Week 15 was a rather quiet week with most favored teams coming away with the wins. The Cincinnati Bengals came back and beat the Minnesota Vikings in overtime. The Carolina Panthers won their second game of the season. The Buffalo Bills dominated the Dallas Cowboys winning 31-10, and the Jacksonville Jaguars were almost held scoreless by the Ravens. After all of that, here is a look at the NFL playoff picture heading into Week 16.
NFC Picture
1 Seed: San Francisco 49ers (10-3) – NFC West Leader (Clinched Division)
The San Francisco 49ers continue to win football games beating the Arizona Cardinals 45-29 last week. That brings their record to 11-3 on the season tied for the best in the NFL. They stay as the No. 1 seed in the NFC that was previously held by the Philadelphia Eagles.
2 Seed: Dallas Cowboys (10-4) – NFC East Leader (Clinched Playoffs)
The Eagles were going to jump back into the lead in the NFC East, but they lost the game in the last seconds on Monday Night Football. Therefore with both teams losing, the Cowboys retain the tiebreaker lead in the NFC East staying on top for now.
3 Seed: Detroit Lions (10-4) – NFC North Leader
The Detroit Lions continue to be a roller coaster of a team this season — even inside the same game. They bounced back after a humiliating loss to the Chicago Bears with a 42-17 win over the Broncos on the back of a five-touchdown performance from Jared Goff.
4 Seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) – NFC South Leader
The newspaper headline that a team under .500 will make the playoffs might be no more as the leader in the NFC South is now .500. The Buccaneers beat the Packers with Baker Mayfield walking away with a perfect passer rating.
Wild Cards: Philadelphia Eagles (10-4, Clinched Playoffs), Minnesota Vikings (7-7), Los Angeles Rams (7-7)
The Eagles stay in the wild card after losing to the Seahawks despite also having clinched the playoffs. The next three teams are tied at 7-7 with the next three tied at 6-8. The Rams are the most dangerous team of the remaining group.
In The Hunt: New Orleans Saints (7-7), three other teams tied at 6-8
Eliminated: Carolina Panthers (1-12), Washington Commanders (4-10), Arizona Cardinals (3-11)
AFC Picture
1 Seed: Baltimore Ravens (11-3) – AFC North Leader (Clinched Playoffs)
The Baltimore Ravens have secured a playoff birth, which is good seeing that the 49ers, Dolphins, and Steelers still remain on their schedule. Despite what happens, Lamar Jackson and company can feel safely in the playoffs though they want to keep the bye and home-field advantage.
2 Seed: Miami Dolphins (10-4) – AFC East Leader
The Miami Dolphins dropped a tough game to the Tennessee Titans last week losing by just one point. However, they bounced back this week with a demolishing of the Jets 30-0 despite not having Tyreek Hill in the lineup.
3 Seed: Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) – AFC West Leader
The Kansas City Chiefs are in one of the biggest funks that we have seen them in … ever. They have lost three of their last five games and four of their last seven. They did pick up a win last week against the Patriots which should start a win streak in them.
4 Seed: Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6) – AFC South Leader
The Jaguars are another team that has been falling lately. They have now also lost three straight games falling from 8-3 to 8-6 and have lost four of their last five games. They have one of the easiest remaining schedules which should bolster their hopes.
Wild Cards: Cleveland Browns (9-5), Cincinnati Bengals (8-6), Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
The Cleveland Browns won again, keeping them a game over the rest of the pack. The Bengals, Colts, and Texans rise to 8-6 while the Steelers and Broncos are still in the hunt at 7-7 though they need to pick up wins quickly.
In The Hunt: Houston Texans (8-6), Buffalo Bills (8-6), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7), Denver Broncos (7-6)
Eliminated: New England Patriots (3-10), New York Jets (5-9), Tennessee Titans (5-9)
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