NFL Playoff Picture Week 14: Breaking Down AFC and NFC Postseason Bracket Outlook
Which two teams will head to New Orleans and the Caesar's Superdome to vie for the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LIX on February 9?
The AFC's Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have already cashed their tickets to the postseason, with the latter already clinching their division. Over in the NFC, things are a lot less predictable, with Detroit and Philadelphia the clear class of the conference but no confirmed playoff berths to speak of yet.
With a plethora of dark-horse candidates behind them, find out who places where in the most up-to-date standings, who has already been eliminated from contention, and which two squads are rolling down the stretch in 2024 with this look at the current NFL playoff picture.
AFC Playoff Picture
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The current playoff picture in the AFC features two teams who have already clinched a spot in the postseason, with several others on the cusp.
Division Leaders
1. x-Kansas City Chiefs (11-1, AFC West)
2. xz-Buffalo Bills (10-2, AFC East)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3, AFC North)
4. Houston Texans (7-5, AFC South)
Wild Card
5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
7. Denver Broncos (7-5)
On the Bubble
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
11. Cleveland Browns (3-8)
12. New York Jets (3-9)
13. Tennessee Titans (3-9)
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
Eliminated
15. New England Patriots (3-10)
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
x-clinched playoff spot; z-clinched division
NFC Playoff Picture
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The NFC playoff picture is wide open. No teams have clinched (yet) and in the west, all four teams remain in the chase for a postseason berth.
Division Leaders
1. Detroit Lions (11-1, NFC North)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2, NFC East)
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5, NFC West)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6, NFC South)
Wild Card
5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
On the Bubble
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
10. Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-8)
14. Chicago Bears (4-8)
15. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
Eliminated
16. New York Giants (2-10)
Eagles Flying High
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The Philadelphia Eagles limped into the playoffs a year ago and were picked apart by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They failed to defend their NFC crown and were eliminated in the Wild Card round, ending the 2023 season not with a bang, but a whimper.
In the offseason, the organization retooled, acquiring running back Saquon Barkley from the division rival New York Giants and building a young core of defenders, led by linebacker Nakobe Dean and rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean.
It has worked.
Philadelphia has the third-best offense in the NFL with 389.1 yards per game, thanks in large part to the improved running game behind Barkley and what it means schematically for quarterback Jalen Hurts and all-world wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Defensively, the team tops the league, allowing 274.6 yards per game and just 21 touchdowns through Week 13.
The team gave up 372 yards to the league's best offense in Baltimore and still emerged victoriously, 24-19. They were outgained, went 4-of-12 on third down, and held the ball seven minutes less than their opponent but the defense prevented the opposition from scoring, giving up a touchdown with just three seconds remaining.
Barkley carried 23 times for 107 yards and a touchdown while Hurts was workmanlike under center, completing 11-of-19 for 118 yards and a touchdown.
It was a playoff-worthy performance from a team that is surging at the right time and looks more like the Super Bowl team of two seasons ago than the disappointing squad that faded down the stretch.
The only question now is whether the team is peaking too early and if they can continue building on the momentum to close out the regular season. The Ravens did provide a game plan for how to attack the defense. Implementing it against that defense is easier said than done, though.
As long as Hurts can avoid the crippling mistake, and Barkley stays healthy, there is no reason to believe that Philly will not be competing for a Super Bowl berth by the time the conference title game rolls around.
This squad is that good and growing more confident with every win.
Whether they are good enough to overcome a tough, physical, determined Lions team that has looked the part of a Super Bowl champ through 12 games this season, remains to be seen.
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Buffalo Threatens Kansas City for Top Spot in AFC
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On a snow-covered night in Buffalo, the Bills sent a loud, clear, and emphatic message to the Kansas City Chiefs: they are coming for the No. 1 overall seed and the AFC crown.
Two weeks after becoming the only team to defeat the defending two-time Super Bowl champs this season, Josh Allen and his squad systematically picked apart the other team from last year's title game, the San Francisco 49ers, 35-10.
Allen tossed two touchdowns while completing 13-of-17 passes for 148 yards and adding 18 yards on the ground. The MVP candidate also became the first player in league history to throw, rush for, and receive a touchdown in a single game following a heads-up play from Amari Cooper.
The Bills were not supposed to be this good. They lost their best receiver, Stefon Diggs, via trade to Houston. They had no clear-cut starting wideout that would scare anyone, there were questions about how James Cook would perform in his first full season as the undisputed starter, and the defense had been under scrutiny for the way it wilted under the pressure of the Kansas City offense in previous playoff appearances.
Yet this may be the Bills' best team of the Allen era.
The offense runs through the big, strong quarterback, who is playing some of the best ball of his career, and Cook has been a touchdown machine, tied for third in the NFL with 11. The defense has been a bend-but-don't-break unit, ranking 15th overall.
With just two blemishes on their record this year, the team has already clinched a spot in the postseason and the AFC East crown, becoming the first team to accomplish that feat. Do not expect the foot to come off the pedal, though, as the Bills look to continue their dominance and compete for that elusive Lombardi Trophy.
Even if it means knocking off the 11-1 champs in Kansas City, their greatest threat, to do it.
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