Minnesota United won a Game 3 classic against the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout.
Lionel Messi scored five goals in Inter Miami’s three-game series win over Nashville SC.
Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga give LAFC a lethal goal-scoring duo.

The road to MLS Cup is through the best-of-three Round 1 series as the playoffs press pause for a couple weeks (more on that later) before the conference semifinals are played.

Of the eight Round 1 series, seven were won by the higher seed. Last season, four of the eight Round 1 series featured an upset. So, if you scoff at underdogs pulling off shocking upsets and prefer the teams that had proven themselves to be stronger over the course of the seven-plus month regular season, then these playoffs are for you.

Here are the winners and losers from the first round of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs:

WINNERS

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami

After a stunning first-round playoff exit last year against Atlanta United, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami dominated in a win-or-go-home Game 3 against Nashville SC. Messi, of course, put in a Man of the Match performance, registering two goals and assisting on two more in the 4-0 triumph. It was a stellar Round 1 for Messi, who scored five goals in the three-game series vs. Nashville. If you go back to Decision Day, Messi has scored eight goals in his last four games.

In addition to a small measure of redemption following last season’s disappointing early postseason exit, Inter Miami now has advanced past the first round of the MLS playoffs for the first time in the club’s six-year history. Two legends of the game, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, each get at least one more game before the duo retires at season’s end.

‘Hell is Real’ derby delivers

FC Cincinnati dispatched their ‘Hell is Real’ rivals, the Columbus Crew, in a predictably competitive three-game series. This isn’t exactly like-for-like payback for the Crew wiping out top-seeded FC Cincinnati in the 2023 Eastern Conference final, but bragging rights now stand with Cincy.

In Saturday’s decisive Game 3, Brenner registered a brace as Cincinnati rallied for a 2-1 victory. Just days prior, Columbus steam rolled Cincinnati, 4-0, seemingly snagging series momentum going into Game 3. Instead, FC Cincinnati advances and gets to host Messi and Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday, Nov. 21.

Minnesota United

For the second season in a row, Minnesota United clinched a Round 1 series win in a penalty shootout at the friendly confines of Allianz Field. This time, the Loons defeated the Seattle Sounders in a banger of a best-of-three series, earning both victories via penalty shootout. Saturday’s Game 3 was the best game so far in the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. Despite going down to 10 players after a red card, Minnesota overcame a 2-1 deficit and managed to take a 3-2 lead in the second half. Seattle equalized in stoppage time, necessitating a penalty shootout that went so deep that it came down to the two teams’ goalkeepers taking shots. The winning kick of the shootout was made by 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair.

Western Conference teams will welcome a road to MLS Cup that doesn’t include a possible showdown with Seattle, which already had collected one trophy this season after winning Leagues Cup. Minnesota United, meanwhile, still is chasing the first trophy in team history.

Expansion San Diego FC marches on

San Diego FC’s quest to complete the greatest expansion season in league history continues after closing out the Portland Timbers with a thorough 4-0 win in Game 3 on Sunday. San Diego FC already owns records for the most regular-season points (63) and win (19) by an expansion team. It’s three wins away from matching the 1998 Chicago Fire as expansion teams to win MLS Cup (though, let’s be real, it’s not really fair to compare the two). Leading the way in Game 3 were likely MLS MVP runner-up Anders Dreyer and Amahi Pellegrino, with each netting two goals apiece and setting San Diego on a collision course with the Loons of Minnesota United.

LAFC’s dynamic duo

Son Heung-Min was an established international soccer star when he joined Los Angeles FC over the summer. But, in this league you never quite know how big-name players will fit in. Oliver Giroud was a World Cup-winner with France and is the nation’s all-time leading goal-scorer (Kylian Mbappé is closing in at just four goals behind, though). However, Giroud’s time with LAFC left more to be desired. Son, meanwhile, has immediately been a game-charger in Los Angeles.

Son and Denis Bouanga – the MLS Golden Boot winner in 2023 – were the catalysts of a 4-1 rout of Austin FC that sent LAFC through to the next round of the playoffs. Son scored his first MLS playoff goal and assisted on another. Bouanga had a brace as he scored his 100th and 101st goals for LAFC in all competitions. Bouanga has scored 13 goals since Son’s arrival in early August. Son has 10 goals in 12 appearances. If those two can keep it up, LAFC could find itself hoisting the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.

Next up for Son, Bouanga and LAFC: A Vancouver Whitecaps team that gave up the second-fewest goals in the league this season.

