Updated Playoff Odds for Every Team After NFL Week 15

Week 15 of the NFL season wasn't special until the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots tangled on Sunday Night Football. 

The early games featured blowouts across the board, while the only decent late game pitted the Dallas Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tony Romo and company came out ahead in overtime, setting up a three-way tie for first in the NFC East. 

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens earned a playoff spot despite a third consecutive loss. They sit just one game up on the suddenly streaking Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North. 

The Seattle Seahawks inched closer to a postseason spot after destroying the Buffalo Bills 50-17 in Toronto. Needless to say, it seems that the two hottest teams in the NFC are out west in the form of Seattle and San Francisco, who go up against one another next week. 

Speaking of the 49ers, they blew a 31-3 lead before coming back and winning 41-34 over New England at Gillette Stadium. This was a huge loss for New England, who fell behind the Denver Broncos for the No. 2 overall seed in the AFC. San Francisco clinched a playoff spot with the win. 

With only a handful of teams officially eliminated from playoff contention, the final two weeks of the season promise to be full of drama. 

Denver Broncos

Record: 11-3 (Clinched AFC West)

It is nearly impossible to explain in words what Peyton Manning has done for the Denver Broncos in his first season with the franchise. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has Denver in the midst of a nine-game winning streak after it destroyed the Baltimore Ravens on the road yesterday. 

Denver now goes up against the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs at home in its final two games of the regular season. We could easily be looking at an 11-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.

If the Broncos win both those games they will capture the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs by virtue of the New England Patriots' loss to the San Francisco 49ers last night. 

San Diego Chargers

Record: 5-9 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

Now that the San Diego Chargers have been officially eliminated from the playoffs, we can start looking forward to next season. Head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith will not return and could easily be relieved of their duties today following a disastrous 31-7 home loss to the Carolina Panthers. 

This represents the third consecutive season San Diego has failed to make the playoffs, and the second straight year it hasn't finished over .500. 

Expect wholesale changes in the offseason. 

Oakland Raiders

Record: 4-10 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

I really do feel bad for those in the Bay Area without The NFL Sunday Ticket. After all, they were forced to watch the Oakland Raiders defeat the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 15-0. 

While Oakland tallied its first win since October, all that was accomplished was a lower draft pick come April. It might be time to see more of Terrelle Pryor as the Raiders play out the stretch. 

Kansas City Chiefs

Record: 2-12 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

The Kansas City Chiefs gained 17 yards and zero first downs in the first half of their 15-0 loss to Oakland on Sunday. Yeah, that happened. 

At 2-12, Kansas City is in prime position to grab the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. I guess that is all its fans can hope for at this point in what has been a disastrous all-around season in Arrowhead. 

Look for head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli to get the boot here as Kansas City attempts to start anew in 2013. 

Baltimore Ravens

Record: 9-5 (Clinched playoff spot)

The Baltimore Ravens are, for a lack of a better word, the "worst" team to clinch a postseason spot thus far this year. Following a 34-17 home loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos, they have lost three games in a row in unimpressive fashion. 

Joe Flacco continues to show us why he is nothing more than a marginal quarterback in the NFL. Sunday's loss represents the fifth time that he has accumulated a passer rating under 80. With Ray Rice becoming nearly invisible in Baltimore's offensive scheme, it is going to need Flacco to step up his game in a big way heading into January. 

We could very well be looking at a one-and-done scenario here. 

Cincinnati Bengals

Record: 8-6

Postseason Chances: 60 percent

If the Cincinnati Bengals win out they are in the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The good news is that their chances of earning that postseason trip is in their hands. The bad news is that they have to go up against what has to be an angry Pittsburgh Steelers team next week on the road before hosting the Baltimore Ravens to finish out the season. 

Cincinnati could conceivably earn a playoff spot if it were to split its final two games, but a lot would have to happen for that to become a reality (it would be especially difficult if the one loss was to Pittsburgh). 

