The NFL playoff race is going down to the wire after working through the Week 16 slate. The race for home-field advantage will be a good one between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, with the Cincinnati Bengals having an outside shot in next week’s showdown with the Bills.
The Baltimore Ravens are back in the playoffs after their win on Saturday, tying with the Bengals in the race for the AFC North. The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the AFC South lead with two games to play – thanks to the Tennessee Titans continuing their free fall. And the Chargers will earn a spot with a win over the Colts on Monday night.
It looks like the race for the NFC wild card is coming down to the wire as all the teams that lost on Saturday left the door open for the Packers. The New York Giants and Washington Commanders are currently seeded No. 6 and No. 7 in the playoff race.
Two weeks left for the playoffs. Below, you can find a division-by-division breakdown of the current standings and what each contender is facing over the rest of their schedule.
afc east
Y- Received Division Title
buffalo bill
what to know: The Bills captured the AFC East title with Saturday’s win over the Bears, and still held the No. 1 seed in the conference with the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chiefs. They clinched the No. 1 seed the following week with a win and a loss to the Chiefs.
Rest of the schedule: At Bengals, vs. Patriots
miami dolphins
what to know: Miami is the No. 7 seed in the AFC and holds a one-game lead over New York, New England and Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot in the conference.
Rest of the schedule: at Patriots vs. Jets
new England Patriots
what to know: The Patriots’ playoff chances are dwindling with the loss to the Bengals. They are one of four teams that finish at 7–8 but hold conference-record tiebreakers over the Titans and Steelers. They sweep the Jets to capture the division tiebreaker.
Rest of the schedule: vs. dolphins, in the Bills
new york jets
what to know: The Jets are the No. 9 seed in the playoffs having lost a division-record tiebreaker to the Patriots. They hold a better winning percentage in common games against the Titans and a conference-record tiebreaker over the Steelers.
Rest of the schedule: In the Seahawks, in the Dolphins
afc north
|
X-Bengal |
1 1 |
4 |
0 |
.733 |
85 |
|
x crows |
10 |
5 |
0 |
.667 |
49 |
|
steelers |
7 |
8 |
0 |
.466 |
-55 |
|
e-brown |
6 |
9 |
0 |
.400 |
-20 |
x- clinched playoff spot
e- out of playoffs
Cincinnati Bengals
now what know: With the win over the Patriots, the Bengals retained their AFC North lead. Cincinnati is the No. 3 seed in the conference, needing a win over Buffalo to take home-field advantage.
Rest of the schedule: vs bills vs ravens
Baltimore Ravens
what to know: The Ravens clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Falcons on Saturday and are currently the No. 5 seed in the AFC standings. Baltimore has the head-to-head tiebreaker at Cincinnati.
Rest of the schedule: vs Steelers in Bengals
pittsburgh steelers
what to know: The Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive with their win over the Raiders. Pittsburgh is the No. 11 seed in the AFC, having lost conference-record tiebreakers to the Patriots, Jets and Titans.
Rest of the schedule: Ravens vs. Browns
cleveland browns
what to know: With their loss to the Saints, the Browns were eliminated from the playoffs.
Rest of the schedule: at the Commanders, at the Steelers
afc south
|
jaguar |
7 |
8 |
0 |
.467 |
+22 |
|
titans |
7 |
8 |
0 |
.467 |
-43 |
|
e-colts |
4 |
9 |
1 |
.321 |
-92 |
|
e-texas |
2 |
12 |
1 |
.167 |
-104 |
E – Eliminated from playoff
jacksonville jaguars
what to know: The Jaguars moved into first place in the AFC South with their win over the Jets and the Titans’ loss to Texans. Regardless of their Week 17 result, Jacksonville will play for the division title in Week 18 when they host the Titans.
Rest of the schedule: Texans vs Titans
tennessee titans
what to know: The Titans finished out of the No. 7 seed and lost to the Texans for the No. 10 seed in the AFC. Tennessee loses a conference-record tiebreaker to the Patriots and an overall-record tiebreaker to the Jets. They win the conference-record tiebreaker over the Steelers.
Rest of the schedule: vs. cowboys, in jaguars
Indianapolis Colts
what to know: The Colts are out of the playoffs and play the Chargers on Monday.
Rest of the schedule: vs Chargers vs Texans at Giants
houston texans
what to know: The Texans have been eliminated from playoff contention and have the worst record in the NFL. They defeated the Titans to record their second win of the year.
Rest of the schedule: vs jaguars, in colts
afc west
Won the Y-Division Title
E – Eliminated from playoff
kansas city chiefs
what to know: The Chiefs are still the No. 2 seed in the AFC as the Bills have the head-to-head tiebreaker for the top spot in the conference. They would receive the top seed if they finished 2–0 and the Bills finished 1–1.
Rest of the schedule: Versus the Broncos, on the Raiders
los angeles chargers
what to know: The Chargers are the No. 6 seed in the AFC and own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Miami, which is currently the No. 7 seed. Los Angeles can clinch a postseason berth with a win over Indianapolis on Monday.
Rest of the schedule: at the Colts, vs. the Rams, at the Broncos
las vegas raiders
what to know: The Raiders are still mathematically alive in the AFC playoff race after losing to the Steelers. Las Vegas is the No. 12 seed in the AFC, two games out of the last playoff spot.
