The NFL standings and playoff picture got a major shake-up in Week 15. We saw multiple spots change hands across the week. There were major wins in the AFC for the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Meanwhile, in the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints took advantage of an embarrassing loss for the Atlanta Falcons.
Let’s take a look at the standings and playoff picture for both the AFC and NFC, as well as look at some of the more intriguing playoff scenarios for the rest of Week 15 that’s in the free PFN NFL Playoff Predictor.
AFC Standings and Playoff Picture in Week 15
The current AFC playoff picture is following the end of Week 15.
1) Baltimore Ravens (11-3; X)
2) Miami Dolphins (10-4)
3) Kansas City Chiefs (9-5)
4) Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6)
5) Cleveland Browns (9-5)
6) Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
7) Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
The remaining AFC standings are following the end of Week 15.
8) Houston Texans (8-6)
9) Buffalo Bills (8-6)
10) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
11) Denver Broncos (7-7)
12) Las Vegas Raiders (6-8)
13) Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
14) Tennessee Titans (5-9, Eliminated)
15) New York Jets (5-9, Eliminated)
16) New England Patriots (3-11, Eliminated)
The AFC playoff picture did not change very much due to teams already in those spots either having won on Saturday or winning on Sunday. The Dolphins cemented their position in the race for the No. 1 seed with their victory over the New York Jets. They now face the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens in two huge matchups.
The Houston Texans pulled out a last-minute overtime win over the Tennessee Titans to make it a four-way tie at 8-6. The Texans are on the outside looking in due to NFL playoff tiebreakers. However, they kept the pressure on the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.
MORE: AFC No. 1 Seed Playoff Scenarios
The Bills made a statement with their dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys. They are 8-6 and still ninth in the standings. However, they have put themselves right in the fight for an AFC Wild Card spot and stay in contention for the division.
The Ravens defeated the Jaguars on Sunday Night Football, solidifying their position atop the AFC North with 11 wins. They also currently have the top seed in the conference. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have now lost two in a row and are tied with the Colts for the AFC South title at 8-6.
NFC Standings and Playoff Picture in Week 15
The current NFC playoff picture is following the end of Week 15.
1) San Francisco 49ers (11-3; XY)
2) Dallas Cowboys (10-4; X)
3) Detroit Lions (10-4)
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
5) Philadelphia Eagles (10-4; X)
6) Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
7) Los Angeles Rams (7-7)
The remaining NFC standings are following the end of Week 15.
8) Seattle Seahawks (7-7)
9) New Orleans Saints (7-7)
10) Atlanta Falcons (6-8)
11) Green Bay Packers (6-8)
12) New York Giants (5-9)
13) Chicago Bears (5-9)
14) Washington Commanders (4-10, Eliminated)
15) Arizona Cardinals (3-11, Eliminated)
16) Carolina Panthers (2-12, Eliminated)
X: Team has clinched a playoff berth, Y: Team has clinched their division
The early slate of games on Sunday did not change a huge amount in terms of the playoff spots, with only the No. 7 seed changing hands. The Saints took advantage of losses by the Green Bay Packers and the Falcons to move into the last Wild Card spot. However, the Rams’ victory dislodged them from that spot and pushed the Saints back into eighth.
The Bears and Giants both lost ground in the race for the No. 7 seed and are now two games back with three to play. Neither can be eliminated this week, but both will need to be almost perfect from here on out.
The 49ers did all they needed to do by beating the Cardinals and clinching the NFC West. Their focus will now switch to the last three weeks and clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They will be hoping that their rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, can do them a huge favor by beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
The Cowboys lost to the Bills which weakened their shot at winning the NFC East. However, the Eagles also lost on Monday Night Football to the Seahawks, which propelled Dallas back into the second spot in the NFC.
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