Head coach Marvin Lewis and company have to feel good that they control their own destiny at this late point in the season. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Record: 7-7

Postseason Chances: 45 percent

What a crushing defeat for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dallas on Sunday. They had a chance to retain the No. 6 overall seed in the AFC playoffs for one more week but coughed it up late when it counted the most. 

Antonio Brown's crucial fumble in the fourth quarter has to be considered the one big play here that led to a Dallas victory. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception in overtime that was returned by Brandon Carr to Pittsburgh's 1-yard line. The rest is history. 

Pittsburgh can still earn a playoff spot by winning its final two games or getting some help elsewhere. I just don't see that happening considering how it has played as of late. 

Cleveland Browns

Record: 5-9 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

That wasn't what I would call an impressive performance by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Riding three consecutive wins into a home matchup against a Washington Redskins team without Robert Griffin III, Cleveland was finally eliminated from playoff contention. 

Its 38-21 loss to Washington was disheartening for a couple of different reasons. First, Cleveland's defense yielded four second-half touchdown drives after taking a lead into the locker room. Secondly, Brandon Weeden threw two interceptions and just didn't look too comfortable against a poor Washington pass defense. 

While none of us really anticipated the Browns contending for a postseason spot this season, there is something to say about momentum heading into the offseason. With games remaining on the road against the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, they could be looking at a three-game losing streak when all is said and done. 

Houston Texans

Record: 12-2 (Clinched AFC South)

The Houston Texans needed to rebound in a big way against the division rival Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and they did just that. 

Arian Foster ran for 165 yards, while Andre Johnson caught 11 passes for 151 yards in the 29-17 win over Indianapolis. In the process, Houston clinched its second consecutive division championship. Following San Francisco's victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football, Houston now a nice cushion in its bid to secure the No. 1 spot in the AFC.

All the Texans need is one win in their final two games. 

Indianapolis Colts

Record: 9-5

Postseason Chances: 90 percent

Despite losing to the Houston Texans yesterday, Indianapolis is nearly guaranteed of earning a surprise trip to the second season after the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to Dallas. 

All Andrew Luck and company have to do is win one of their final two games against the Kansas City Chiefs and these very same Texans to clinch a playoff spot. Additionally, one more loss by both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets will get the Colts to the playoffs. 

You have to like their odds here. 

Tennessee Titans

Record: 5-9 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

First, I have to give my props to Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, who wrote the names of all the children who perished in Friday's elementary school massacre on his cleats. While money and donations can do wonders, it is this type of attitude that comes to define America in times of crisis. 

Johnson didn't disappoint. He started Tennessee's scoring with a scamper of 94 yards in the second quarter to give the Titans a 7-3 lead in what was a poorly played game all the way around. 

Tennessee forced five New York Jets turnovers en route to a 14-10 victory. While it has been eliminated from playoff contention, the next two games will give us a better idea of where second-year quarterback Jake Locker stands. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Record: 2-12 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a complete and utter mess right now. They have won one game since the third week of the season after another embarrassing loss, this time to the Miami Dolphins by the score of 24-3. 

Despite showing flashes earlier in the season, Chad Henne is nothing more than a decent backup quarterback in the NFL. Meanwhile, Blaine Gabbert might not even be that after fizzling out during his sophomore campaign. 

They have a tremendous amount of work to do to even be considered a viable NFL franchise next season. It all starts with the quarterback position and a return to full health by Maurice Jones-Drew, who has been a non-factor due to injuries this season. 

New England Patriots

Record: 10-4 (Clinched AFC East)

Now that is what I call a football game. The New England Patriots fell down 31-3 to the San Francisco 49ers in what had to be considered one of the biggest shocks of the NFL season, before dazzling a national audience by compiling 28 consecutive points to tie the game in the fourth quarter. 

In the end, it wasn't enough. Despite the loss, Tom Brady just continues to show us why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league. His ability to lead New England back from a four-touchdown deficit against the best scoring defense in the league was mind-numbing. 

