NFL Playoff Scenarios: 5 Teams That Could Still Manage to Squeak in

The following five NFL teams—all of which are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in—still have a chance to sneak in to the postseason.

Dallas Cowboys (7-6)

Despite a heartbreaking loss to the Giants on Sunday night, the Cowboys still control their own destiny in the NFC East. Dallas has a winnable game with Tampa Bay before finishing the season with game against Philadelphia and New York. Obviously, the Week 17 matchup with the Giants will be vastly important. A win in that game will likely get the Cowboys into the playoffs.

Chicago Bears (7-6)

Chicago's first game without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte was a mess, so there's reason to think that the Bears will face out of the playoff picture, with both Cutler and Forte still expected to miss the rest of the regular season. But the Bears do have a couple of things going for them down the stretch.

For starters, they hold tiebreakers over both the Lions (given Bears beat Vikings and Packers beat Lions in final three games) and Falcons—the two teams above them in the NFC Wild Card. The Bears also finish with the Vikings in Week 17. I think it's still a stretch for the Bears, but the opportunity is there.

Tennessee Titans (7-6)

You have to like Tennessee's chances solely for the fact that they play the Jaguars and Colts in the next two weeks before finishing with the Texans in Houston. If the Titans can win all three games, they'll be in a great position to finish as the AFC's final wild card.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)

Things got a little more complicated for the Bengals when they let T.J. Yates drive down the field for a game-winning touchdown on Sunday. A win there would have really given Cincinnati a playoff boost. Now, the Bengals will almost certainly have to beat the Ravens in Week 17—along with wins over St. Louis and Arizona in the next two games—to crack the postseason field. It's not an impossibility, but Cincinnati has struggled against the AFC's elite teams. 

Oakland Raiders (7-6)

It's almost silly to include the Raiders on this list after their give-up performance in Green Bay on Sunday. But at 7-6, Oakland still has a chance to overtake the Broncos as the AFC West champion over the final three games. Denver has a tough game with New England this week, followed by a trip to Buffalo. While Oakland's final three games against Detroit, Kansas City and San Diego aren't a murder's row, they'll need to do a 180 from Sunday to have a chance to win even one of those games.