LOSERS

FIFA’s November international window

Teams that closed out their best-of-three Round 1 series in two games will go three weeks before the next playoff round. That is crazy. Imagine there being a three-week break between the NFL’s wild-card weekend and the divisional playoffs. The Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps closed out their Round 1 series on Nov. 1; LAFC a day later. The conference semifinals don’t take place until the weekend before Thanksgiving. This issue won’t get fixed until the league shifts its season, with the playoffs taking part in the spring when there are no FIFA international breaks to interrupt postseason momentum.

MLS bracket busters

Upsets were once a hallmark of the often-unpredictable MLS playoffs. This year, at least through Round 1, that is not the case … except for Charlotte FC. By falling in three games against New York City FC, Charlotte is the only top-four seed to not advance to the conference semifinals. The rest of the MLS playoff bracket went chalk as higher-seeded squads avoided upsets.

Luis Suárez

Longtime villain Luis Suárez was up to his old antics again in Inter Miami’s Round 1, Game 2 loss to Nashville SC. And it nearly put Inter Miami’s MLS Cup hopes in jeopardy. Suárez, whose previous infractions that have accumulated over the years includes (but is not exclusive to) biting multiple opponents, kicked Nashville SC’s Andy Najar during an off-ball sequence. This moment of buffoonery earned the striker a suspension for Miami’s winner-or-go-home Game 3. Thankfully for Suárez, Messi and Co. were able to easily dispatch Nashville and advance to the next round.

Chicago Fire fans and THAT chant

Getting boot-stomped 3-0 by the Philadelphia Union in a win-or-go-home playoff game wasn’t the worst part of the Chicago Fire’s unceremonious exit from the team’s first postseason appearance since 2017.

The homophobic chant often heard at Mexico national team games (and sometimes at MLS games) could be heard from the Fire’s supporters’ section. It got so bad that the game was briefly suspended and Fire coach Gregg Berhalter had to plead with the fans to cut it out. Yes, the coach had to go scold his own fans. That’s embarrassing.

In honor of Veterans Day, “American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes” highlights some of the nation’s top veterans.

Pender’s unique path went from a Vietnam battlefield to Olympic gold medalist.

Pender was an officer with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. While Pender played halfback for the unit’s football team, it was discovered he possessed world-class speed.

Pender’s untapped potential afforded him the opportunity to be sent back stateside to train as a sprinter with the goal on making the 1964 Olympic Team.

Pender made the 1964 U.S. Olympic Team, but he was hampered by a hamstring injury. He eventually finished fourth in the 100 meters at the Tokyo Games.

At the age of 27, Pender thought his Olympic dreams were over. He was deployed to the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam, seeing combat with the 9th Infantry Division. 

However, in 1968 Pender was summoned from South Vietnam back to track and field to compete in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Pender returned to the Olympic village at 30 years old.

Pender qualified for the 100-meter final and finished sixth as his U.S. teammate Jim Hines ran a world-record time of 9.9 seconds to become the first man in history to run sub-10 seconds. A few days later, Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raised their black-gloved fist on the Olympic podium to bring attention to human rights issues and racial injustice in the U.S. after Smith and Carlos finished first and third, respectively, in the 200.  

One the final day of competition, Pender was on the track again as the second leg of Team USA’s 4×100-relay team. With Pender at second leg and Hines as the anchor, the U.S. team cruised and crossed the finish line in a what was at the time a world-record time of 38.24.

“A career defined by excellence with each step he took,” Buck said of Pender in the narrated segment.

Pender, the Olympic gold medalist and veteran, is now 88 years old. His remarkable journey of perseverance and patriotism can be watched here.

The Chargers defense stifled the Steelers all night, allowing just one touchdown in what amounted to garbage time.
Without starting running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) and Najee Harris (Achilles), Kimani Vidal again carried the load in the Chargers’ backfield.
Keenan Allen became the Chargers’ all-time leader in receptions.

INGLEWOOD, CA — Black and yellow filled SoFi Stadium on Sunday night as Pittsburgh Steelers fans made their presence known.

The partial Steelers crowd couldn’t jumpstart Pittsburgh’s offense as the Los Angeles Chargers cruised to a 25-10 victory.  

Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense struggled to find a rhythm throughout the contest. The Steelers didn’t convert a third down until the fourth quarter, while the Chargers padded their lead in the second half behind a stifling defensive performance.

Justin Herbert completed 20-of-33 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in the win. He was sacked five times in what was a gritty performance by the QB.

USA TODAY Sports examines the winners and losers from Sunday night’s AFC battle:

WINNERS

Chargers defense

It was a dominant all-round performance from the Chargers defense, stifling the Steelers offense in the first half.

Khalil Mack sacked Aaron Rodgers for a safety in the first quarter. Rookie defensive back RJ Mickens picked off Rodgers in the second period.

