NFL Playoff Scenarios 2014-15: AFC, NFC Week 15 Picture, Postseason Predictions
There is nothing quite like a home-stretch run in the NFL.
Every Sunday becomes even more of a mini-holiday as so many NFL games are charged with extra meaning as the wild-card hopefuls and division leaders look to make a postseason push.
The sting of an upset is worse—like San Francisco botching a very winnable game against the Oakland Raiders—and the triumphs are much grander—as in the Pittsburgh Steelers' win over the division rival Cincinnati Bengals.
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Week 15 will be yet another wild week of NFL action, and the still-murky playoff picture will capture the attention of fans of those teams talented enough to still be in the hunt.
Here are the latest AFC and NFC standings, complete with predictions on the seedings for each team come playoff time and a breakdown of the current playoff picture.
AFC Breakdown
| New England Patriots | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7 | 6 | 0 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 6 | 0 | |
| New York Jets | 2 | 11 | 0 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 5 | 0 | |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 6 | 0 | |
| Denver Broncos | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 6 | 0 | |
| Oakland Raiders | 2 | 11 | 0 | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Houston Texans | 7 | 6 | 0 | |
| Tennessee Titans | 2 | 11 | 0 | |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 11 | 0 |
Nobody is stopping the New England Patriots from winning the AFC East and taking the conference's No. 1 seed. Tom Brady and company ran into a streaking San Diego Chargers squad on Sunday night and managed to pull ahead late in the fourth quarter for a 23-14 victory.
Brady's 69-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Julian Edelman was the key play of the game, but the veteran signal-caller was quick to credit his defense, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com), saying the unit "was unbelievable. They kept us in it all night. That was a defensive win right there. I love the way those guys played on defense."
The Houston Texans have the incomparable J.J. Watt, but they face two tough contests against the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens in the next two weeks. It will be an uphill climb, but the gap between them and the AFC South-leading Colts may already be too great.
The Cleveland Browns will find it tough to climb back into the AFC North scrum after Sunday's loss to the Colts. As for the other three teams in the division, Baltimore has the most favorable schedule and could very well win out against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Browns.
The Ravens recovered well from a Week 13 loss to the San Diego Chargers in defeating the Miami Dolphins 28-13 on Sunday. The defense corrected its issues and got back to attacking the quarterback, racking up six sacks on Ryan Tannehill—with 3.5 of those coming from Elvis Dumervil.
Football Outsiders' Scott Kacsmar noted some might not be paying enough attention to the Ravens' on-field prowess this season:
Running back Justin Forsett is in fine form, averaging 6.1 yards per carry over his last three games. Defense and running will once again power the Ravens to the playoffs.
The Bengals should be able to hold on for a wild-card spot along with the Chargers. Andy Dalton is nothing without A.J. Green it seems, as the wideout had 224 of Dalton's 302 passing yards in Cincy's loss to the Steelers. Fortunately for the Bengals, the tie game against the Carolina Panthers from earlier this season should serve as a overall record buffer against the Steelers down the stretch.
The Chargers couldn't come up with a big victory over the Patriots at home on Sunday, but they are playing like they did in the first six weeks of the season and actually have a shot at winning out. They have a good chance of upsetting Denver—who will win the AFC West—at home in Week 15 and then dispatching the struggling Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
NFC Breakdown
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 9 | 0 | |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 10 | 0 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 4 | 0 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 7 | 0 | |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 8 | 0 | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 0 | |
| St. Louis Rams | 6 | 7 | 0 | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4 | 8 | 1 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 11 | 0 |
Let's get the NFC South out of the way first, because they are a drag on the entire system.
As it stands, the 5-7 Atlanta Falcons are in first place in the division and would capture the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs. However, they have a very difficult contest against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, one that is highly likely to add another tally to the loss column. That said, a loss would not knock Atlanta out of first place in the division, per NFL Network's Rich Eisen:
The New Orleans Saints, who boasted one of the most consistently terrifying offenses in the league not so long ago, were impotent at home in a 41-10 loss to Carolina.
Miraculously, this result put the Panthers right back in the thick of the playoff hunt. Considering a team with a losing record can—and probably will—win this division, the NFL just might have to come up with some creative new legislation that comes into effect if a situation like this ever arises again.
The Green Bay Packers have a Monday night battle against the Falcons followed by road contests against the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These are three games the Packers should win, allowing them too hold off the Detroit Lions in the NFC North.
The battle for the two wild-card spots is a five-way contest between the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Lions.
The Eagles can't afford any missteps if they are to hold off the Cowboys and take the NFC East crown. Mark Sanchez had zero luck against a voracious Seahawks defense in Week 14, and ESPN's Skip Bayless noted his penchant for untimely miscues caught up to him on Sunday:
The Arizona Cardinals still manage to find ways to win despite trotting out Drew Stanton at quarterback, but they must face all three division opponents to close out the regular season. The St. Louis Rams look especially dangerous after pummeling the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins by a combined score of 76-0 over the past two weeks.
The Lions are a dangerous team with contests against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears on the slate. It will be up to Matthew Stafford to continue his strong play if Detroit is to hold onto a wild-card spot.
It's quite possible that the Seahawks, who have allowed just 20 points in the last three games, will pip them in the standings when the two teams meet on Dec. 21.
It's highly unlikely that the San Francisco 49ers make a real playoff push, but stranger things have happened in the NFL.
Colin Kaepernick is struggling in offensive coordinator Greg Roman's offense and has thrown five picks against two touchdowns in his last three games.
Frank Gore is 31 years old and has been lightly used at running back, meaning Carlos Hyde could soon be carrying the torch in the San Francisco backfield. The defense came into Week 14 ranked second in defensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders, but the frustrations stemming from the end of this season might lead to big changes in the future.
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