NFL Playoff Scenarios 2014-15: AFC, NFC Bracket Picture and Pre-Week 14 Odds

Although there is just one month remaining in the NFL's regular season, both the AFC and NFC feature incredibly tight playoff races that could go in any number of directions.

The parity is so great this year that things could easily come down to Week 17, but Week 14 will definitely have a major impact on the postseason picture.

Most games on the schedule have playoff implications of some kind, and it stands to reason that the current standings will look totally different once Week 14 reaches its conclusion.

With one of the season's most pivotal weeks on the horizon, here is a look at the AFC and NFC playoff races, as well as some further analysis regarding the contests that will make the biggest impact on them.

AFC Playoff Picture

Rank	Team	W	L	T
1	New England Patriots	9	3	0
2	Denver Broncos	9	3	0
3	Cincinnati Bengals	8	3	1
4	Indianapolis Colts	8	4	0
5	San Diego Chargers	8	4	0
6	Miami Dolphins	7	5	0
7	Kansas City Chiefs	7	5	0
8	Buffalo Bills	7	5	0
9	Baltimore Ravens	7	5	0
10	Pittsburgh Steelers	7	5	0
11	Cleveland Browns	7	5	0
12	Houston Texans	6	6	0
13	Tennessee Titans	2	10	0
14	New York Jets	2	10	0
15	Jacksonville Jaguars	2	10	0
16	Oakland Raiders	1	11	0

NFC Playoff Picture

Rank	Team	W	L	T
1	Arizona Cardinals	9	3	0
2	Green Bay Packers	9	3	0
3	Philadelphia Eagles	9	3	0
4	Atlanta Falcons	5	7	0
5	Dallas Cowboys	9	4	0
6	Seattle Seahawks	8	4	0
7	Detroit Lions	8	4	0
8	San Francisco 49ers	7	5	0
9	New Orleans Saints	5	7	0
10	Minnesota Vikings	5	7	0
11	St. Louis Rams	5	7	0
12	Chicago Bears	5	8	0
13	Carolina Panthers	3	8	1
14	New York Giants	3	9	0
15	Washington Redskins	3	9	0
16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	10	0

Week 14 Odds

Date	Away Team	Home Team	Point Spread
Sunday, Dec. 7	St. Louis Rams	Washington Redskins	STL (-3)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Houston Texans	Jacksonville Jaguars	HOU (-6)
Sunday, Dec. 7	New York Giants	Tennessee Titans	Even
Sunday, Dec. 7	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Detroit Lions	DET (-10)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Carolina Panthers	New Orleans Saints	NO (-10)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Indianapolis Colts	Cleveland Browns	IND (-4)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN (-3.5)
Sunday, Dec. 7	New York Jets	Minnesota Vikings	MIN (-6)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Baltimore Ravens	Miami Dolphins	MIA (-3)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Buffalo Bills	Denver Broncos	DEN (-10)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Kansas City Chiefs	Arizona Cardinals	Even
Sunday, Dec. 7	San Francisco 49ers	Oakland Raiders	SF (-8.5)
Sunday, Dec. 7	Seattle Seahawks	Philadelphia Eagles	Even
Sunday, Dec. 7	New England Patriots	San Diego Chargers	NE (-4)
Monday, Dec. 8	Atlanta Falcons	Green Bay Packers	GB (-13)

Top Games with Playoff Implications

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

While both conferences are littered with potential playoff teams, no divisional battle is closer or more interesting than the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals currently lead with a record of 8-3-1, but the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are all lurking just 1.5 games behind.

The Bengals and Steelers will clash Sunday in Cincinnati in a game that could go a long way toward deciding the division. Cincinnati will still be in first no matter what, but Pittsburgh would control its own destiny with a win since it will meet the Bengals once again in Week 17.

Cincinnati has returned to form by winning five of its past six after a three-game winless streak. In Week 14, it will have the benefit of facing a banged-up Steelers defense that figures to be without two key veterans, according to Mike Garafolo of FoxSports.com:

With that said, the Steelers would seem to have the advantage from an offensive perspective. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is having a rough season with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while Steelers signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger is in the midst of a Pro Bowl-caliber campaign with over 3,700 yards and 26 scores.

Regardless of the personnel or momentum on either side, Dalton is well aware that the Bengals and Steelers have a penchant for playing some tight, emotional games, per Jeremy Rauch of Fox19:

This contest is a huge one since it will have a major impact on the AFC North, but a Steelers win will also complicate the Wild Card race even more as well. Both of these teams look like they are worthy of a playoff spot, and they'll have an opportunity to prove it Sunday.

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens are currently tied with identical 7-5 records, but through a series of complicated tiebreakers, the Dolphins occupy the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC, while the Ravens are way down in eighth.

That could change quite quickly Sunday. A Baltimore victory would suddenly vault it past Miami in the muddled AFC standings. The Ravens are understandably underdogs as the road team, but they have owned the Dolphins during John Harbaugh's tenure as head coach, according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com:

Baltimore enters this game coming off a heart-wrenching 34-33 loss to the San Diego Chargers, while Miami was lucky to escape New York with a 16-13 triumph over the Jets. This matchup looks incredibly even on paper, but a recent development may give the Dolphins a slight upper hand.

Per the Ravens' official Twitter account, star defensive lineman Haloti Ngata has been suspended for the remainder of the regular season after violating the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs:

Ngata is a bona fide stud and five-time Pro Bowler, so there is no question that a huge void will be left along the Baltimore defensive line. That should open up more room for Dolphins running back Lamar Miller while providing quarterback Ryan Tannehill more time to throw.

Miami's offensive line is perhaps its biggest question mark, but not having to commit a double team to Ngata should give it a better chance of achieving success against a strong Ravens defense.

It isn't a stretch to suggest that a loss could essentially ruin either team's playoffs dreams, so few games will be more important than this one in Week 14.

Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles

The Seattle Seahawks entered the season as the NFC's standard-bearer after winning the Super Bowl, but they have gone through some struggles. That has allowed other teams to ascend to the top of the conference, and the Philadelphia Eagles are among them.

Philly leads the NFC East with a record of 9-3, while Seattle is clinging to the final Wild Card spot at 8-4 as it trails the Arizona Cardinals by one game in the NFC West.

The Seahawks seem to be back in business after winning five of their past six, but the Eagles have won four of their past five in their own right. Philadelphia has also won 10 consecutive home games, and it will host Seattle on Sunday.

It is no secret that the Seahawks are better at home than on the road; they are just 3-3 in enemy territory. With that said, their style of play is extremely portable, and that is likely why this is an even game rather than the Eagles being favored.

The most intriguing aspect of this matchup will be Philadelphia's explosive offense going up against Seattle's dominant defense. The Seahawks have given up a grand total of six points over their past two games, and head coach Pete Carroll is confident that they can handle Chip Kelly's fast-paced offense, according to KIRO-AM (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

"We know that they'll go real fast, and we'll see how much they want to do that," Carroll said. "We're not concerned about that, really. We practice like that all the time because you never know when a team is going to do it."

The Seahawks may not be worried about Philly's tempo, but Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez is seemingly focused on ramping things up, per the team's official Twitter account:

Sanchez has done a nice job since stepping in for the injured Nick Foles. He is completing over 63 percent of his throws and has tossed eight touchdowns. At the same time, he has six interceptions, which means he is still prone to mistakes.

Richard Sherman and the Seahawks' Legion of Boom secondary tend to make opposing signal-callers pay for their miscues, which means there is a ton of pressure on Sanchez to take care of the football.

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