NFC playoff photo is starting to take shape, as the Washington Commanders picked up a massive victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday to set up for their first playoff berth in four years. Washington also eliminated Dallas and San Francisco with his surprise against Philadelphia.
The Los Angeles Rams lead the Seattle Seahawks by one game in the NFC West and are on the verge of wrapping up the division. The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings are tied for the NFC North lead with 13 wins, but the Lions still hold the tiebreaker.
The AFC playoff picture is starting to become clearer, as the field is about to be defined. THE Los Angeles Chargers prevented the Denver Broncos to secure a playoff spot while hurting the chances of other AFC teams that are mathematically in the race, like the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Baltimore Ravens are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC North lead after their victory Saturday, but Pittsburgh still holds the tiebreaker thanks to its best record in conference play. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs are one win away from taking home-field advantage.
Below you will find a breakdown of the conference standings with most Week 16 games completed:
AFC Playoff Photo
y – unhooked division
x – clinched a playoff spot
e — eliminated from the playoffs
1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1)
The Chiefs are two games ahead of the Bills for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. A Chiefs victory on Christmas would give Kansas City home-field advantage in the conference. (Kansas City only needs one win in the final two games.)
Remaining schedule: at the Steelers, at the Broncos
2. Buffalo Bills (12-3)
Buffalo trails Kansas City by two games for home-court advantage, but has the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Bills need the Chiefs to lose to still have a chance at clinching the No. 1 seed.
Remaining schedule: against. Jetsat Patriots
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)
The playoff-bound Steelers are tied with the Ravens in the AFC North, even after their loss to Baltimore on Saturday. Pittsburgh holds the conference record tiebreaker (7-3) over Baltimore (6-4), giving the Steelers the edge in the division.
Remaining schedule: against the Chiefs, against the Bengals
4. Houston Texans (9-6)
The Texans have already clinched the AFC South. They’ll be at least the No. 4 seed in the AFC and play a home game in the wild-card round of the playoffs, but trail the Steelers by one game for the No. 3 seed.
Remaining schedule: against the Ravens, Titans
5. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)
The Ravens clinched a playoff spot with their win over the Steelers on Saturday and are now tied for first in the AFC North. Pittsburgh holds the conference record tiebreaker against Baltimore.
Remaining schedule: at the Texans, against the Browns
6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)
The Chargers improved to sixth in the AFC after their win over the Broncos, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping Denver.
Remaining schedule: at Patriots, at Raiders
7. Denver Broncos (9-6)
The Broncos are one win away from clinching a playoff spot, even with Thursday’s loss to the Chargers.
Remaining schedule: at the Bengals, against the Chiefs
8. Indianapolis Colts (7-8)
The Colts are two games out of the final AFC wild card spot, but are eliminated from the playoffs with a loss or win by the Chargers and Broncos. The Colts have the tiebreaker against the Dolphins for the No. 8 seed thanks to their Week 7 win and own the tiebreaker against the Bengals based on a better conference record (6- 5) than Cincinnati (4-6).
Remaining schedule: has Giantsagainst. Jaguar
9. Miami Dolphins (7-8)
The Dolphins’ AFC playoff hopes are still alive, but Miami will be eliminated with a loss or win by the Chargers and Broncos next week. Miami is two games behind Denver for the final playoff spot and holds the conference record (6-5) over Cincinnati (4-6).
Remaining schedule: at Browns, at Jets
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
The Bengals remain the AFC’s No. 10 seed, needing significant help to earn a playoff spot. Cincinnati needs to leapfrog several teams and win to have a chance at the playoffs, as the Bengals are two games behind the Broncos and will face them in Week 17. They can’t lose another game.
Remaining schedule: against the Broncos, at the Steelers
Eliminated from the playoffs
Six teams are eliminated from playoff contention in the AFC: the Raiders, Patriots, Titans, Jets, Jaguars and Browns.
NFC Playoff Photo
x – clinched a playoff spot
e — eliminated from the playoffs
1. Detroit Lions (13-2)
The Lions remain the No. 1 seed in the conference after their victory and the Eagles’ defeat. They are also tied for the lead in the NFC North with the Vikings, but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Remaining schedule: at the 49ers, against the Vikings
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3)
The Eagles remain in search of home-field advantage, but need the Lions to lose, the Vikings to lose next week and Minnesota to beat Detroit in Week 18. Philadelphia can clinch the NFC East and the lead No. 2 seed with a win in one of its next two games.
Remaining schedule: against the Cowboys, against the Giants
3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6)
The Rams lead the NFC West by one game over the Seahawks with two to play. Los Angeles wins the division next week with a win and a loss at Seattle.
Remaining schedule: against the Cardinals, against the Seahawks
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
The Buccaneers lead the NFC South, awaiting their game against the Cowboys. Tampa Bay (6-3) holds the conference record over Los Angeles (5-5) for the No. 3 seed if it beats Dallas.
Remaining schedule: at Cowboys, against Panthers, against Saints
5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2)
Minnesota remains the best wild-card team in the conference and is tied with Detroit for first place in the NFC North. Detroit still has the division lead via the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Remaining schedule: against Packers, among the Lions
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4)
The Packers are the No. 6 seed in the NFC. They can clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Saints on Monday night.
Remaining schedule: against. Saintsat Vikings, against Bears
7. Washington Commanders (10-5)
The Commanders lead the Seahawks and Falcons by two games for the conference’s final playoff spot. They clinch a playoff spot with a win next week.
Remaining schedule: against the Falcons, at the Cowboys
8. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
The Seahawks are now two games behind the Commanders for the final wild card spot after their loss on Sunday. They’re also one game out of the NFC West lead, but the Rams hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Remaining schedule: at the Bears, at the Rams
9. Atlanta Falcons (8-7)
The Falcons can regain the lead in the NFC South if the Buccaneers lose to the Cowboys. The Falcons hold the tiebreaker against Tampa Bay.
Remaining schedule: at Commanders, against Panthers
Eliminated from the playoffs
The Cardinals, Cowboys, 49ers and Saints were eliminated from the playoffs in Week 16. The Commanders’ win over the Eagles eliminated the Cowboys and 49ers. The Cardinals were eliminated with their loss to the Panthers and the Rams’ victory. The Bears, Panthers and Giants were already eliminated at the start of Week 16.