lowly teams and the regression of established powers have combined to turn the playoff picture upside down.

The Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention with the Chargers ' 16-13 win. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in today's loss. Meanwhile atop the AFC East, the Bills held off the Patriots in a 35-31 win.

NFL schedule set up perfect Buccaneers, Panthers finish for NFC South standings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The NFL schedule makers like to backlog the calendar with divisional matchups. But even then, there's no guarantee that those games will have any meaning.

Predicting the Winner of EVERY Division Race in the NFL

Nobody really knew what to expect out of the NFC West in the 2025 NFL season. Sure, the Los Angeles Rams were supposed to be good, but how would Sam Darnold far

It's "Butterfly Effect" season in the NFL, and nearly every game has downstream effects on someone's playoff hopes.

The Buffalo Bills are great at maintaining control of the football while the Pittsburgh Steelers struggle in that area based on time of possession standings.