Games after Raiders, Eagles, Ravens wins

The Week 16 slate concluded with three matchups on Christmas Day, and the NFL playoff picture is clearer as the 2023 season heads into Week 17.

However, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs started Monday's game with a 20-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, and now they'll have to wait a little longer to secure a playoff berth.

Had the Chiefs defeated the Raiders, they would have become the third team in the AFC to clinch a playoff berth.

The Philadelphia Eagles followed that up with a 33-25 win over the New York Giants to stay atop the NFC East with an 11-4 record and remain in contention for the top seed in the NFC.

The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens finished Week 16 with a tough battle, though both teams had already clinched a playoff berth in Monday's game and are now fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and AFC, respectively.

Baltimore went on to defeat San Francisco 33-19 to improve to 12-3 on the season. The Ravens look like a true Super Bowl contender, and it's hard to imagine anyone beating Lamar Jackson and Co. In the race for the AFC title.

After Monday's action, let's take a look at the current playoff standings and what things will look like if the regular season ends.

Current standings after Monday's matches:

1. Baltimore Ravens (12-3, AFC North) (qualifies for playoffs)
2. Miami Dolphins (11-4, AFC East) (playoffs)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-6, AFC West)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7, AFC South)
5. Cleveland Browns (10-5, Wild Card)
6. Buffalo Bills (9-6, Wild Card)
7. Indianapolis Colts (8-7, Wild Card)

On the bubble:

Houston Texans (8-7)

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)

Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)

Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)

Denver Broncos (7-8)

Excluded:

New York Jets (6-9)

Tennessee Titans (5-10)

Los Angeles Chargers (5-10)

New England Patriots (4-11)

Current standings after Monday's matches:

1. San Francisco 49ers (11-4, NFC West) (playoffs and division)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4, NFC East) (qualifies for playoffs)
3. Detroit Lions (11-4, NFC North) (qualifies for playoffs and division)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7, NFC South)
5. Dallas Cowboys (10-5, Wild Card) (qualifies for playoffs)
6. Los Angeles Rams (8-7, Wild Card)
7. Seattle Seahawks (8-7, Wild Card)

On the bubble:

Minnesota Vikings (7-8)

Atlanta Falcons (7-8)

Green Bay Packers (7-8)

New Orleans Saints (7-8)

Chicago Bears (6-9)

Excluded:

New York Giants (5-10)

Washington leaders (4-11)

Arizona Cardinals (3-12)

Carolina Panthers (2-13)

The current qualifying matches as of Monday will be as follows:

Bye: Baltimore Ravens

No. 7 Indianapolis Colts at No. 2 Miami Dolphins

No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs

No. 5 Cleveland Browns at No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars

The biggest potential playoff matchup here is the Buffalo Bills visiting the Kansas City Chiefs, for multiple reasons.

The Bills and Chiefs have a very important history, but the matchup has turned into a much bigger rivalry in the era of Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

During the 2021 playoffs, the Chiefs defeated the Bills 38-24 in the AFC Championship Game to earn a spot in the Super Bowl. The two teams met again during the 2022 postseason, and Kansas City defeated Buffalo 42-36 in overtime in a divisional round game.

Most recently, Buffalo defeated Kansas City 20-17 on December 10 thanks to a controversial holding penalty on Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney late in the fourth quarter. The victory sparked a three-game winning streak for the Bills, who also defeated the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers in that span.

Meanwhile, the leaders are stepping up.

Kansas City has lost three of its last four games, with its only win coming against the lowly New England Patriots. The team's loss to the Raiders on Monday was tough as Mahomes had an interception and also lost a fumble – both turnovers resulting in Las Vegas touchdowns.

The Bills will close out the season with matchups against the Patriots and Miami Dolphins, while the Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals will take on each other.

The current qualifying matches as of Monday will be as follows:

Bye: San Francisco 49ers

No. 7 Seattle Seahawks at No. 7 Detroit Lions

No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles

No. 5 Dallas Cowboys at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the most interesting matchups in this potential playoff picture is a rematch between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Cowboys defeated the Buccaneers 31-14 in the NFC Wildcard round last year to earn a spot facing the 49ers in the divisional round.

While Dallas remains the better team, both teams look very different this year, and Tampa Bay appears to have finally hit its stride with Baker Mayfield at quarterback.

The Bucs have won their last four games, including a 30-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday that saw Mayfield throw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were caught by star Mike Evans.

Although the Cowboys have already secured a spot in the playoffs, they have lost both of their last two games — a 31-10 loss to the Bills and a 22-20 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

So, while the Bucs are trending up, the Cowboys appear to be trending down at the wrong time of year.

The Cowboys close out the season with matchups against the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, while the Bucs will face the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.