The Chargers defense held the Steelers offense to just three first downs, 85 total yards and three points. Pittsburgh went 0-6 on third downs in the first half.

The three first downs by the Steelers in the first half were tied for the second fewest in the first half of Rodgers’ career, per the NBC broadcast.

Los Angeles’ defense held Pittsburgh to scoreless and to just 41 total yards in the third quarter.

The Steelers had only 221 yards of total offense in the loss.

The Chargers defense had three sacks and two interceptions.

Kimani Vidal over 100 yards from scrimmage

Without starting running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) and Najee Harris (Achilles), Vidal again carried the load in the Chargers’ backfield.

Vidal earned tough yards through a physical Steelers defense. He produced 108 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in the victory.

The second-year running back scampered for a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that padded the Chargers’ lead to 22-3. The touchdown by all intents and purposes was the game-sealing touchdown. Steelers fans started to head toward the exits after Vidal’s TD.

Ladd McConkey

McConkey had the biggest reception of the game. Justin Herbert squeezed a pass to him in tight coverage. McConkey caught the football and raced down the field for a 58-yard catch and run.

Chargers RB Kimani Vidal reached the end zone two plays later.

McConkey finished with four catches for a season-high 107 yards and one touchdown.

Keenan Allen sets franchise receptions record

Allen surpassed Hall of Famer Antonio Gates (955) to become the Chargers’ all-time leader in receptions. Allen caught two passes in the game. He now has 956 career receptions in a Chargers uniform.

World Series champion Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts was in the house. He was shown on the jumbotron and received a loud applause. Betts and the Dodgers are fresh off winning the World Series.

Steelers fans

Los Angeles is a destination city for many NFL fans, and it was evident Sunday night. Steelers fans showed up in droves. From the naked eye, about 70% of the spectators inside SoFi Stadium were Steelers fans.

All the Steelers fans left unhappy as it was dreadful performance for Pittsburgh.  

LOSERS

Steelers offense

The Steelers were a nightmare. Pittsburgh went 0-6 on third downs in the first half and only managed three total first downs. Even the reliable Steelers kicker Chris Boswell missed a 45-yard field goal as Pittsburgh trailed 12-3 at halftime.

Aaron Rodgers was held to 64 passing yards and one interception in the first half.

Pittsburgh’s performance went from bad to worse in the second half.

Steelers receiver Calvin Austin III dropped a ball and it ricocheted right into Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson’s hands in the fourth quarter. The Steelers’ Ke’Shawn Williams muffed a punt on Pittsburgh’s next possession.

The Steelers had three turnovers in the loss.

Rodgers tossed a few errant throws, but it was a lousy performance from the entire Steelers offense.

Rodgers completed 16-of-31 passes for 161 yards, to go with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Steelers’ third-down efficiency

The Steelers didn’t convert on a single third down in the first half. Pittsburgh couldn’t convert a third down in the third quarter.

The Steelers offense didn’t successfully convert a third down until garbage time late in the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh finished 2-11 on third downs.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

Lenny Wilkens, known as the godfather of Seattle basketball, died at his home on Sunday, Nov. 9, at age 88. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Wilkens is one of five people inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (1989) and a coach (1998).

‘Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA – as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,’ NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. ‘Four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.’

He spent 32 years as a coach, including 11 with the Seattle Supersonics from 1969 to 1985. He won an NBA Championship with the Supersonics during the 1978-79 season.

A statue of Wilkens was unveiled outside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle in June.

‘He was an unbelievable man. Just an incredible man,’ Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Sunday upon hearing the news. Kerr played for Wilkens in Cleveland early in his career.

Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie, who was born and raised in Seattle, became emotional when talking about Wilkens prior to the Kings’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

‘Just want to send out a lot of love to Lenny Wilkens and his family,’ Christie said. ‘Lenny probably doesn’t even know that without him I’m not here.’

Wilkens served as head coach for the U.S. men’s basketball team, leading them to an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. He was also an assistant coach on Chuck Daly’s staff for the 1992 ‘Dream Team’ that won the gold medal in Barcelona.

Wilkens had a 15-year career as a player, earning All-Star honors nine times and winning MVP of the 1970-71 All-Star Game. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 1,077 career games played.

He was second in the MVP award voting with 26 first-place votes for the 1967-68 season, finishing behind Wilt Chamberlain (88 first-place votes). Wilkens averaged 20 points, 8.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds that season.

The St. Louis Hawks selected Wilkens, who played college basketball at Providence, with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1960 NBA draft.

Wilkens was an All-American at Providence in 1959 and 1960 and was named MVP of the NIT in 1960. He was inducted in the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972 and his number 14 was hung in the rafters of the Amica Mutual Pavilion in 1996.

