Seven teams that didn't make the playoffs in 2019 have fewer than three losses this year and currently sit in the top seven in their respective conferences. The top seven in each conference will make the playoffs.
Steelers: 6-0 in 2020 after starting 2-4 in 2019
Browns: 5-2 in 2020 after starting 2-5 in 2019
Buccaneers: 5-2 in 2020 after starting 2-5 in 2019
Bears: 5-2 in 2020 after starting 3-4 in 2019
Cardinals: 5-2 in 2020 after starting 3-3-1 in 2019
Rams: 5-2 in 2020 after starting 4-3 in 2019
Colts: 4-2 in 2020 after starting 4-2 in 2019
• With a league-high 19 victories, the NFC West is the only division that has all four teams sporting a winning record. It also has a shot at becoming the first division to send all four of its teams to the playoffs.
• Per the new 14-team playoff format, there are now three wild-card spots among the seven berths in each conference. Heading into Week 8, the NFC West has teams at second (Seattle), sixth (Arizona), seventh (Rams) and ninth (San Francisco) in the NFC.
• At 4-3, the 49ers are only a game behind the current Nos. 5-7 seeds — Bears, Cardinals and Rams — all 5-2. If the offensively dysfunctional Bears slide, the resurgent 49ers could very well sneak into the top seven.