NFL Standings 2014-15: Full League Outlook and AFC, NFC Playoff Predictions

With only two weeks remaining in the season, we know there are four teams destined to make postseason appearances, 11 that are eliminated from playoff contention and six with the possibility of obtaining the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

That only accounts for 15 of the league's teams.

That means there are 17 other squads that have yet to clinch playoff berths but are still well in the mix for the opportunity to continue playing into January. Unfortunately, there are only eight playoff spots remaining, meaning 11 of those teams will be going home earlier than expected.

There are plenty of chances for these contenders to gain entrance to the postseason in Week 16; however, there are also many chances to be knocked out of the running altogether. This leads us to the burning question at this time of year: Who's in, and who's out?

That's a highly debatable subject matter, but it's always fun to speculate. Before we delve into that discussion, let's first take a look at where every NFL team stands heading into Week 16.

League Standings

AFC
NFC
East	W	L	T	Pct.
New England Patriots (y)	11	3	0	.786
Buffalo Bills	8	6	0	.571
Miami Dolphins	7	7	0	.500
New York Jets	3	11	0	.214
North	W	L	T	Pct.
Cincinnati Bengals	9	4	1	.679
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	5	0	.643
Baltimore Ravens	9	5	0	.643
Cleveland Browns	7	7	0	.500
West	W	L	T	Pct.
Denver Broncos (y)	11	3	0	.786
Kansas City Chiefs	8	6	0	.571
San Diego Chargers	8	6	0	.571
Oakland Raiders	2	12	0	.143
South	W	L	T	Pct.
Indianapolis Colts (y)	10	4	0	.714
Houston Texans	7	7	0	.500
Tennessee Titans	2	12	0	.143
Jacksonville Jaguars	2	12	0	.143
East	W	L	T	Pct.
Dallas Cowboys	10	4	0	.714
Philadelphia Eagles	9	5	0	.643
New York Giants	5	9	0	.357
Washington Redskins	3	11	0	.214
North	W	L	T	Pct.
Detroit Lions	10	4	0	.714
Green Bay Packers	10	4	0	.714
Minnesota Vikings	6	8	0	.429
Chicago Bears	5	9	0	.357
West	W	L	T	Pct.
Arizona Cardinals (x)	11	3	0	.786
Seattle Seahawks	10	4	0	.714
San Francisco 49ers	7	7	0	.500
St. Louis Rams	6	8	0	.429
South	W	L	T	Pct.
New Orleans Saints	6	8	0	.429
Carolina Panthers	5	8	1	.393
Atlanta Falcons	5	9	0	.357
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	12	0	.143

(y) Clinched division

(x) Clinched playoff spot

Playoff Predictions

With the current league standings in mind, it's time to dive into the thick of the playoff predictions. There may be just two games remaining in the season, but the race for postseason contention is as close as ever, and multiple scenarios across the league in Week 16 will have a tremendous effect on the ultimate outcome.

There are several things that must be taken into consideration when predicting the playoff picture. Current team records, upcoming strength of schedules, recent on-field production and knowledge of tiebreaker scenarios all factor into the final projections.

Here's a look at what the postseason picture will looks like upon the conclusion of the regular season, followed by an explanation of how these predictions unfolded:

AFC Seed	Team	NFC Seed	Team
1	New England Patriots (13-3)	1	Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
2	Denver Broncos (13-3)	2	Green Bay Packers (12-4)
3	Indianapolis Colts (11-5)	3	Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
4	Baltimore Ravens (11-5)	4	Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
5	Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1)	5	Arizona Cardinals (12-4)
6	Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)	6	Detroit Lions (11-5)

All tiebreaker rules courtesy of CBSSports.com.

There you have it. Is your team in? Well, if not, don't fret—these are only predictions, after all; however, if you're wondering why your team is on the outside looking in, here's the full rundown.

Heading into Week 16, the New England Patriots held the AFC's top spot due to a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Denver Broncos. With the Patriots holding their own fate in their hands, winning out is all that is necessary to gain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. As you can see, that's exactly what should happen.

Expect New England to take care of the New York Jets in Week 16, and while it has a challenge in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills, this team will still be at full strength, due to a race for the No. 1 seed with the Broncos, and it will earn its final victory of the regular season.

Denver faces the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 16. The Bengals struggle under the bright lights, so it's not far-fetched to think Peyton Manning and Co. leave Cincinnati with a win. If that's the case, they'll secure the No. 2 seed with a Week 17 win over the Oakland Raiders.

The Indianapolis Colts aren't in jeopardy of losing the AFC South, and even if they lose out, they'll still manage to grab one of the top four seeds. In this scenario, Indianapolis finishes the last two games with a 1-1 record and earns the No. 3 seed.

A loss by Cincinnati paves the way for either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens to claim the AFC North. Well, Pittsburgh has the best shot, due to a game against the Bengals in Week 17, but it's tough to see them lighting up Cincinnati's solid secondary for a second time. A Bengals win in that game moves them back above the Steelers in the division.

That opens the door wide for the Ravens. Baltimore faces the Houston Texans in Week 16 and the Cleveland Browns in Week 17—two teams with extreme quarterback issues. The Ravens will win out and will take the AFC North outright.

Unfortunately for the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs miss out, due to a Week 16 loss to the Steelers, and the San Diego Chargers get knocked off in Week 17 by the Chiefs.

With the AFC now set, let's move on to the NFC.

The Seattle Seahawks will claim the top spot with a Week 16 victory over Ryan Lindley and the Arizona Cardinals, followed by a Week 17 victory over the St. Louis Rams; however, the Cardinals only drop to the No. 5 seed due to a win against the struggling San Francisco 49ers in the season's final week.

In Week 16, the Green Bay Packers will handle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Detroit Lions will take care of the Chicago Bears. That leaves us with a showdown between the two NFC North powerhouses in Week 17 for the right to the division and a first-round bye. The Lions won the first round, but it's tough to bet against Aaron Rodgers when he's playing at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay gets the No. 2 seed, and the Lions get the consolation prize of entering the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

The Dallas Cowboys' playoff hopes could hinge on their Week 16 contest against the Colts. Right now, the Cowboys get the edge. They have looked like the more complete team of late and appear to have DeMarco Murray ready to go for Sunday's clash, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Finishing off the season with a win against the Washington Redskins ensures Dallas of the NFC East crown.

Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Eagles, they win out and finish 11-5 but miss out on the playoffs due to losing a conference-record tiebreaker to the Lions.

The Atlanta Falcons round out the NFC's playoff picture by winning the South. A Week 16 showdown against the New Orleans Saints is pivotal, and Atlanta gets the win here due to recent inconsistency by Drew Brees and Co. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Falcons follow that up with a Week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers and claim the NFC's No. 4 seed.