NFL Playoff Standings 2014: Examining Post-Week 15 AFC, NFC Picture Scenarios

Four teams are through to the 2014-15 NFL playoffs in one of the most chaotic stretches to the postseason in recent memory.

While the NFL mulls over a playoff expansion the miserable NFC South is going to block a great team from a shot at a Super Bowl. Both conferences are competitive, too, as more than a few 10-win teams look set to watch the postseason from home.

Week 15 serves as a reminder that nothing is final until a team gets that little (x) next to its name in the standings. Just ask Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers how a trip to Buffalo went this past weekend.

Below is an updated look at the playoff scenarios before the New Orleans Saints look to steal one on the road in Chicago against the Bears on Monday Night Football. A full breakdown of the playoff picture can be found via CBSSports.com.

Post-Week 15 Playoff Picture

AFC Seed	Team	NFC Seed	Team
1	(x) New England Patriots (11-3)	1	(x) Arizona Cardinals (11-3)
2	(x) Denver Broncos (11-3)	2	Detroit Lions (10-4)
3	(x) Indianapolis Colts (10-4)	3	Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
4	Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-1)	4	Carolina Panthers (5-8-1)
5	Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)	5	Seattle Seahawks (10-4)
6	Baltimore Ravens (9-5)	6	Green Bay Packers (10-4)

AFC in the hunt: Kansas City Chiefs (8-6), San Diego Chargers (8-6), Buffalo Bills (8-6), Houston Texans (7-7), Miami Dolphins (7-7), Cleveland Browns (7-7)

NFC in the hunt: Philadelphia Eagles (9-5), New Orleans Saints (5-8), Atlanta Falcons (5-9)

AFC Breakdown 

Many brush off the AFC as weaker than its counterpart, but the AFC North would like a word with those who do.

The Cincinnati Bengals rest as the fourth seed now after a 30-0 thumping of the Cleveland Browns, which spoiled the debut of one Johnny Manziel. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are close behind and currently get the nod over the Baltimore Ravens thanks to a better divisional record.

Of course, the wrinkle in all of this is a Week 17 matchup between the Bengals and Steelers, which also just so happens to be the current wild-card matchup if things remain in a holding pattern.

That is horrific news for the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills thanks to Baltimore's nine wins. Andy Reid's team has lost three of four and Mike McCoy's has lost two in a row.

If there were one team in the AFC that can ruin the three-team AFC North party, it would be Buffalo. A note from SportsCenter explains why well enough:

An ability to hold Rodgers to 185 yards and two picks on a 17-of-42 mark is impressive. To do so one week after Peyton Manning only found 173 and two picks is eye-opening, to say the least.

Confidence is not a problem in Buffalo right now with the playoffs on the line.

"I wouldn't say statement win," safety Aaron Williams said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "We went up against a Hall of Famer last week, why couldn't we do it again this week?"

This is not a case of saving the best for last, though. Rather, the top three seeds are just boring. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots own a playoff spot, although a season-ending duel with Buffalo will prove tricky.

Manning and Denver are, too, but a Monday Night Football encounter with Cincinnati in Week 16 certainly comes with seeding implications. Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts continue to hold strong in a weak AFC South.

Things will change a tad in the coming weeks, but if the playoffs got underway right now, Ravens-Colts and Steelers-Bengals has a nice ring to it.

NFC Breakdown

There are spoiler teams, and then there are spoiler divisions. 

The NFC South's mess means a number of great teams can miss the postseason. The Carolina Panthers currently rest in slot No. 4. That is not to suggest they do not deserve it, though—Derek Anderson throwing for 277 yards and a score to get a win over Tampa Bay in place of Cam Newton is a big feat this time of year.

Things get sticky, though, when one realizes the Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons are all still in the hunt. Atlanta still plays both teams, while New Orleans and Tampa Bay square off to end the season.

In other words, a great team is going to miss out. Right now, that is Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles. The team only has losses to San Francisco, Arizona, Seattle and Dallas—all contenders besides SF now—but it is enough to miss the postseason in its current format.

The fading subjects of the weekend were the San Francisco 49ers. Now at .500 and losers of three straight, inner turmoil that stems from the front office is to blame for the collapse. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News concurs:

How about a surging team to counteract the negative? The Arizona Cardinals are the only team to clinch a playoff berth in the conference so far, as the team captures on Twitter:

Of course, there is a shadow of doubt over the status of quarterback Drew Stanton, but the accomplishment is still notable.

As is the play of the defending champions. The Seattle Seahawks flipped a switch back in Week 12 and have not lost since. If Seattle can win out, it will stay above the momentarily downtrodden Packers thanks to a Week 1 36-16 outcome in the Seahawks' favor.

Then again, Rodgers and the Packers can go out and win the NFC North outright.

Detroit currently holds the head-to-head advantage thanks to a Week 3 win over Green Bay at home. A season-ending showdown at Lambeau Field between the two sides will likely decide the division and a number of teams' seeds in the postseason. 

The NFC has a lot in store for fans in the coming weeks. However, an offensive shootout between the Packers and Cowboys is a win for everyone. So too is a run-first showdown between Seattle and Carolina, especially after the Seahawks only escaped the Panthers in 13-9 fashion earlier this season.

Really, the NFC sure makes it feel like the playoffs start in Week 16.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Playoff scenarios and info via ESPN.com.