NFL Playoff Picture Week 15: AFC, NFC 2015 Postseason Scenarios and Predictions

Face it, the NFL playoff picture isn't going to be 100 percent clear until the final seconds tick away in Week 17.

Both the AFC and NFC have teams under .500 currently hosting wild-card games. While the undefeated Carolina Panthers are running away with the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the top of the AFC is a logjam where No. 1 seeds have fallen two spots in a given week.

Let's take a look at the current playoff scenarios for both conferences as we head into Week 15, along with predictions on how the field will play out:

Playoff 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	Seattle Seahawks 8-5
6	New York Jets 8-5	Minnesota Vikings 8-5
Still in the hunt	Pittsburgh Steelers 8-5	Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-7
Still in the hunt	Oakland Raiders 6-7	Atlanta Falcons 6-7
Still in the hunt	Buffalo Bills 6-7	Philadelphia Eagles 6-7
Still in the hunt	Houston Texans 6-7	New York Giants 6-7
Still in the hunt	Jacksonville Jaguars 5-8	St. Louis Rams 5-8
Still in the hunt		New Orleans Saints 5-8
		Chicago Bears 5-8
		Dallas Cowboys 4-9

Sweet Carolina 

At 13-0, the Panthers are the clear-cut favorite in the NFC. The Arizona Cardinals have had a fine season and could certainly beat Carolina in the playoffs, but there's no disputing the Panthers right now are the No. 1 team in the conference.

The Cardinals are No. 2, and a matchup of these two teams is likely. Every other team has noticeable flaws, and while anything can happen, there is no reason to pick any of them to play in the NFC Championship Game.

Sure, the Green Bay Packers have Aaron Rodgers and nine wins, but they are a Hail Mary away from being tied for the No. 6 spot.

Prior to Week 14, Skip Bayless of ESPN had not been impressed with Rodgers and the Packers the past two months:

He threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 but has only thrown three or more touchdowns three times this season after doing it eight times last year.

Washington is the No. 4 seed, but there isn't enough room on this page to write about how it, or any other team in the NFC East, doesn't deserve a playoff spot. 

ESPN's Trey Wingo summed up how strange of a season it has been in the division:

Washington would host a playoff game if the season ended today against the Seattle Seahawks, who might be the hottest team in the NFL right now, averaging more than 35 points per contest during a four-game win streak.

They certainly bring experience and talent to the gridiron, but the road to the Super Bowl would include wins at Arizona and Carolina, which isn't happening. 

The Minnesota Vikings occupy the final spot right now but could still win the NFC North and jump up to the No. 3 seed.

On the outside looking in, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers severely hurt their chances with a Week 14 loss to the New Orleans Saints.  Despite holding a two-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys, both teams have the same shot to make the postseason.

Dallas is mathematically eliminated from the wild-card race with a 4-9 record but can still win the division outright.

All of the craziness in the middle and the bottom of the conference won't mean much when the Panthers and Cardinals win their home games and advance to the NFC Championship Game.

From there, get your popcorn, and get ready for a show. 

It's a Logjam in the AFC

The AFC postseason picture is clear as mud with three weeks to play, from the No. 1 spot all the way to No. 6. Ten weeks into the season, the New England Patriots held a two-game lead on the top spot. 

Two wins later, they were the No. 3 seed. A Week 14 win, and losses by the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals, catapulted them back to No. 1.

As long as the Patriots have Tom Brady, they have the best shot at finishing in the top spot, especially considering the Bengals and Broncos are playing with backup quarterbacks.

While the NFC East has been criticized, the AFC South is no better. The Indianapolis Colts currently lead the division with the same 6-7 record as Washington.

Either the Colts our Houston will likely take that division and host a playoff game, although the 5-8 Jaguars, who just beat Indianapolis by 35 points in Week 14, have a slim shot as well.

They produced this odd stat reminiscent of the craziness in the NFC East, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Again mirroring the NFC, the AFC wild-card spots feature two teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets, at 8-5. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the same record but are out right now because of a tiebreaker.

The Chiefs, who were left for dead at 1-5 when Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles was injured for the season, are tied for the league's second-longest current win streak at seven games. 

Former Denver cornerback Champ Bailey told Fox Sports 1's Colin Cowherd prior to Week 14 that the Chiefs are his dark-horse pick to win the Super Bowl:

There isn't much you can predict about this NFL season, except that, well, the 3-10 Cleveland Browns have no shot at the playoffs.

As long as Brady and All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski are healthy, New England has the best shot to play in the AFC Championship Game.

After that, it's really anyone's guess.