The NFL is past the midpoint, and impressions and positions are starting to become a lot more solid than they were even just a few weeks ago. With the playoffs looming, our eyes are looking down the road to see what might come to pass in January. To that end, we ran a simulation with a season in Madden 26 that finished with the standings as they are now to see how things played out.
Where Things Currently Stand
While there is still time for things to change, there are some surprising results in the standings after 11 weeks, most notably perennial AFC Champions Kansas City sitting on the outside looking in, along with prohibitive preseason favorites Baltimore. The current standings are:
AFC
- Denver Broncos
- New England Patriots
- Indianapolis Colts
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Buffalo Bills
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
NFC
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Los Angeles Rams
- Chicago Bears
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Green Bay Packers
- San Francisco 49ers
A Tale Of Two Conferences In Wild Card Round
Things broke very differently in the two conferences in the opening round of games. In the AFC, it was all about the dominant divisions staking their claim and ensuring a representative in the AFC Championship Game. The paper tigers in Pittsburgh did what, as a Steeler fan, is now all too familiar for the Steelers to do — bowing out to a thumping in the wild card round to end the North’s presence.
The AFC South had a couple of teams make the fold with the surprising Jaguars also sneaking in at seventh, but the division-winning Colts went out in a dreadful 17-14 slog to the Chargers while Jacksonville was run off the field by New England. This sets up a pair of functional division championships in the divisional round.
In the NFC, however, it’s a full spectrum of division representatives in the conference semis, as the only division champion to go down was the Rams, who tried to mount a big comeback against division foe San Francisco but came up just short. The 3 vs. 6 game is also currently intradivision, and it was the home field Bears getting it done in a slugfest, while the Bucs kept the Seahawks at arm’s reach for the duration to advance.
A Return To Form In The Divisional Playoffs
With the preliminary round out of the way, it was a chance for the big teams to flex their muscle, and the two bye-winners did just that. The Eagles had to work hard for their win, taking part in a back-and-forth battle with the 49ers, which ultimately saw the home team scoring last in a game that always felt set to go to whoever did so.
Meeting them in the NFC Championship Game will be the Bucs, as two of the more consistent playoff performers of recent seasons continue that success here. For the Bears, it was more playoff heartbreak as they took the Bucs to overtime before conceding a decisive touchdown. While we can’t confirm a trademark kicking heartbreak here, it feels spiritually obvious that a final-play kick to win before OT would have doinked off the bar.
In the AFC, it looked like more of the same might be on offer with a tight 21-17 score at the half in Denver, but unfortunately for the Chargers, it was not to be. They managed just one more score in the second while the Broncos continued to move the ball at will to cruise to a 20-point victory.
The Bills would look at this current playoff field with none of Josh Allen’s established QB peers in the AFC making the cut as an opportunity to push on and return to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than 30 years. With the Patriots in their way, it was a shutout second half that paved the way for a Championship Game appearance.
The Broncos Are For Real (In Madden’s Eyes)
Unfortunately for the Bills Mafia, it was still not to be. Things got off to a strong start for the Bills, who posted a 10-0 lead after the first quarter in Denver. As with the prior round, however, it was the Broncos’ defense stiffening up while their offense found a gear from there on out. Holding the powerful Bills offense to just two more scores, the Broncos outscored Buffalo 35-15 after that opening frame to walk away with a double-digit margin and another AFC Championship.
Waiting for them from the NFC was not the defending champions, but instead a Bucs team that continues to prove it is very legit with Baker Mayfield under center, after a strong showing in our preseason simulations, too. The NFC also saw a 10-0 score after one, but this time it was the leading Bucs holding onto their edge through a tightly-contested match with the Eagles to claim the NFC crown.
Bo Nix: Super Bowl MVP
It was a classic Super Bowl in our playoff simulation, in the sense of how many Super Bowls in the 80’s and 90’s featured an overmatched team showing up for their summary pounding. The Broncos jumped on the Bucs early and never looked back, jumping out to a 35-7 lead to put the game to bed in the fourth quarter.
Bo Nix was the star of the show for the Broncos as he dominated the Bucs through the air all game long. He completed 71 percent of his passes on the day, racking up 236 yards through the air, no picks, and three scores. Hopefully, we’ll get a more entertaining Super Bowl this February, but you won’t find any Denver fans turning down a snoozer if things play out like Madden thinks.
That’s what the game has to say as things stand, but there’s a lot of football to play. Will the Broncos validate this prediction, or do you think another side will beat them to the Lombardi trophy?
