NFL Standings 2023-24: Week 16 Records, Playoff Scenarios, Wild Card Picture Review
The NFL ushers in the holiday weekend with its slate of Week 16 action, kicked off by a high-stakes showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, and headlined by a potential Super Bowl preview between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.
Those are hardly the only games with playoff implications, though, as nearly every game on the schedule has some kind of impact on postseason seeding.
Ahead of the all-important week of gridiron action, these are the current standings in both conferences and the games to pay closest attention to.
Week 16 Schedule
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Thursday, December 21
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams (8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime)
Saturday, December 23
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (4:30 p.m., NBC)
Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Chargers (8:00 p.m., Peacock)
Sunday, December 24
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons (1:00 p.m., FOX)
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (1:00 p.m., FOX)
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans (1:00 p.m., CBS)
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (1:00 p.m., FOX)
Washington Commanders at New York Jets (1:00 p.m., CBS)
Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans (1:00 p.m., CBS)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4:05 p.m., CBS)
Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears (4:25 p.m., FOX)
Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins (4:25 p.m., FOX)
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (8:25 p.m., NBC)
Monday, December 25
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (1:00 p.m., CBS)
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m., FOX)
Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers (8:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN+)
AFC Playoff and Wildcard Standings
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Playoff and Wildcard Standings
- Baltimore Ravens (11-3, AFC North)
- Miami Dolphins (10-4, AFC East)
- Kansas City Chiefs (9-5, AFC West)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6, AFC South)
- Cleveland Browns (9-5, Wildcard)
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-6, Wildcard)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-6, Wildcard)
On the Bubble
Houston Texans (8-6)
Buffalo Bills (8-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
Denver Broncos (7-7)
Las Vegas Raiders (6-8)
Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
Eliminated
New England Patriots (3-11)
Tennessee Titans (5-9)
New York Jets (5-9)
NFC Playoff and Wildcard Standings
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Playoff and Wildcard Standings
- San Francisco 49ers (11-3, NFC West)
- Dallas Cowboys (10-4, NFC East)
- Detroit Lions (10-4, NFC North)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, NFC South)
- Philadelphia Eagles (10-4, Wildcard)
- Minnesota Vikings (7-7, Wildcard)
- Los Angeles Rams (7-7, Wildcard)
On the Bubble
- Seattle Seahawks (7-7)
- New Orleans Saints (7-7)
- Atlanta Falcons (6-8)
- Green Bay Packers (6-8)
- New York Giants (5-9)
- Chicago Bears (5-9)
Eliminated
Carolina Panthers (2-12)
Arizona Cardinals (3-11)
Washington Commanders (4-10)
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Games With Wildcard Implications
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The Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints kick off Week 16 with a game that will have huge implications in the NFC, where both squads are currently battling for a Wildcard spot.
The Rams have been hot of late, winning four of their last five behind explosive running from Kyren Williams and quarterback Matthew Stafford's 12 touchdowns to one interception. The Saints, meanwhile, have remained in the hunt for the playoffs behind a top 10 defense.
Their showdown Thursday night will pit strengths but, ultimately, the Rams defense may be the difference.
Statistically, it is a middle-of-the-pack group but it is a unit with a penchant for making big plays, particularly in the red zone, an area in which it is the 11th-ranked squad in the league. If they can limit the big play, the Rams should be able to wear the opposition down with the run, allowing Stafford to hit his receivers in key situations.
Elsewhere, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to keep momentum on their side as they make their improbable, Joe Burrow-less march to the playoffs, against a Pittsburgh Steelers team that will turn to Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback.
The Bengals showed resiliency against the Vikings in Week 15 in a come-from-behind win. The Steelers are coming off a loss that saw them dominated, physically, by the Indianapolis Colts.
The Houston Texans will look to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Cleveland Browns, but may have to do so without rookie star CJ Stroud, who has yet to clear concussion protocol according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC.
Against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15, Keenum completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 229 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Browns, allowing the fewest passing yards per game, will look to make like miserable for the journeyman backup.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to keep control of the NFC South against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that suddenly finds itself in a fight with the Colts for the AFC South lead. A loss to the Bucs, and a Colts victory over the Atlanta Falcons, would result in a lead change.
The Dallas Cowboys, on the heels of an embarrassing loss in which they never really looked prepared to play the Buffalo Bills, play a Miami Dolphins team in a showdown between two of the better teams in the league.
Perhaps the best game of the year takes place on Christmas night as the Baltimore Ravens travel to San Francisco for a showdown of the AFC and NFC's top-seeded teams. Both have already clinched playoff spots but, with each looking to secure the No. 1 overall seed, do not expect either to take the game lightly.
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