2024 NFL Playoff Picture: Updated AFC and NFC Rankings, Bracket, Tiebreakers for Week 15

2024 NFL Playoff Picture: Updated AFC and NFC Rankings, Bracket, Tiebreakers for Week 15

The Bills and Chiefs won their divisions, the Lions and Eagles secured a playoff spot, and 10 more playoff spots are up for grabs. Here’s what the playoff picture looks like heading into Week 15:

NFC playoff image

DEPARTMENT HEAD

1. Detroit Lions (12-1): Clinched a playoff spot.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2): Secured a spot in the playoffs.

3. Seattle Seahawks (8-5): Lead the highly competitive NFC West.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6): Have the lead in the terrible NFC South.

WILD CARDS

5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2): A home loss to the Lions will hurt their chances, but a Week 18 rematch in Detroit is on the horizon.

6. Green Bay Packers (9-4): If they are swept by the Lions and lose to the Vikings, they will be all but eliminated from NFC North contention, even though they are 9-1 otherwise.

7. Washington Commanders (8-5): Big lead in wild card race.

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8. Los Angeles Rams (7-6): Big win over the Bills.

9. Atlanta Falcons (6-7): Sunday’s loss hurt their chances in the NFC South.

10. Arizona Cardinals (6-7): Sunday was a bad day for their NFC West chances.

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-7): The preseason NFC favorites are unlikely to make the playoffs.

12. New Orleans Saints (5-8): Two games in the NFC South.

13. Dallas Cowboys (5-8): The loss to the Bengals virtually killed any chance of a late-season breakthrough.

14. Chicago Bears (4-9): New interim coach Thomas Brown had an ugly first game.

15. Carolina Panthers (3-10): Playing much better football lately.

16. New York Giants (2-11): Mathematically eliminated.

AFC playoff picture

DEPARTMENT HEAD

1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1): Won against the AFC West and now have a two-game lead over the No. 1 seed.

2. Buffalo Bills (10-3): Won the AFC East, but the loss to the Rams put them in the race for the No. 1 seed

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3): A big lead and the tiebreaker in the AFC North.

4. Houston Texans (8-5): They’re not playing well, but they should win the AFC South by default.

WILD CARDS

5. Baltimore Ravens (8-5): Own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Chargers.

6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5): Winner in the direct tiebreaker against the Broncos.

7. Denver Broncos (8-5): Bo Nix led them into the wild card race.

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8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7): Catching the Texans in the AFC South will be a long road.

9. Miami Dolphins (6-7): Try to keep their slim hopes alive with a win over the Jets.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8): May not make the playoffs even if they finish at the top of the standings.

11. Cleveland Browns (3-10): Mathematically eliminated.

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10): Mathematically eliminated.

13. New York Jets (3-10): Mathematically eliminated.

14. Tennessee Titans (3-10): Mathematically eliminated.

15. New England Patriots (3-10): Mathematically eliminated.

16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11): Mathematically eliminated.

Crucial scenarios

Here’s a quick look at the playoff scenarios for this week. The full Week 15 playoff scenarios are distributed by the NFL:

AFC

CAUGHT:

Buffalo Bills (10-3) – AFC East

Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) – AFC West

Texan can win the AFC South in Week 15 with a win and a loss for the Colts.

Steelers can secure a spot in the playoffs with a win or loss for the Colts and Dolphins.

NFC

CAUGHT:

Detroit Lions (12-1) – Playoff spot

Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) – Playoff spot

Vikings can secure a spot in the playoffs with a win or loss for the Rams or Seahawks.

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