NFL Standings 2018-19: Week 14 Records, Playoff Scenarios, Wild-Card Review

Week 13 provided the first bit of clarity on the 2018-19 NFL playoff picture.

The Los Angeles Rams punched the year's first postseason ticket with their 30-16 triumph over the Detroit Lions, which also gave Sean McVay's crew its second straight NFC West crown.

On the other end of the spectrum, both Bay Area clubs received clearance to start making their vacation plans. The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, both in the NFL's basement at 2-10, were each officially eliminated from playoff contention after their latest losses.

AFC

Division Leaders

1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-2)

2. New England Patriots (9-3)

3. Houston Texans (9-3)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4-1)

Wild-Card Race

5. Los Angeles Chargers (9-3)

6. Baltimore Ravens (7-5)

7. Miami Dolphins (6-6)

8. Indianapolis Colts (6-6)

9. Denver Broncos (6-6)

10. Tennessee Titans (6-6)

11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-7)

12. Cleveland Browns (4-7-1)

13. Buffalo Bills (4-8)

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8)

15. New York Jets (3-9)

Officially Eliminated

16. Oakland Raiders

Playoff Scenarios

Provided the Patriots can defeat the Dolphins—which they did by a 38-7 margin in Week 4—they'd clinch both a playoff berth and their 10th consecutive AFC East title. The Chiefs could secure their playoff spot with a win over the visiting Ravens.

The red-hot Texans could be playoff-bound, too, with both a win over the Colts and a Titans loss to the Jaguars.

Wild-Card Outlook

Danny Karnik/Associated Press

Assuming the nine-plus-win teams are locks, you're basically looking at six teams fighting for two spots. And since two of those teams share a division—the AFC North's Steelers and Ravens—at least will claim one of those berths.

It's hard not to like Pittsburgh's chances. Assuming James Conner's leg contusion doesn't linger, he makes up one-fourth of the best offensive quartets in this field. Looking at the competition, nothing comes close to the collective powers that Conner, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster possess.

The prognosticators over at FiveThirtyEight feel the same way. They give the Steelers an 88 percent chance of reaching the playoffs—by far the best mark in this field.

The Ravens are a close second at 65 percent, which makes sense given the dominance of their defense and ability to control the clock with Lamar Jackson under center.

But if there's a team that can outperform projections, the Broncos (21 percent) might be it. They've rattled off three straight wins—including victories over the Chargers and Steelers—with rookie Phillip Lindsay running wild (55 carries for 346 yards and five touchdowns in this stretch). They also close with a pillow-soft schedule, particularly if the Chargers have nothing left to gain in Week 17.

NFC

NFC Division Leaders

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-1)*

2. New Orleans Saints (10-2)

3. Chicago Bears (8-4)

4. Dallas Cowboys (7-5)

*clinched division title

NFC Wild-Card Race

5. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)

6. Minnesota Vikings (6-5-1)

7. Carolina Panthers (6-6)

8. Philadelphia Eagles (6-6)

9. Washington Redskins (6-6)

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7)

11. Green Bay Packers (4-7-1)

12. Atlanta Falcons (4-8)

13. New York Giants (4-8)

14. Detroit Lions (4-8)

15. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)

Officially Eliminated

16. San Francisco 49ers (2-10)

Playoff Scenarios

The Saints face simple win-and-you're-in stakes on Sunday when they visit the Buccaneers. If New Orleans can avenge a Week 1 home loss, it will lock in its playoff spot and secure the NFC South division title for the second consecutive season.

Wild-Card Outlook

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The Saints are playoff locks, and the Bears will be as soon as Mitchell Trubisky returns to action. Now, let's clear up the clutter for the remaining three spots.

The Cowboys control their own destiny as NFC East leaders, and they'll come closer to clinching the division if they can fend off the Eagles on Sunday. Given the roll Dallas is on—four straight wins, longest streak in the conference—that feels more likely than not.

The Seahawks are similarly peaking at the right time, with three straight triumphs reversing the damage of their sluggish 2-3 start. Russell Wilson has never looked better (career-high 115.5 quarterback rating), and their stable of useful running backs goes three deep with Chris Carson, rookie Rashaad Penny and Mike Davis.

If Seattle stops Minnesota at home Monday night, it's in position to cruise into the playoffs, with both San Francisco and Arizona still on the schedule.

That would make this a five-team race for the final spot, and FiveThirtyEight again sees a favorite in the field. Minnesota has by far the best odds of advancing at 60 percent, with Philadelphia (28) and Washington (26) well behind in second and third, respectively.

Even if the Vikings lose this weekend, they'll close with the Dolphins, Lions and a Bears team that may have already sealed its postseason fate. That sounds like a serviceable path to the playoffs.

It's hard to like the Eagles without a consistent rushing attack (25th in yards per game) and harder to ignore the Redskins' injury issues at quarterback. The Panthers haven't won since early November, and the Bucs' mini-surge (two straight wins) might be undone by their early-season struggles and brutal remaining stretch with the Saints, Ravens and Cowboys looming in the next three weeks.

Statistics used courtesy of ESPN.com.