NFL Standings 2015: Full League Outlook and AFC, NFC Playoff Predictions

The New England Patriots (11-2) helped themselves greatly in Week 14 when they pummeled the Houston Texans 27-6.

That victory allowed them to gain the No. 1 seed in the AFC, a notable jump considering they started the weekend as the No. 3 seed behind Cincinnati (10-3) and Denver (10-3).

However, both the Bengals and Broncos lost their Week 14 games—and the Bengals may have lost a lot more, considering quarterback Andy Dalton broke his thumb in that game, per ESPN's Ed Werder. That forces Cincinnati to go with untested quarterback AJ McCarron:

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#Bengals players expecting QB Andy Dalton to be out 4-6 weeks. First-round #NFL playoffs are 4 weeks from date Dalton fractured thumb

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) December 16, 2015"

Speaking of quarterbacks, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak is sticking with Brock Osweiler this week when the Broncos go to Pittsburgh, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Peyton Manning is looming, and no determination has been made over who will start the remaining regular-season and postseason games:

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Broncos announced Peyton Manning is expected to practice on Wednesday, but Brock Osweiler will start again in Week 15.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 16, 2015"

The Broncos have a challenging closing stretch. After playing at Pittsburgh, they host the Bengals in Week 16. If they lose both those game and the Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) win out, the Chiefs will win the AFC West by virtue of the tiebreaker.

The Carolina Panthers have clinched the NFC South and a first-round bye as a result of their perfect 13-0 record. If they beat the New York Giants this week and the Arizona Cardinals lose or tie at Philadelphia, the Panthers will clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.

The Cardinals are in wonderful shape as well. If they win or the Seattle Seahawks lose this week to the Browns—highly unlikely—the Cardinals will clinch the NFC West. If the Cardinals win and the Green Bay Packers lose at Oakland, the Cardinals will clinch a bye in the first round.

Conference	Rank	Team	Skinny
AFC	1	New England Patriots	Not likely to lose again in regular season
AFC	2	Cincinnati Bengals	McCarron must come through down the stretch
AFC	3	Kansas City Chiefs	Closes the season with 10-game win streak
AFC	4	Indianapolis Colts	Must beat Texans in Week 15
AFC	5	Pittsburgh Steelers	May be the conference's most dangerous team
AFC	6	Denver Broncos	QB problems allow Chiefs to catch them
NFC	1	Carolina Panthers	Whether they go undefeated or not, this is a powerful team
NFC	2	Arizona Cardinals	May be the NFL's most complete team
NFC	3	Minnesota Vikings	Must beat the Packers on the road in Week 17
NFC	4	Washington Redskins	Will win two of last three games to clinch division
NFC	5	Seattle Seahawks	Simply on fire and quite dangerous
NFC	6	Green Bay Packers	Will end season with three straight losses

The tightest race in the AFC is in the South, where the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are tied for first place with 6-7 records. Those two teams will square off in Indianapolis this week, and the winner will gain command of the division.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, who beat the Colts last week by 35 points, are a game behind the Texans and the Colts, and they are looming if both those teams continue to play inconsistent football.

The wild-card race is also a tight one in the AFC, with the Chiefs and New York Jets holding down the No. 5 and 6 seeds, respectively, with 8-5 records. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 8-5, but they are on the outside of the race looking in because of tiebreakers.

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

While the Chiefs are streaking with seven straight victories, it may be hard for the Jets to hold onto their position because they face the Patriots in Week 16, and that's clearly a difficult assignment.

In the NFC, the East is a three-team race between the Washington Redskins, Eagles and Giants, as all three teams are 6-7. At this point, the tiebreaker goes to the Redskins, but they face a critical Week 16 game at Philadelphia.

In addition to hosting the Redskins in the penultimate game, the Eagles close the season with a game at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.

The 4-9 Dallas Cowboys are technically still alive, but it's very unlikely that circumstances will unfold to give them a legitimate chance to win the division.

The NFC Wild Card teams are likely to be the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings. Both teams are 8-5, but the Seahawks beat the Vikings head-to-head, which gives them the tiebreaker edge and the No. 5 seed.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The Vikings still have a shot at taking the NFC North crown, as they are just one game behind the Packers, and those two teams play in Green Bay in Week 17. Minnesota has winnable games remaining against the Chicago Bears and Giants prior to their end-of-season confrontation, while the Packers have tough back-to-back road games against Oakland and Arizona over the next two weeks.

If the Vikings beat the Bears and Giants and the Packers lose at Oakland or Arizona, the Vikings will win the division if they are victorious in the season finale.

Stay tuned as the most exciting weeks of the regular season are about to play out.