The 41-34 loss, however, was huge in the grand scheme of things. New England will most likely have to play a first-round playoff game, unless Denver somehow finds a way to lose one of its final two home games against the Cleveland Browns or Kansas City Chiefs. 

New York Jets

Record: 6-8 (Eliminated from playoff contention). 

The New York Jets are finally eliminated from playoff contention following another embarrassing performance on national television. Mark Sanchez turned the ball over five times en route to a 14-10 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. 

Now that any hope of the postseason has been washed away, we can look forward to what New York is going to do in the offseason. 

I cannot imagine Sanchez, who has turned the ball over a whopping 50 times in the last two seasons, returning as the Jets starting quarterback. This means that they're going to have to go out there and find another starter. 

Additionally, head coach Rex Ryan might find himself out of a job. These types of performances are becoming more of the norm in New York and someone has to pay the piper. 

Miami Dolphins

Record: 6-8

Postseason Chances: Five percent

Despite being guaranteed of not finishing above .500, the Miami Dolphins still have an outside shot at the final AFC playoff spot. They remain two games behind the Cincinnati Bengals for that No. 6 seed after laying the hammer down against Jacksonville 24-3 on Sunday. 

Miami has a winnable game against the Buffalo Bills at home next week before closing the regular season on the road in New England against the Patriots. Not only do the Dolphins have to win both of those games, they need a combination of losses from the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals. 

While no one can realistically expect the Dolphins to actually earn that coveted playoff spot, it speaks volumes that they're still alive in the AFC with just two weeks remaining in the season. 

Buffalo Bills

Record: 5-9 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

I am pretty sure fans in Toronto are happy they have seen the last of these Buffalo Bills following a disgusting performance against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. 

Buffalo gave up 270 rushing yards and four scores from Russell Wilson en route to a lopsided 50-17 loss. It was eliminated from playoff contention in the process. 

I guess that is a good thing considering none of us were looking forward to the possibility of this team actually playing in a playoff game. 

Look for head coach Chan Gailey to get his walking papers in relatively short order.

San Francisco 49ers

Record: 10-3-1 (Clinched playoff spot)

What a mighty impressive performance by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. They went into Gillette Stadium and defeated a New England Patriots team that had not lost at home in December in nearly a decade. They did so with a quarterback making just his fifth NFL start. 

Colin Kaepernick threw four touchdown passes and outplayed Tom Brady in San Francisco's stirring 41-34 victory. While the 49ers did blow a four-touchdown lead in the second half, they were able to perform like a championship-caliber team by pulling out the game in the end. 

San Francisco has clinched a playoff spot with the win, but that isn't the ultimate goal here. It needs to win one of its final two games to capture a second consecutive division title.

The 49ers must now travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on a streaking Seattle Seahawks team next Sunday night before hosting the lowly Arizona Cardinals to end the season.

Seattle Seahawks

Record: 9-5

Postseason Chances: 90 percent

The Seattle Seahawks are for real. They absolutely destroyed their second consecutive opponent on Sunday when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 50-17. Seattle has now scored a minimum of 50 in its last two games. 

On that note, Russell Wilson has to be considered a serious contender for the NFL Rookie of the Year award after a stunning performance in Toronto. He tallied nearly 300 total yards and scored a whopping four touchdowns in the first half. 

While Seattle seems to be playing at an extremely high level, its chances of capturing a division title pretty much ended with the San Francisco 49ers victory on Sunday. The Seahawks must beat San Francisco next Sunday night and hope that the 49ers lose to the Arizona Cardinals the following week. 

Either way, Pete Carroll and company are likely headed for the postseason in what has quickly become an impressive performance by this young team. 

Seattle can clinch a playoff spot with a win against San Francisco next week.

St. Louis Rams

Record: 6-7-1

Postseason Chances: One percent

The St. Louis Rams really needed that game against the Minnesota Vikings yesterday. Instead, they let Adrian Peterson run wild en route to a disappointing 36-22 loss. 

