NFL Standings 2020: Results, Playoff Picture and Scenarios After Week 15

The Kansas City Chiefs' Week 15 win over the New Orleans Saints was significant to both No. 1 seed races in the AFC and NFC. 

Kansas City kept its advantage over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC, while the Green Bay Packers earned a one-game lead over the Saints in the NFC. 

The Chiefs, Packers, Steelers and Saints are part of a growing group that secured berths in the 14-team postseason. The Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills locked up postseason spots in Week 15. 

Sunday's results chopped the list of wild-card contenders in each conference to five franchises. The only teams with five wins or fewer still alive are those fighting for the NFC East crown.

Week 15 Results

Thursday, December 17

Los Angeles Chargers 30, Las Vegas 27 (OT) 

Saturday, December 19

Buffalo 48, Denver 19

Green Bay 24, Carolina 16

Sunday, December 20

Tampa Bay 31, Atlanta 27

Dallas 41, San Francisco 33

Tennessee 46, Detroit 25

Indianapolis 27, Houston 20

Miami 22, New England 12

Chicago 33, Minnesota 27

Seattle 20, Washington 15

Baltimore 40, Jacksonville 14

New York Jets 23, Los Angeles Rams 20

Arizona 33, Philadelphia 26

Kansas City 32, New Orleans 29

Cleveland 20, New York Giants 6

Playoff Pictures

AFC

Division Leaders

1. Kansas City (13-1)

2. Pittsburgh (11-2)

3. Buffalo (11-3)

4. Tennessee (10-4)

The Chiefs will remain at least one game ahead of the Steelers after Week 15. 

Pittsburgh finishes the weekend slate against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are starting their third different quarterback of the season in Ryan Finley. 

The reigning Super Bowl champion finishes with two games at Arrowhead Stadium versus the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers. If they win those two, they will earn the No. 1 seed. 

Pittsburgh faces a tricky finish against wild-card contenders Indianapolis and Cleveland. A loss in either of those contests combined with Buffalo winning out would place the Bills into the No. 2 seed on their head-to-head tiebreaker gained in Week 14. 

The Tennessee Titans have the smallest margin of error of the AFC division leaders, as they are ahead of the Colts on divisional record. 

However, Mike Vrabel's squad may not be in that position after Week 16 since it has to visit Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers. 

Wild-Card Race

5. Cleveland (10-4)

6. Indianapolis (10-4)

7. Miami (9-5)

8. Baltimore (9-5)

9. Las Vegas (7-7)

Although there are five teams left in wild-card contention, it feels like a fight between four franchises. 

Even if the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, they need a Week 17 victory over the Denver Broncos combined with some help to land one of the three wild-card berths. 

The Week 5 win by the Cleveland Browns over the Colts serves as the tiebreaker for the No. 5 seed. Cleveland finishes with the New York Jets and the Steelers. The Colts end with the Steelers and Jaguars. 

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens can't gain any ground in the wild-card race if the teams in fifth through eighth continue to win. 

The Ravens sit a half-game behind the Dolphins in the conference record tiebreaker and have one contest left in the conference. They play outside the AFC in Week 16 against the New York Giants. 

John Harbaugh's team has an easier remaining schedule than the Dolphins, as it faces the Giants and Bengals. Miami closes with the Raiders and Bills, but the regular-season finale against Buffalo will not matter in the AFC East race. 

NFC

Division Leaders

1. Green Bay (11-3)

2. New Orleans (10-4)

3. Seattle (10-4)

4. Washington (6-8)

Green Bay can send a few fruit baskets to Philadelphia and Kansas City to thank those teams for knocking New Orleans from the NFC's No. 1 seed. 

The Saints' two-game slide has made the Packers' clinching situation very easy. They have to win one of their final two games to lock in home-field advantage. 

New Orleans needs to win out and have the Packers lose twice to secure the top spot because Green Bay has a head-to-head win over the Saints. 

Seattle should also send a gift package across the country to New York. The New York Jets' win over the Los Angeles Rams put the Seahawks back in first place in the NFC West. 

If the Seahawks are victorious in their Week 16 clash with the Rams, they will secure the division crown and a home playoff game. 

Wild-Card Race

5. Los Angeles Rams (9-5)

6. Tampa Bay (9-5)

7. Arizona (8-6)

8. Chicago (7-7)

9. Minnesota (6-8)

The NFC wild-card scenarios are fairly straightforward. 

The Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers need one win in the last two weeks to qualify for the postseason. 

The Arizona Cardinals need two victories, or a win combined with a Chicago Bears loss to join the Rams and Bucs in the NFC's field of seven. 

Chicago is hanging on to its playoff life after beating the Minnesota Vikings in what served as a defacto elimination game for the wild card. 

Minnesota is technically still alive, but it needs a  of hellotp to eclipse the Cardinals, who can eliminate it through a Week 16 win over the San Francisco 49ers. 

The New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles can only qualify for the postseason through a divisional title. They are too many games behind Arizona to be eligible for the wild-card race.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.