NFL Playoff Picture Week 15: Latest AFC, NFC Standings and Bracket Scenarios

Although the NFL playoff picture is starting to take shape, no teams have officially sealed a place in the postseason.

Week 15, however, is destined to change that.

If the right sequence of results happen—and it's sometimes as simple as one victory—as many as four franchises can clinch their respective divisions during the upcoming slate. And at this point of the season, every win is crucial for wild-card hopefuls.

After resetting the overall standings heading into Week 15, we'll look at those clinching scenarios around the NFL.

AFC Standings

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AFC East

New England Patriots: 9-4
Buffalo Bills: 7-6
Miami Dolphins: 6-7
New York Jets: 3-10

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: 8-5
Cleveland Browns: 7-6
Cincinnati Bengals: 7-6
Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-6-1

AFC South

Tennessee Titans: 9-4
Indianapolis Colts: 7-6
Houston Texans: 2-11
Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-11

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs: 9-4
Los Angeles Chargers: 8-5
Denver Broncos: 7-6
Las Vegas Raiders: 6-7

NFC Standings

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NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: 9-4
Washington: 6-7
Philadelphia Eagles: 6-7
New York Giants: 4-9

NFC North

Green Bay Packers: 10-3
Minnesota Vikings: 6-7
Chicago Bears: 4-9
Detroit Lions: 1-11-1

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10-3
Atlanta Falcons: 6-7
New Orleans Saints: 6-7
Carolina Panthers: 5-8

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: 10-3
Los Angeles Rams: 9-4
San Francisco 49ers: 7-6
Seattle Seahawks: 5-8

AFC Scenarios in Week 15

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Only one AFC division can be wrapped up in Week 15, but there's a reasonable chance it happens.

If the Patriots defeat the Colts on Saturday, the Titans will have an opportunity to close out the AFC South against the Steelers on Sunday. Tennessee earned a huge tiebreaker over Indianapolis with a pair of head-to-head victories earlier this season.

Interestingly enough, New England is the lone other AFC franchise with a shot to secure a postseason berth.

Granted, it's a complicated path at best. Along with a victory over the Colts, the Patriots need one of various combinations to play out perfectly. Basically, they're rooting against the Dolphins and Ravens while hoping for the right mix of losses from the Chiefs/Chargers, Raiders/Browns and Bengals/Broncos games.

No matter those outcomes, both Weeks 16 and 17 will be loaded with dramatic stakes in the AFC playoff race.

NFC Scenarios in Week 15

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Fortunately, the NFC has a few straightforward scenarios.

If the Packers defeat the Ravens or the Vikings fall to the Bears, Green Bay will capture its third straight NFC North crown. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers only need one victory to lock up the NFC South, and they host the Saints on Sunday night.

While the Cowboys can clinch the NFC East, it's pretty unlikely. It's not as convoluted as New England's path, but Dallas needs either a win plus a tie between Washington and the Eagles or a win, Washington loss and five victories from the six-team group of the Bengals, Cardinals, Chargers, Dolphins, Patriots and Vikings.

Green Bay, Tampa and Dallas are each on the verge of clinching a simple playoff spot. Basically, they need a 49ers loss to kickstart any of those scenarios if the Saints beat the Bucs.

Both the Cardinals and Rams could seal a playoff berth, too.

Along with a few multistep scenarios, Arizona merely needs to outlast the one-win Lions to make the postseason. Los Angeles needs a victory over the Seahawks, plus losses from two of the Eagles, Saints and Vikings, to join Arizona.