The Rams now need a myriad of things to happen to grab the sixth and final playoff spot. They must win out while the Redskins (or Cowboys), Giants, Vikings and Bears all lose their remaining two games. 

Outside of the miraculous, St. Louis will be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start in January. By no means does this indicate that it has had a bad season. First-year head coach Jeff Fisher has turned a bottom feeder into one of the most surprising young teams in the NFL. 

Arizona Cardinals

Record: 5-9 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

Who saw this coming? The Arizona Cardinals, losers of nine consecutive games, absolutely destroyed a lackluster Detroit Lions team by the score of 38-10 at home on Sunday.

The Cardinals, however, didn't do a whole lot to win this game. Detroit turned the ball over four times and just couldn't get anything going on the offensive side of the ball while Arizona capitalized on short field position to score 38 points. Ryan Lindley barely threw for more than 100 yards and the Cardinals tallied a total of 12 first downs.

The only thing this win did was impact Arizona's draft positioning.

Atlanta Falcons

Record: 12-2 (Clinched NFC South)

Anyone who thought the Atlanta Falcons were just a mirage got a dose of reality yesterday when they absolutely destroyed the defending Super Bowl-champion New York Giants by the score of 34-0. 

Defending its home field, Atlanta's defense forced two Eli Manning interceptions and three total turnovers en route to the shutout. It had to be extra special for the Falcons considering their result against these very same Giants in the playoffs last January. 

While Atlanta doesn't necessarily have the No. 1 seed in the NFC wrapped up, one more win or a San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers loss will give it that all-important home field throughout the postseason. 

More importantly, Atlanta proved skeptics wrong by manhandling a quality football team. This is something that it had not done prior to Sunday. 

New Orleans Saints

Record: 6-8

Postseason Chances: One percent

It might be too little, too late, but the New Orleans Saints were mighty impressive against a team in the Tampa Buccaneers that was still fighting for the final playoff spot.

Drew Brees bounced back from three consecutive bad performances by throwing for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, New Orleans' defense shut out what had been a dynamic Tampa Bay offense. 

Even with the win, New Orleans just needs too much to go its way to squeak into the playoffs. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Record: 6-8

Postseason Chances: (Eliminated from playoff contention)

What a disastrous performance for Josh Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday. They were shut out against a lackluster New Orleans Saints team by a score of 41-0 with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance. 

Freeman threw four interceptions in a performance that seemed to mirror many he had in what was a down 2011 season. Meanwhile, Doug Martin, one of the top running backs in the NFL, tallied just 16 yards on nine rushes. 

With the loss, the Bucs were eliminated from postseason contention.

Carolina Panthers

Record: 5-9 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

It took until December for Cam Newton and company to wake up, but once they did it has been mighty impressive. The Carolina Panthers traveled west to take on a struggling San Diego Chargers team and came away with a dominating 31-7 victory. 

Newton threw two more touchdowns and has now compiled 13 scores compared to zero interceptions in his last five games. 

That being said, Carolina was eliminated from playoff contention last week and is just playing out the string. It needs to continue playing this type of football to go into the offseason with momentum. 

Green Bay Packers

Record: 10-4 (Clinched NFC North)

The Green Bay Packers are your NFC North champions once again after defeating the Chicago Bears 21-13 in Soldier Field on Sunday. While it wasn't the prettiest performance of the season, the Packers definitely showed that they are for real in the Super Bowl hunt. 

Aaron Rodgers put up nearly 300 passing yards and three scores, while Green Bay's defense got to Jay Cutler a total of four times. 

For Green Bay to grab a first-round bye it needs to win out and have the San Francisco 49ers lose one of their two remaining games. 

Minnesota Vikings

Record: 8-6

Postseason Chances: 45 percent

If there was any doubt that Adrian Peterson was a legitimate NFL MVP candidate, he put that to rest on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. The future Hall of Famer put up 212 yards on 24 rushes, single-handedly keeping the Minnesota Vikings in playoff contention. 

