NFL Standings 2023: Results, Playoff Picture and Scenarios After Week 15
Week 15's Sunday Slate started with 30 of the 32 NFL teams still technically in the playoff hunt. Only the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers were eliminated.
By the end of Sunday's main slate, six teams joined them and several more took one more step to being out of the race.
On the other end of the spectrum, there were a few teams that punched their ticket to the postseason. The Dallas Cowboys locked up a playoff spot despite losing to the Buffalo Bills. The 49ers clinched the NFC West and the Ravens clinched their spot in the postseason with a convincing win over the Jaguars on primetime.
There are still plenty of races and playoff spots that are still up in the air, but Week 15 definitely brought some clarity to this year's postseason chase.
Here's a look at where things stand and a recap of the action today.
Week 15 Results
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Thursday, December 14
Las Vegas Raiders 63, Los Angeles Chargers 21
Saturday, December 16
Cincinnati Bengals 27, Minnesota Vikings 24
Indianapolis Colts 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 13
Detroit Lions 42, Denver Broncos 17
Sunday, December 17
Carolina Panthers 9, Atlanta Falcons 7
Cleveland Browns 20, Chicago Bears 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34, Green Bay Packers 20
Miami Dolphins 30, New York Jets 0
New Orleans 24, New York Giants 6
Houston Texans 19, Tennessee Titans 16
Kansas City Chiefs 27, New England Patriots 17
San Francisco 49ers 45, Arizona Cardinals 29
Los Angeles Rams 28, Washington Commanders 20
Buffalo Bills 31, Dallas Cowboys 10
Baltimore Ravens 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 7
AFC Standings
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No. 1 Seed: Baltimore Ravens 11-3
No. 2 Seed: Miami Dolphins 10-4
No. 3 Seed: Kansas City Chiefs 9-5
No. 4 Seed: Jacksonville Jaguars 8-6
No. 5 Seed: Cleveland Browns 9-5
No. 6 Seed: Cincinnati Bengals 8-6
No. 7 Seed: Indianapolis Colts 8-6
8. Houston Texans 8-6
9. Buffalo Bills 8-6
10. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-7
11. Denver Broncos 7-7
12. Las Vegas Raiders 6-8
13. Los Angeles Chargers 5-9
AFC Playoff Picture
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The Baltimore Ravens became the first team in the AFC to clinch a playoff berth and sit with the No. 1 seed at 11-3. Their dominant win over the Jaguars was a message that they are the team to beat.
The Dolphins and Chiefs both took steps toward clinching their divisions. The Chiefs bounced back from last week's loss with a 27-17 win over the New England Patriots while the Denver Broncos were blown out by the Detroit Lions to drop to 7-7.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins ended any playoff aspirations for the Jets with a 30-0 win that keeps the Buffalo Bills at bay for the division lead in the AFC East.
On the wildcard side of things, the Cleveland Browns held serve as the No. 5 seed. They hold a one-game lead over the other teams in contention right now and a 20-17 win over the Chicago Bears keeps them in that position. Joe Flacco threw for over 300 yards after a rough start. His veteran leadership could make them a dangerous team down the stretch.
The most significant result in the wildcard race was the 31-10 win for the Buffalo Bills over the Dallas Cowboys. The Bills appear to be peaking just in time to crash the playoff field and be a major threat to the favorites.
The Bengals' overtime win over the Vikings impacted both wildcard races. The Bengals kept themselves ahead of the pack of 7-7 teams while keeping themselves within striking distance of the AFC North if the Browns and Ravens falter over the final three weeks of the season.
The Colts victory over the Steelers was huge for their playoff chances. It keeps them in the pack of 8-6 teams and puts them position to steal a spot coming down the stretch.
The Jets and Titans were officially eliminated from playoff contention. The Jets quarterback woes got even worse when Zach Wilson left the game against the
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NFC Standings
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No. 1 Seed: San Francisco 49ers 11-3
No. 2 Seed: Philadelphia Eagles 10-3
No. 3 Seed: Detroit Lions 10-4
No. 4 Seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-7
No. 5 Seed: Dallas Cowboys 10-4
No. 6 Seed: Minnesota Vikings 7-7
No. 7 Seed: Los Angeles Rams 7-7
8. New Orleans Saints 7-7
9. Seattle Seahawks 6-7
10. Atlanta Falcons 6-8
11. Green Bay Packers 6-8
12. New York Giants 5-9
13. Chicago Bears 5-9
NFC Playoff Picture
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There was no change at the top of the NFC playoff picture. The San Francisco 49ers are still the team to beat after picking up another win against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot before they even took the field. They needed the Packers and Falcons to lose and got both results despite the Falcons playing the Carolina Panthers who had just one win going into the week.
The Cowboys will have to wait to see how the Eagles do against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football to find out how much the loss will hurt their chances of winning the division.
The Lions are also in the playoffs. Their convincing win over the Broncos combined with losses for both the Packers and Vikings have guaranteed they'll be playing Wildcard Weekend.
The NFC South race took an interesting turn with the Falcons' stunning loss. Both the Bucs and Saints won games against non-division opponents, moving their record to 7-7 while the Falcons dropped to 6-8.
The Falcons are going to look back on this one with a lot of regret because it leaves them with a lot of work to do over the final three weeks of the season.
7-7 is the current mark to be one of the wildcard teams. The Bucs, Vikings and Rams would be in at .500 but the Saints would be out on tiebreakers.
The Cardinals and Commanders joined the ranks of the eliminated. Kyler Murray's mid-season return wasn't enough to dig them out of an early hole and the loss to the 49ers officially ended their wildcard hopes.
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