NFL Playoff Picture Week 15: AFC and NFC Standings, Updated Predictions

There's still one game left in Week 14, but so far the action has gone a long way toward whittling down the number of viable contenders in the postseason chase.

Wild-card hopefuls like the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers now see their chances stand at less than five percent, per the New York Times' playoff simulator, after crushing losses on Sunday. The New England Patriots now join the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals as the only teams to clinch a playoff spot, but they are still in a fight for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. 

The Dallas Cowboys appear to be all but finished in the laughable NFC East race, though that still leaves three underwhelming squads duking it out for the title. The race to win the league's other dubious division, the AFC South, is a bit more interesting with the Jacksonville Jaguars' monster 51-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Take a look at the post-Sunday Week 14 playoff picture and complete NFL standings.

Seed	AFC	NFC
1	New England Patriots (11-2)	Carolina Panthers (13-0)
2	Cincinnati Bengals (10-3)	Arizona Cardinals (11-2)
3	Denver Broncos (10-3)	Green Bay Packers (9-4)
4	Indianapolis Colts (6-7)	Washington Redskins (6-7)
5	Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)	Minnesota Vikings (8-5)
6	New York Jets (8-5)	Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
In the Hunt	Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
In the Hunt	Oakland Raiders (6-7)	Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
In the Hunt	Buffalo Bills (6-7)	Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)

AFC East
AFC North
AFC West
AFC South
NFC South
NFC North
NFC East
NFC West
Team	W	L
New England	11	2
New York Jets	8	5
Buffalo	6	7
Miami	5	7
Cincinnati	10	3
Pittsburgh	8	5
Baltimore	4	9
Cleveland	3	10
Denver	10	3
Kansas City	8	5
Oakland	6	7
San Diego	3	10
Indianapolis	6	7
Houston	6	7
Jacksonville	5	8
Tennessee	3	10
Carolina	13	0
Tampa Bay	6	7
Atlanta	6	7
New Orleans	5	8
Green Bay	9	4
Minnesota	8	5
Chicago	5	8
Detroit	4	9
Washington	6	7
Philadelphia	6	7
New York Giants	5	7
Dallas	4	9
Arizona	11	2
Seattle	8	5
St. Louis	5	8
San Francisco	4	9

AFC Predictions

Patriots fans can breathe a sigh of relief after Sunday's 27-6 win over the Houston Texans. The road trip promised to be a tough test, but a triumphant return from tight end Rob Gronkowski and an all-around strong performance allowed the Patriots to move to the top seed. There they should remain, as the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos will fall just short of them in the chase for a postseason bye and home-field advantage.

According to ESPN's Bob Holtzman, via ESPN.com's Cole Harvey, Andy Dalton could miss the rest of the season with a fractured right thumb, suffered early in Cincinnati's 33-20 loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Dalton has been one of the league's best quarterbacks this season and has helped steer the Bengals to a two-game cushion over the Steelers.

Assuming Dalton indeed can't play, second-year backup A.J. McCarron will take the helm. He filled in admirably against Pittsburgh, throwing for 280 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. After the game, McCarron projected plenty of confidence.

"You gotta love pressured moments. That's what makes you great, it's when the great ones really shine. I guess Tom Brady was in the same situation when he had the opportunity," he said, per USA Today's Chris D'Amico.

He has more than a few reasons to be confident. The former Alabama star has plenty of weapons around him on offense, including two strong running backs in Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard to take pressure off the passing game.

McCarron and his Bengals cohorts are also lucking out with an easy finish to the season on paper. The final three weeks feature games against the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens sandwiching a difficult road trip to face the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, starts at home against Denver on Sunday and then takes on Baltimore and the Cleveland Browns on the road.

Gary Landers/Associated Press

The Bengals are good enough to win two out of three and keep the AFC North crown. However, they will likely fall to the third seed, with Denver moving to the second seed.

Kansas City eeked out a 10-3 home win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 14, keeping its streak of victories alive at seven. With quarterback Alex Smith limiting his mistakes, two capable running backs in Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware and a dynamite pass rush, Kansas City should lock up a wild-card spot alongside the Steelers.

The New York Jets are very much in the running, but the Steelers' brilliance as of late—four wins in five games, with at least 30 points scored in each contest—makes them a good bet to win out, while the Jets finish the season with games against New England and Buffalo.

As for the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts would currently take the fourth seed, but the Houston Texans should beat them in Week 15 and hold on for the division crown. Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck left Sunday's game against the Jags with a rib injury, per ESPN.com's Mike Wells, and was replaced by Charlie Whitehurst.

At 40 years old, a banged-up Hasselbeck is unlikely to fare well against Houston's pass rush, even if J.J. Watt does have a broken hand.

Second-year linebacker Jadeveon Clowney has recorded three sacks in his past two games, and the Colts running game featuring Frank Gore isn't strong enough to carry the team nor take the bite out of a pass rush. In any case, Hasselbeck wasn't playing well against Jacksonville, a team hardly known for its defensive play, per the Indianapolis Star's Stephen Holder:

"

It might seem nitpicky to single out plays in the first half of a game that was won by five touchdowns, but the Colts – for the second straight game – failed to put the ball in the end zone after early scoring opportunities. Just like the previous week’s game against the Steelers, the Colts squandered a pair of red-zone opportunities, instead settling for a 6-3 lead through the first 28 minutes.

In that span of time, there were numerous missed throws by Hasselbeck, several examples of he and receivers being out of sync and an overall lack of zip on his passes. That helped set the table for an onslaught that could not have been imagined before the second half.

"

If Whitehurst plays, he won't get it done. Perhaps starting quarterback Andrew Luck could make an early return from his lacerated kidney, but that appears unlikely.

Jacksonville is just a game back and a dark-horse candidate to win the division, but it's tough to see both the Colts and Texans collapsing badly enough to let Florida's second-best team leap into the postseason. Then again, anything can happen in this poor division and Jacksonville does get Houston in Week 17.


NFC Predictions

The NFC predictions are a bit simpler than those for the AFC. Carolina will take the top overall seed—whether or not it goes undefeated—while Arizona cruises into the No. 2 spot and earns a well-deserved bye week. The red-hot Seattle Seahawks will earn the fifth seed. Quarterback Russell Wilson has thrown 16 touchdowns in his last four games—eight of them to receiver Doug Baldwin—with no interceptions.

The team did lose rookie running back Thomas Rawls for the season Sunday due to a broken ankle, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, but its strong defense and Wilson's blistering form will keep them afloat.

The Green Bay Packers have a game against the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC North lead and should also hold onto that top spot.

Thanks to the twin delights of running backs James Starks and Eddie Lacy, who combined for 251 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay's win over Dallas on Sunday, quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn't have to put up mind-bending numbers for the Packers to stay ahead of the Vikings. The Packers beat them in Minnesota in Week 11 and will win again in the friendly confines of Lambeau Field in Week 17 to cement the division title.

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

This leaves the NFC East, which will have a 6-7 dead heat between the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and New York Giants, should the latter win Monday night against the Miami Dolphins. Per Odds Shark, the Giants are a one-point underdog in that contest.

All three teams are liable to lose in Week 15. Philly plays Arizona, Washington has a home date with the Bills—which should actually be quite the thriller assuming the home-hero version of Kirk Cousins shows up—and the Giants take on those pesky perfect Panthers.

If they all lose those games in Week 15, Philadelphia takes the division in the final week by beating the Giants. But if Washington pulls off the win, it can make the playoffs with an 8-8 record.