Following its 36-22 victory, Minnesota now possesses the final playoff spot in the NFC. 

Minnesota does not control its own destiny, however. It needs to win out and have the New York Giants lose one of their final two games to make the playoffs. The issue with this is that Minnesota takes on the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers in its final two games. 

There are other playoff possibilities here, but my head hurts enough as it is. 

Chicago Bears

Record: 8-6

Postseason Chances: 40 percent

Don't look now, but the Chicago Bears are on the outside looking in as it relates to the NFC playoff picture after falling to the Green Bay Packers at home on Sunday. 

Jay Cutler just couldn't get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. He threw two interceptions as Chicago tallied barely over 100 passing yards. Meanwhile, the Bears defense didn't do great either. It allowed three Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes en route to the 21-13 loss. 

By virtue of this loss, Chicago no longer controls its own destiny. It is going to need some help from Green Bay (imagine that) against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17. 

Detroit Lions

Record: 4-10 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

In what has quickly turned into one of the most disappointing seasons in the NFL, the Detroit Lions laid a complete egg against an Arizona Cardinals team that came in losers of nine consecutive games.

In fact, Detroit just gave the game away. 

It turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions by Matthew Stafford, in an embarrassing 38-10 loss to Arizona. 

At some point we are going to have to start questioning just how firmly entrenched head coach Jim Schwartz is in Detroit. After all, this franchise has lost as many games in 2012 as it won last season. 

Washington Redskins

Record: 8-6

Postseason Chances: 52 percent

The Washington Redskins are for real. They defeated what was a streaking Cleveland Browns team on the road yesterday without leading Rookie of the Year candidate Robert Griffin III. 

Kirk Cousins put up 329 yards and two scores in an impressive 38-21 road victory. 

Washington is now in a three-way tie for first in the NFC East with two games remaining. If the Redskins win out they are in. They take on the Philadelphia Eagles next week before hosting the Dallas Cowboys in what promises to be a huge season finale in Week 17. 

The Redskins could technically afford to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles next week as long as the New York Giants go down to the Baltimore Ravens. That would set up a win-and-you're-in scenario against Dallas the following week. 

I like their chances. 

Dallas Cowboys

Record: 8-6

Postseason Chances: 36 percent

Much like the Washington Redskins, these Dallas Cowboys control their own destiny following a third consecutive win on Sunday. Tony Romo played some damn good football as Dallas defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime. 

It was, however, the Cowboys defense that came up big in the end. Brandon Carr intercepted Ben Roethlisberger on the initial drive of overtime and returned it to Pittsburgh's 1-yard line. Dan Bailey connected on a chip-shot field goal two plays later, giving Dallas the win. 

Dallas now takes on the New Orleans Saints at home next week before having to travel to D.C. to take on the Washington Redskins. 

New York Giants

Record: 8-6

Postseason Chances: 35 percent

My preseason prediction of the New York Giants missing the playoffs is looking better after they were utterly manhandled by the Atlanta Falcons by the score of 34-0 on Sunday. 

Eli Manning continues to regress and doesn't look like much more than a marginal quarterback at this point in the season. He completed just 13 of 25 passes with zero touchdowns and two interceptions in the disheartening defeat. In total, Manning has tallied just nine touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions in his last eight games. 

That being said, New York will make the playoffs if it wins its final two games against the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. 

Despite recent struggles in Baltimore, I don't envision the Giants being able to go in there and come away with a victory. They have lost their last three road games by an average score of 27-10. 

Philadelphia Eagles

Record: 4-10 (Eliminated from playoff contention)

It's just a matter of time before Andy Reid gets his walking papers. Following their 34-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost double-digit games in a season for just the second time this millennium.

Outside of Reid, there promises to be wholesale changes in Philadelphia. Michael Vick is looking at a huge roster bonus in the offseason and a myriad of veterans just don't seem to be performing up to par.

Could we actually be looking at a rebuilding process here?

Follow me on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL

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