Week 14 NFL Standings: A New Leader in the NFC after Chaotic Thanksgiving Weekend

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Dec 2, 2025
Nov 2, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) reacts as he walks off the field after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The NFL brought a weekend of chaos over the Thanksgiving holiday.

A number of division races remain extremely tight with just five weeks to go in the regular season, and both conferences could see huge swings as teams scratch and claw for the seven playoff spots. Heading into Week 14, here is a look at the updated NFL standings.

Week 14 NFL Standings

NFL Standings
Nov 30, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer (12) and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) react after the game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

AFC East

  1. New England Patriots (11-2)
  2. Buffalo Bills (8-4)
  3. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
  4. New York Jets (3-9)

After a difficult loss to the Houston Texans in Week 12, the Buffalo Bills bounced back nicely on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers to continue holding onto the final playoff spot in the AFC. However, the New England Patriots have a death grip on the AFC East with five weeks left. They’ve now won 10 consecutive games and are the first team to 11 wins this season. Keep an eye on the Miami Dolphins as they’ve now won three games in a row.

AFC North

  1. Baltimore Ravens (6-6)
  2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6)
  3. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
  4. Cleveland Brown (3-9)

Suddenly, the Cincinnati Bengals are not too far away from a spot in the playoffs after their Thanksgiving night win over the Baltimore Ravens. They were further helped by Buffalo’s win over the Steelers. However, the Bengals will have to earn a shot at the AFC North title with games at Buffalo, versus the Ravens, and at Miami over the next three weeks.

AFC South

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4)
  2. Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
  3. Houston Texans (7-5)
  4. Tennessee Titans (1-11)

The AFC South is getting interesting as the Indianapolis Colts continue to see their tires deflate down the stretch. The Houston Texans defense dominated that matchup, and the Jaguars got another win over the Tennessee Titans. This is a huge week in the division as the Colts and Jaguars meet up for sole possession of first place.

AFC West

  1. Denver Broncos (10-2)
  2. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
  3. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
  4. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)

The Denver Broncos are 10-2 and have won nine straight games after a 27-26 victory over the Washington Commanders. However, seven of those wins have been by four points or fewer. Is that one-possession luck going to run out eventually? The Chargers are sitting in a good spot at 8-4, but they have games against the Eagles and Chiefs on deck before closing the season against the Broncos. Speaking of the Chiefs, are we sure they are going to make the playoffs this year?

NFC East

  1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
  2. Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
  3. Washington Commanders (3-9)
  4. New York Giants (2-11)

Well, there is a race in the NFC East again after the Cowboys managed to topple the Chiefs on Thanksgiving, and then the Eagles lost to the Bears on Black Friday. However, the two teams don’t play each other again for the rest of the season, which could complicate things for Dallas in terms of making a comeback. They also have the Lions and Chargers left on their schedule. The Eagles play the Chargers this weekend, but then they have matchups against the Raiders and two against the Commanders later on.

NFC North

  1. Chicago Bears (9-3)
  2. Green Bay Packers (8-3-1)
  3. Detroit Lions (7-5)
  4. Minnesota Vikings (4-8)

There’s a new leader in the NFC as the Chicago Bears beat the Eagles to take the No. 1 seed. Meanwhile, the Packers beat the Lions on Thanksgiving to make Detroit’s path to the playoffs a bit tougher as the Lions now sit 1.5 games behind the San Francisco 49ers for the final Wild Card spot. However, things can still change very quickly in this division as the Packers play the Bears twice in the next three weeks, and the Lions play Chicago in Week 18.

NFC South

  1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
  2. Carolina Panthers (7-6)
  3. Atlanta Falcons (4-8)
  4. New Orleans Saints (2-10)

It’s still a tight race at the top in the NFC South as the Carolina Panthers bounced back to beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Luckily for the Buccaneers, they managed to hold off the Arizona Cardinals down the stretch. Carolina is on their bye this weekend while Tampa Bay hosts the New Orleans Saints. Then, Carolina and Tampa Bay will meet twice in the final three weeks of the season likely to decide the division.

NFC West

  1. Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
  2. Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
  3. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
  4. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)

Stop me if you’ve heard his before, but the NFC West continues to be absolute chaos. LA’s loss to the Panthers threw a massive wrench into the division race, and both Seattle and San Francisco earned wins to make the three teams separated by half a game. San Francisco doesn’t play LA again though, which could make their pathway to the top of the division a bit tougher. Meanwhile, Seattle and LA will meet in Week 18.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.

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By Josh Frey
Josh Frey is a senior writer at both PurplePTSD.com and VikingsTerritory.com, with a fascination for the NFL Draft. To ... More about Josh Frey