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

Some of the biggest NFL playoff contenders could end up as pretenders by the time Week 15 concludes.

The parity of the league is in full effect yet again, with nearly two-thirds of the teams still vying for postseason slots with three weeks to play. Many of those teams are neck-and-neck atop divisions, which means one weekend of action could alter the entire playoff picture.

With all of the mouth-watering matchups in play for the weekend, it's all but guaranteed that things will get shaken up one way or another. 

Let's take a look at the full Week 15 schedule with odds and also look closer into the playoff race in each conference. 

Matchup	Spread
New York Jets at Tennessee	NYJ -3
Pittsburgh at Atlanta	PIT -3
Washington at New York Giants	NYG -6.5
Miami at New England	NE -7.5
Oakland at Kansas City	KC -10
Houston at Indianapolis	IND -7
Jacksonville at Baltimore	BAL -13.5
Green Bay at Buffalo	GB -4
Tampa Bay at Carolina	CAR -3
Cincinnati at Cleveland	CLE -1
Denver at San Diego	DEN -5
Minnesota at Detroit	DET -7.5
San Francisco at Seattle	SEA -9
Dallas at Philadelphia	PHI -3.5
New Orleans at Chicago	NO -2.5

 Note: Odds according to Odds Shark, last updated December 13.

NFC Bracket Picture

Seed	Team	Week 15 Opp.
In the Hunt
1	Arizona Cardinals (11-3)	at St. Louis (12-6 W)
2	Green Bay Packers (10-3)	at Buffalo
3	Philadelphia Eagles (9-4)	Dallas
4	Atlanta Falcons (5-8)	Pittsburgh
5	Seattle Seahawks (9-4)	San Francisco
6	Detroit Lions (9-4)	Minnesota
	Dallas Cowboys (9-4)	at Philadelphia
	San Francisco 49ers (7-6)	at Seattle
	New Orleans Saints (5-8)	at Chicago
	Carolina Panthers (4-8-1)	Tampa Bay

The Cardinals were snubbed from the playoffs a season ago with 10 wins. Now that the team secured victory No. 11 on Thursday Night Football against the Rams, Arizona should have no problem getting into the postseason this time around.

After Arizona's 12-6 win over St. Louis, all that Bruce Arians' squad needs to clinch a spot in the playoffs is either a Philadelphia or Dallas victory in Week 15. They play each other, so anything other than a tie in that game will secure at least a wild-card berth for the Cardinals.

Matt York/Associated Press

Their sights are more than likely set on the division, however, which they will have to pry from the surging Seahawks. Should Seattle take care of San Francisco in Week 15, it will set up a Week 16 showdown between the Seahawks and Cardinals that would more than likely be for the division.

The Cardinals aren't the only NFC squad that can clinch a playoff spot. The red-hot Packers can also join them, although that will take help—Green Bay would need to beat Buffalo and hope for an Eagles win over the Cowboys.

Speaking of the Eagles vs. Cowboys matchup, that one has some decent-sized playoff implications as well. 

Although the two teams played 17 days ago, this time could be for the division. Both are at 9-4, marking just the second time that the two have played in such an outing, per ESPN Stats and Information:

The loser will most likely be fighting for a wild-card spot, which will be awfully tough with teams like Detroit and Seattle or Arizona to fend off. But whichever team above .500 that misses out will inevitably have a bone to pick with a certain division.

That division would be the NFC South, which boasts the Saints and Falcons as the two leaders with 5-8 records. Both have two divisional matchups left, as do the 4-8-1 Panthers, who also—somehow—are in the mix.

Should Carolina top Tampa Bay, Atlanta beat Pittsburgh and New Orleans throttle Chicago in Week 15, things will get even more interesting in the NFC South.

AFC Bracket Picture

Seed	Team	Week 15 Opp.
In the Hunt
1	New England Patriots (10-3)	Miami
2	Denver Broncos (10-3)	at San Diego
3	Indianapolis Colts (9-4)	Houston
4	Cincinnati Bengals (8-4-1)	at Cleveland
5	Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5)	at Atlanta
6	San Diego Chargers (8-5)	Denver
	Baltimore Ravens (8-5)	Jacksonville
	Houston Texans (7-6)	at Indianapolis
	Miami Dolphins (7-6)	at New England
	Kansas City Chiefs (7-6)	Oakland
	Buffalo Bills (7-6)	Green Bay
	Cleveland Browns (7-6)	Cincinnati

Some noticeably tight battles in NFC divisions have their top teams vying for simple postseason berths, but the AFC heavyweights have opportunities to wrap up their respective divisions in Week 15.

It starts with the Indianapolis Colts, who have comfortably led the AFC South all season long. Although their playoff seed could have been wrapped up by now, they can win the division with a victory over the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon.

The Texans have won two straight to move into a decent position entering Week 15, but they've also never won a game in Indianapolis, as Bleacher Report's Russell S. Baxter noted:

Elsewhere in the conference, a pair of teams destined for first-round byes will try to not only secure their division titles but also move closer to home-field advantage for the postseason.

That begins with the Broncos, who will wrap up the AFC West title once again with a victory on the road over San Diego. The New England Patriots can do the same out in the AFC East, if they can topple Miami in a rematch of a Week 1 loss for the Pats.

Both teams can also secure first-round byes in Week 15, although that's much less likely. The only way that would happen for is if the Colts, Steelers and Bengals all lose. 

The biggest excitement in the AFC playoff hunt lies in those teams that have plenty of work to do down the stretch. There's no better example of that than in the AFC North, where all four teams remain in the hunt.

Look toward Cincinnati's road trip to Cleveland for a game that could help clear up the AFC North—or make it even cloudier. The Bengals can improve to 9-4-1 with a win, further taking hold of the division, while the Browns could move just a half-game out of the division lead with a victory.

Can you imagine the madness if Johnny Manziel's first start puts the Browns on the cusp of playoff contention? Me neither.