That will create difficult roster decisions for fantasy managers, especially when assessing injured players. While fantasy footballers aren’t going to be moving on from the likes of Bucky Irving, there are plenty of other banged-up, flex-level players that may be worth releasing as they remain sidelined.

Fantasy managers will also be keeping a keen eye on matchups in the coming weeks. That doesn’t mean anyone will drop a star just because he’s facing a difficult stretch. However, fantasy managers looking to create roster spots can look at the upcoming schedules of fringe starters and streamers to identify potential cut candidates.

Who can you cut ahead of the Week 11 waiver wire? Here’s a look at the players you can drop from your fantasy rosters as the playoffs draw nigh.

Waiver wire players to drop: Week 11

QB Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

Darnold flashed his high-end potential with a four-touchdown performance in Week 9 against the Commanders. In Week 10, he reminded fantasy managers of his floor, attempting just 12 passes in a blowout win over the Cardinals and logging 178 yards, one touchdown and three turnovers.

Granted, Darnold isn’t likely to see that low volume of passing most weeks. Seattle simply built an insurmountable lead early, thanks to a couple of defensive scores, and didn’t need to throw often.

Still, Seattle would prefer to be a team that relies on its running game and defense. That could limit Darnold’s fantasy potential, especially in more difficult matchups, like his Week 11 meeting with a Rams defense that entered Week 10 having allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

The timeshare between Hubbard and Rico Dowdle appears to be over. Dowdle has won the No. 1 overall role in Carolina’s backfield and out-touched Hubbard 21-4 in the Panthers’ 17-7 Week 10 loss to the Saints.

Hubbard has totaled just 121 yards on 37 touches across four games since returning from a calf injury. With that in mind, he can be safely released, as he doesn’t appear to be anything more than a handcuff at this point in the fantasy season.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

The Patriots are playing on ‘Thursday Night Football’ against the Jets in Week 11. Stevenson hasn’t been able to practice over the last two weeks while dealing with a toe injury, so his status for Thursday’s game is murky at best.

Even if Stevenson does return, he may cede his lead back role to TreVeyon Henderson, who is coming off the best game of his career against the Buccaneers. The second-round rookie had 147 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against a tough Tampa Bay run defense.

WR D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears

Moore appeared to be on the right track after posting back-to-back games with four catches and 72-plus receiving yards. Then came Sunday’s game against the Giants, during which he was targeted four times but was unable to make a catch.

Moore continues to rank a disappointing third in targets on the Bears behind Rome Odunze and Olamide Zaccheaus. As such, Moore remains an inconsistent, boom-or-bust flex from whom frustrated fantasy managers can move on.

WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts

Downs’ three-game touchdown streak ended against the Falcons. He recorded just a single catch during that contest for 3 yards despite Daniel Jones attempting 26 passes in a 31-25 Colts overtime win.

Downs hasn’t yet topped 57 receiving yards in a game this season, so his fantasy value is more touchdown-dependent than anything else. With so many mouths to feed in Indianapolis’ offense – including Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce – dropping Downs would be understandable, especially as Indianapolis heads for a Week 11 bye.

TE T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy threw 42 passes against the Ravens in Week 10. Only two of them were in Hockenson’s direction, continuing a trend of the veteran tight end being an afterthought in Minnesota’s offense.

Hockenson has posted exactly two catches in three consecutive games and hasn’t yet surpassed 49 receiving yards in a game this season. Barring a change in his usage, it’s hard to imagine Hockenson re-emerging as a quality fantasy starter.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was well aware of who was in attendance for the Lions’ Week 10 clash with the Washington Commanders in the nation’s capital.

After scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, St. Brown pointed toward the suite level at Northwest Stadium – where President Donald Trump was taking in the Week 10 game – before celebrating his score with a ‘Trump dance.’

The dance, inspired by the president’s unique dance moves, involves pumping both fists in the air while swaying the hips.

The dance’s use as a celebration first swept across the sports world last fall, shortly after Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. Multiple athletes across a variety of professional sports leagues – and college athletics – have mimicked Trump’s dance moves to use as a celebration the 12 months since.

USA TODAY confirmed that Trump would be attending the Commanders’ Week 10 game on Nov. 7. ESPN’s Pat McAfee initially reported the president was joining Josh Harris, the Commanders’ principal owner, in a suite at Northwest Stadium.

On Nov. 8, ESPN reported that Trump and the White House had been in contact with Harris and the Commanders to express his desire for the team’s new stadium to be named after him. Washington plans to have its $3.7 billion project built on the site of the old Robert F. Kennedy Stadium – the home of the football team from 1961 to 1996 – within the city limits of the nation’s capital.

