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They will surely trade it for the Lombardi Trophy, but the Philadelphia Eagles got revenge on the Kansas City Chiefs with a 21-17 victory in the Super Bowl rematch on Monday.
Philadelphia overcame a 10-point halftime deficit with two Jalen Hurts rushing touchdowns and a strong performance from its defense down low. It also didn’t hurt that Marquez Valdes-Scantling threw a potential go-ahead touchdown on the Chiefs’ final possession on a perfectly placed ball from Patrick Mahomes.
Now all eyes turn to the stretch run of the 2023 season, and the Chiefs are no longer at the top of the AFC playoff picture.
That spot goes to the Baltimore Ravens, while the Eagles secured their spot atop the NFC standings thanks to a dramatic win.
There may eventually be another Super Bowl matchup between Kansas City and Philadelphia on the line, but the AFC will run to Baltimore for now. With that in mind, here’s a look at the full standings going into the Thanksgiving slate:
1. Baltimore Ravens (8-3, first-round bye)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-3, tiebreaker against Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins) vs. 7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3, tiebreaker against Miami Dolphins) vs. 6. Houston Texans (6-4, tiebreaker against Pittsburgh Steelers)
4. Miami Dolphins (7-3) vs. 5. Cleveland Browns (7-3)
1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-1, first-round bye)
2. Detroit Lions (8-2) vs. 7. Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
3. San Francisco 49ers (7-3) vs. 6. Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
4. New Orleans Saints (5-5) vs. 5. Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
While the race for a first-round bye comes with No. 1 seed and the final playoff spot that comes with the No. 7 seed will generate a lot of attention, the fight for No. 5 seed in the NFC is also important this year.
That’s because No. 5 seed will likely face the NFC South champion in the first round while the Nos. 6 and 7 seeds will likely face some combination of the Eagles, Detroit Lions or San Francisco 49ers.
At this point, matching up with a team in the NFC South is the most obvious path to a playoff victory.
Someone has to win the division with zero teams over .500 and two 4-6 teams in the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers well within striking distance of the 5-5 New Orleans Saints.
New Orleans has dealt with injury concerns with Derek Carr, Marshon Lattimore and Michael Thomas and has been nothing but consistent throughout the campaign. Much of the NFL world would certainly expect a win for a wild-card team like the Dallas Cowboys, even if that team had to go on the road.
One of the biggest questions on the AFC side is whether the Pittsburgh Steelers can hold off challengers for the final wild-card spot.
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The 5-5 Cincinnati Bengals may be done without Joe Burrow for the season, but the 5-5 Denver Broncos have won four straight with Russell Wilson playing better. The 5-5 Indianapolis Colts are riding a two-game winning streak of their own with lighter stretches against the Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and Burrow-less Bengals in the near future.
And then there are the 6-5 Buffalo Bills, who haven’t lived up to expectations but still have Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs.
Buffalo has realistic Super Bowl aspirations coming into the season and still has the talent to challenge the league’s top teams, but it is out of the playoff picture with its next three against the Eagles, Chiefs and Cowboys.
The Steelers used to be DEFEAT in total yardage per game this season but is still 6-4 and could be in the driver’s seat with another couple wins given Buffalo’s schedule, especially if the Broncos and Colts regress some during the stretch run .
