The Bills have clinched the AFC East, the Lions and Chiefs have clinched the playoff berth, and there are eleven more playoff spots up for grabs. Here’s how the NFL playoff photo looks like after Sunday evening football in week 14:
NFC Playoff photo
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Detroit Lions (12-1): Big win on Thursday night against the Packers.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2): Clinched a playoff berth.
3. Seattle Seahawks (8-5): Have the lead in 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): Losing 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 would pretty much knock them out of contention against the NFC North.
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): Losing on Sunday 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. 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 lately.
16. New York Giants (2-11): Mathematically eliminated.
AFC Playoff photo
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1): Clinched AFC West, now holds a two-game lead for the No. 1 seed.
2. Buffalo Bills (10-3): Won the AFC East, but the loss to Rams was costly in the race for the No. 1 seed
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3): A big lead and the tiebreaker lead 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 gamble.
9. Miami Dolphins (6-7): Try to keep their faint hopes alive with a win over the Jets.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8): Might not make the playoffs even if they are in charge.
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
CLOSED:
Buffalo Bills (10-2) – AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) – AFC West
NFC
CLOSED:
Detroit Lions (12-1) – Playoff berth
Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) – Playoff berth
