—As the NFL season nears the three quarter pole and the teams head down the stretch, the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs are leading the pack with 10-1 records. The Lions easily beat the Colts 24-6 while the Chiefs had their usual late drive to edge the surprising Panthers, 30-27. Now the question is whether they will both get the top seeds and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
–In the NFC, the Eagles and the Vikings are both 9-2, a game behind the Lions and have the best shot at challenging them for the top seed. The Eagles look like the bigger threat to the Lions now that Saquan Barkley has become such a threat. He rushed for 255 yards and had 302 total yards in a 37-20 victory over the Rams. The Vikings barely beat the Bears, 30-27. They have already lost the first game to the Lions and meet them again in the season finale.
–In the NFC, the NFC South and West divisions are wide open but neither division is expected to produce a contender. The Seahawks beat the Cardinals, 16-6, and the two teams are tied for first at 6-5. Atlanta had a bye and remains in first place in the South at 6-5 while the Bucs, who routed the Giants, 30-7, are a game back at 5-6.
–In the AFC, the 9-2 Bills had a bye and remain a game behind the 10-1 Chiefs. Except for the 8-3 Steelers, who lost to Cleveland, 24-19, Thursday night, all the other AFC teams have lost at least four losses so it looks like a Chiefs-Bills battle for the top seed. The Bills beat the Chiefs so they have the tie-breaker.
–In the AFC South, the Texans at 7-5 have a two game lead over the 5-7 Colts. Both teams lost last week as the Texans lost to the Cowboys, 34-10, and Colts were beaten by the Lions. The winner f this division is likely to lose a first round home playoff game. The Texans started the year with high expectations but haven’t lived up to them. In the North the 8-3 Steelers have a one game lead in the loss column over the 8-4 Ravens, who stayed in the race with the 30-23 victory over the Chargers.
VITO'S VIEWS 