The Nov. 9 game between the Commanders and Lions is the second NFL game President Trump has attended since his inauguration in January. The first was Super Bowl 59 in February.

Trump has also attended the FIFA Club World Cup, Daytona 500, U.S. Open men’s singles final, Ryder Cup and two UFC fights during his second term in the Oval Office.

Every week for the duration of the 2025 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture − typically starting after Sunday afternoon’s late games and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too.)

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Here’s where things stand with Week 10 of the 2025 season nearly complete:

NFC playoff picture

1. Seattle Seahawks (7-2), NFC West leaders: They reside atop the conference and division … for now. Winners of four in a row, they currently have a better record in NFC West games than the Rams, who are also 7-2. But those clubs will meet in LA in Week 11. Also, Seattle could lose the No. 1 spot Monday night. Remaining schedule: at Rams, at Titans, vs. Vikings, at Falcons, vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers

2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2), NFC East leaders: Something catastrophic (not uncommon in Philly) would have to occur for the defending champs not to be the first back-to-back winners of this division since they last did it … 21 years ago. A superior record in NFC games would allow the Eagles to move ahead of the Seahawks if they can win at Green Bay on Monday. Remaining schedule: at Packers, vs. Lions, at Cowboys, vs. Bears, at Chargers, vs. Raiders, at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders

3. Green Bay Packers (5-2-1), NFC North leaders: With losses to Cleveland and Carolina, it’s certainly been an uneven campaign to date for an ultra-talented team. But a loss Monday to the Eagles would drop the Pack from first place to third in their division. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Giants, vs. Vikings, at Lions, vs. Bears, at Broncos, at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3), NFC South leaders: You can afford to drop two of three in a division the Bucs have ruled since 2021. Remaining schedule: at Bills, at Rams, vs. Cardinals, vs. Saints, vs. Falcons, at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers

5. Los Angeles Rams (7-2), wild card No. 1: Winners of four straight, all in dominant fashion, they have a strong case as the league’s best team at the moment. Yet a Week 3 loss at Lincoln Financial Field could come back to haunt them when the NFC playoff field is seeded. Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks, vs. Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Cardinals, vs. Lions, at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals

6. Detroit Lions (6-3), wild card No. 2: The offense responded Sunday as Dan Campbell assumed the offensive play-calling. Detroit could assume first place in the NFC North on Monday night. Remaining schedule: at Eagles, vs. Giants, vs. Packers, vs. Cowboys, at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears.

7. Chicago Bears (6-3), wild card No. 3: They’ve won six of seven since an 0-2 start but have struggled to beat seemingly weaker teams − as happened Sunday against the Giants. Remaining schedule: at Vikings, vs. Steelers, at Eagles, at Packers, vs. Browns, vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions

AFC playoff picture

1. Indianapolis Colts (8-2), AFC South leaders: The schedule’s been soft, but you can’t control whom you play − though the second-half lineup seems much less forgiving. A 6-1 record in conference games currently gives Indy the advantage over Denver and New England. Remaining schedule: BYE, at Chiefs, vs. Texans, at Jaguars, at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans

2. Denver Broncos (8-2), AFC West leaders: They’re also winning a lot of ugly games − as they did Thursday night against Las Vegas. But wins are wins − and the Broncos have one more in AFC play than the Patriots do right now. Remaining schedule: vs. Chiefs, BYE, at Commanders, at Raiders, vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

3. New England Patriots (8-2), AFC East leaders: They’re in position to win the division for the first time since Tom Brady led them to first place in 2019 and maybe their first No. 1 seed since 2017. Not a whole lot of seemingly tough matchups from here on out. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Bengals, vs. Giants, BYE, vs. Bills, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4), AFC North leaders: Don’t look now, fellas, but you’re only one game up on Baltimore for the division lead. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals, at Bears, vs. Bills, at Ravens, vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens

5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3), wild card No. 1: They manhandled Pittsburgh in prime time, offering fresh evidence that maybe they can overcome their litany of injuries. Remaining schedule: at Jaguars, BYE, vs. Raiders, vs. Eagles, at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos

6. Buffalo Bills (6-3), wild card No. 2: They’re starting to lose sight of the Patriots atop the AFC East after a pathetic performance at Miami on Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Texans, at Steelers, vs. Bengals, at Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4), wild card No. 3: Tough loss at Houston on Sunday. But their Week 5 defeat of the Chiefs, who are also 5-4, could eventually loom large for both teams. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Cardinals, at Titans, vs. Colts, vs. Jets, at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Titans