The Bills have clinched the AFC East, the Lions and Chiefs have clinched playoff berth, and 11 more playoff spots are up for grabs. Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks after Sunday Night Football in Week 14:
NFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Detroit Lions (12-1): Big Thursday night win against the Packers.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2): Clinched a playoff berth.
3. Seattle Seahawks (8-5): Have the lead in the very competitive NFC West.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6): Have the lead in the terrible NFC South.
WILD CARDS
5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2): Loss at home to the Lions will hurt their chances, but a Week 18 rematch in Detroit looms.
6. Green Bay Packers (9-4): Getting swept by the Lions pretty much takes them out of NFC North contention.
7. Washington Commanders (8-5): Big lead in the wild card race.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Los Angeles Rams (7-6): Big win over the Bills.
9. Atlanta Falcons (6-7): Loss on Sunday hurt their chances in the NFC South.
10. Arizona Cardinals (6-7): Sunday was bad day for their NFC West chances.
11. San Francisco 49ers (6-7): Preseason NFC favorites are unlikely to make the playoffs.
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7): Thanksgiving win kept them alive.
13. New Orleans Saints (5-8): Two games out in the NFC South.
14. Chicago Bears (4-9): New interim head coach Thomas Brown had an ugly first game.
15. Carolina Panthers (3-10): Playing much better football of late.
16. New York Giants (2-11): Mathematically eliminated.
AFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1): Clinched AFC West, now have a two-game lead for the No. 1 seed.
2. Buffalo Bills (10-3): Clinched the AFC East, but loss to Rams was costly in the race for the No. 1 seed
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3): A big lead and the tiebreaker edge 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 over the Chargers.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5): Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Broncos.
7. Denver Broncos (8-5): Bo Nix has led them into the wild card race.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7): Catching the Texans in the AFC South will be a long shot.
9. Miami Dolphins (6-7): Trying to keep their faint hopes alive with a win over the Jets.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8): May not get to the playoffs even if they run the table.
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.
Clinching Scenarios
The following Week 14 playoff scenarios were distributed by the NFL:
AFC
CLINCHED:
Buffalo Bills (10-2) – AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) – AFC West
NFC
CLINCHED:
Detroit Lions (12-1) – playoff berth
Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) – playoff berth
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