NFL Playoff Picture Week 15: Full AFC, NFC Outlook and Predictions
Every game between Saturday and Monday in Week 15 has some sort of playoff implications.
The Saturday slate features a vital head-to-head battle in the AFC wild-card race between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts.
The Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals will try to start the three-game Saturday schedule with a win to hopefully gain separation in their respective wild-card races.
On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers go head-to-head in a showdown of teams in the NFC playoff places.
Sunday concludes with a battle between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars that will have an affect on the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Philadelphia Eagles' Monday night trip to face the Seattle Seahawks will be important to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, especially if the Dallas Cowboys lose to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
All of Week 15's remaining games have the potential to produce a ton of playoff drama, and with that might come a reshuffling of the wild-card order in both conferences.
AFC Playoff Picture
1 of 2
Division Leaders
1. Baltimore (10-3)
2. Miami (9-4)
3. Kansas City (8-5)
4. Jacksonville (8-5)
Wild-Card Race
5. Cleveland (8-5)
6. Pittsburgh (7-6)
7. Indianapolis (7-6)
8. Houston (7-6)
9. Denver (7-6)
10. Cincinnati (7-6)
11. Buffalo (7-6)
12. Las Vegas (6-8)
13. New York Jets (5-8)
14. Tennessee (5-8)
Two games matter the most to the AFC playoff picture in Week 15.
Baltimore's trip to Jacksonville on Sunday night can either confirm the Ravens' spot atop the AFC, or add more chaos to the home-field advantage battle.
The Miami Dolphins are expected to beat the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs should defeat the New England Patriots.
That means a slip-up by the Ravens would open the race for the No. 1 seed back up after both the Dolphins and Chiefs lost in Week 14.
Baltimore needs a win on Sunday because it would prefer to have a one-game buffer over Miami going into their Week 17 battle. The Ravens visit the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Day.
The Week 17 Ravens-Dolphins showdown will likely decide the No. 1 seed, but before that, each team has to win on Sunday.
Jacksonville put up a good fight in Cleveland last week, but its defensive performances have dropped, and with Trevor Lawrence not at 100 percent, the Jaguars could be at a disadvantage against the Ravens.
Saturday's Steelers-Colts game will reset the AFC wild-card race. Pittsburgh is in the No. 6 spot right now because of its superior winning percentage in common games compared to Indianapolis.
The Steelers or Colts can make the tiebreaker between the two teams very easy to decide with a win on Saturday.
Pittsburgh enters off an awful pair of losses to the Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, but it could use the extra days off from Thursday night football to reset and beat a Colts team that is only 2-4 inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Houston Texans are in line to benefit most from the Steelers-Colts game because they have the best conference record among the other 7-6 teams, but they have a dangerous game against the Tennessee Titans.
Cincinnati hosts Minnesota, the Denver Broncos visit the Detroit Lions and Buffalo hosts Dallas in the other meaningful Week 15 games to the AFC wild-card race.
The Cleveland Browns should not have to worry about the clutter at 7-6. A win over the Chicago Bears would put them at 9-5 and in great shape to be the No. 5 seed.
Prediction
1. Baltimore
2. Miami
3. Kansas City
4. Jacksonville
5. Cleveland
6. Pittsburgh
7. Houston
NFC Playoff Picture
2 of 2
Division Leaders
1. San Francisco (10-3)
2. Dallas (10-3)
3. Detroit (9-4)
4. Tampa Bay (6-7)
Wild-Card Race
5. Philadelphia (10-3)
6. Minnesota (7-6)
7. Green Bay (6-7)
8. Los Angeles Rams (6-7)
9. Seattle (6-7)
10. Atlanta (6-7)
11. New Orleans (6-7)
12. New York Giants (5-8)
13. Chicago (5-8)
The NFC wild-card race is starting to match the AFC wild-card hunt in terms of its chaotic nature.
The Vikings and Seahawks dropped back to the pack and both sides could face even more trouble in Week 15.
Minnesota's switch to Nick Mullens at quarterback may not be enough to save it against a Cincinnati team battling for its own playoff life.
Seattle hosts a Philadelphia team in desperate need of a win to keep pace with the Cowboys and 49ers.
Philadelphia needs a win on Monday to keep up its conference record. The Eagles need to win out to have a better conference record than the Cowboys to win the NFC East on that tiebreaker.
The Cowboys might in rough shape on Sunday afternoon in Buffalo since the Bills are all-of-a-sudden back in the AFC wild-card mix.
The NFC South could experience another lead change in Week 15 if the Bucs struggle at Lambeau Field.
The Atlanta Falcons are expected to beat the Carolina Panthers, and they would love to see the Packers win, as well as the New York Giants defeat the New Orleans Saints. Both of those things could happen.
A Green Bay win seems more likely and that would be a major boost to its playoff hopes. That would give the Packers head-to-head wins over the Bucs, Falcons and Rams. They lost in Week 8 to the Vikings, but they can avenge that defeat in Week 17.
The Rams have two wins over Seattle and an easy schedule over the next three weeks that could catapult them into a three-way race with the Packers and Vikings.
Sean McVay's team hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday and then plays the Saints and Giants before a Week 18 clash with the 49ers.
San Francisco should have an easy week atop the NFC since it plays the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The 49ers' Week 16 clash with the Ravens is a game the Cowboys and Eagles hope they lose in the race for the No. 1 seed.
Prediction
1. San Francisco
2. Philadelphia
3. Detroit
4. Atlanta
5. Dallas
6. Minnesota
7. Green Bay
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