Rest of the schedule: vs 49ers vs chiefs
denver broncos
what to know: The Broncos are eliminated from the playoffs and were blown out by the Rams on Sunday.
Rest of the schedule: Chiefs vs. Chargers
NFC East
|
X- Eagles |
13 |
2 |
0 |
.867 |
137 |
|
ex-cowboy |
1 1 |
4 |
0 |
.733 |
131 |
|
giants |
8 |
6 |
1 |
.567 |
-28 |
|
commanders |
7 |
7 |
1 |
.500 |
-28 |
x- clinched playoff spot
philadelphia eagles
what to know: The Eagles still control their destiny for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, just needing to win their final two games. A win (or a Cowboys loss) wraps up the NFC East and home-field advantage (or a Vikings loss).
Rest of the schedule: Vs Saints Vs Giants
dallas cowboys
what to know: The Cowboys kept their slim NFC East hopes alive with a Saturday win over the Eagles. Dallas would have to win and Philadelphia would have to lose to win the division.
Rest of the schedule: in titans, on commanders
new york giants
what to know: The Giants retain the No. 6 seed in the NFC, with all wild card contenders battling for a playoff spot after Saturday’s losses. New York clinched the playoffs with a win the following week.
Rest of the schedule: in Eagles vs. Colts
washington commanders
what to know: The losses to the Seahawks and Lions left the Commanders as the No. 7 seed in the NFC. They remain a half game on both for the last playoff spot in the conference.
Rest of the schedule: vs brown vs cowboy
nfc answer
|
Y-Vikings |
12 |
3 |
0 |
.800 |
+5 |
|
Lions |
7 |
8 |
0 |
.467 |
-9 |
|
packer |
7 |
8 |
0 |
.467 |
-21 |
|
e bear |
3 |
12 |
0 |
.200 |
-90 |
Y- Received Division Title
E – Eliminated from playoff
minnesota vikings
what to know: The Vikings moved one game behind the Eagles for the No. 1 seed in the NFC with their win and the Philadelphia loss. Minnesota needs to win and Philadelphia must lose to clinch home-field advantage as the Eagles hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Rest of the schedule: on the packers, on the bears
detroit lions
what to know: After the loss to the Panthers, the Lions remain the No. 9 seed in the NFC, half a game behind the Commanders for the final playoff spot. Seattle holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Detroit.
Rest of the schedule: Bears vs. Packers
green Bay Packers
what to know: The streaking Packers are the No. 10 seed in the NFC and very much alive in the playoff race thanks to their win over the Dolphins on Sunday. They are currently one game behind the Commanders for the final playoff spot. If the Packers win and the Commanders lose once, Green Bay will earn a post-season berth.
Rest of the schedule: Vs Vikings Vs Lions
Chicago Bears
what to know: The Bears are eliminated from playoff contention. They have the worst record in the NFC.
Rest of the schedule: Lions vs Vikings
NFC South
|
buccaneers |
6 |
8 |
0 |
.429 |
-41 |
|
panthers |
6 |
9 |
0 |
.400 |
-24 |
|
Saints |
6 |
9 |
0 |
.400 |
-22 |
|
e-hawk |
5 |
10 |
0 |
.333 |
-35 |
E – Eliminated from playoff
tampa bay buccaneers
what to know: The Buccaneers still lead the NFC South by a half game, but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Panthers. Tampa Bay has also swept New Orleans, which is also a half game back. The Buccaneers play Sunday at Arizona.
Rest of the schedule: At Cardinals, vs. Panthers, At Falcons
carolina panthers
what to know: The Panthers needed a Buccaneers defeat to clinch first place in the NFC South with two games to play. Carolina holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Tampa Bay and the three-way tiebreaker by virtue of being unbeaten against the Buccaneers and Saints.
Rest of the schedule: On the Buccaneers, on the Saints
new orleans saints
what to know: The Saints lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Panthers and were swept by the Buccaneers, even though they are half a game out of the division lead. They would lose the three-way tiebreaker between the clubs should Tampa Bay lose on Sunday.
Rest of the schedule: Eagles vs. Panthers
atlanta falcons
what to know: The Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss to the Ravens.
Rest of the schedule: vs Cardinals vs Buccaneers
nfc west
|
Y-49ers |
1 1 |
4 |
0 |
.733 |
145 |
|
seahawks |
7 |
8 |
0 |
.467 |
-14 |
|
e-ram |
5 |
10 |
0 |
.333 |
-53 |
|
e-cardinals |
4 |
10 |
0 |
.286 |
-80 |
Y- Received Division Title
e- out of playoffs
san francisco 49ers
what to know: The 49ers are still the No. 3 seed in the NFC with their win over the Commanders, and will at least be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. They are still alive in the home field race, but need to defeat the Eagles and defeat the Vikings once to have a shot at it.
Rest of the schedule: Raiders vs. Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
what to know: After losing to the Chiefs, the Seahawks are still half a game out of the final wild card spot. Seattle holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Detroit for the No. 8 seed, trailing Washington by a half-game for the No. 7 seed.
Rest of the schedule: vs jet vs ram
arizona cardinals
what to know: The Cardinals are out of the playoffs. They host the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Rest of the schedule: at Falcons, vs. Buccaneers, at 49ers
Los Angeles Rams
what to know: The Rams are out of the playoffs after Monday’s loss to the Packers. They crushed the Broncos on Sunday.
Rest of the schedule: At Chargers At Seahawks