The playoff standings are getting as crazy as a wild turkey prior to Thanksgiving, which is fitting since the league is hitting that point in the calendar. The NFC West is as unpredictable as ever, with the Seattle Seahawks taking over the division lead thanks to their win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs lead the NFC and AFC, respectively, and both are playing over the course of Thanksgiving and Black Friday. There are also ways the Lions, Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills can clinch a playoff spot this week,
Plus, how many wins will it take to win the division? And what's the current vibe surrounding each of the four teams?
Ranking all 32 teams using advanced analytics results in seven of the top 11 teams being from the AFC, while nine of the bottom 13 are also from the AFC. It's a conference of extremes, and here's how its teams stack up entering Week 13.
The Lions, Vikings, Packers and Bears have combined to beat non-divisional foes by 9.5 points per game, easily the best since 2002.
Meanwhile, the Steelers currently sit atop the AFC North but have the Ravens nipping at their heels after a Monday night win over the Chargers that thrust them to 8-4 and up to the No. 5 seed in the conference.
The Week 13 NFL schedule is headlined by the trio of Thanksgiving games on Thursday, including the Miami Dolphins at the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field. Chicago travels to Detroit in the first game on Thursday, while Dallas hosts the New York Giants in the afternoon.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was reported to be a candidate for the University of North Carolina's head coach position on Wednesday and Smith confirmed contact with the school on Thursday.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said Thursday that he has been contacted by the University of North Carolina about its head coaching vacancy but that he’s not interested at the moment.