NFL Playoff Scenarios: 4 Bubble Teams with Best Shots at Playoff Seeds

Despite heading into Week 15, there's still eight total playoff spots left for quite a few teams to claim.

It's surely going to be one exciting race to the finish, and based on what's happened so far, it would be nothing out of the ordinary if a few teams slipped up and others made a strong push toward the end.

So, here are four teams on the bubble with a legit playoff shot.

Tennessee Titans (7-6)

Tennessee really hurt themselves after losing to New Orleans at home, and it hurts even worse, as they don't have the tiebreaker over Cincinnati.

However, all three of Tennessee's remaining games are quite winnable (at Colts, Jaguars, at Texans). In short, winning all three would put them at 10-6; however, it would also give them an 8-4 conference record).

Cincinnati still has to play Baltimore and a surging Arizona team to finish the season, so the Bengals have a tougher road.

As for the Titans, the next two are must-wins, but won't be nearly as difficult as Houston.

Thing is, with the Texans being banged up, that does give Tennessee an edge especially if RB Chris Johnson can catch another quick spark like he did a few weeks ago. Plus, with the Broncos offense, you never know if them and the Raiders will flop spots.

If that happens, the Titans have the tiebreaker over Denver.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)

As previously mentioned, the Bengals do have a tough road ahead, with Arizona and the Ravens to close out the year.

This week is St. Louis on the road, but that'll be a confidence-building game for when the Cardinals visit Cincy in Week 16. Having the tiebreaker over Tennessee is big, and it's really saving their season at the moment.

Heading into Week 16, the Bengals will be 8-6, but just 6-5 in the AFC, and can't do any better than 7-5. The tiebreaker over the Titans is big, but if the Raiders manage to finish with the same record as them and Tennessee, that nullifies the tiebreaker since neither Tennessee or Cincy played Oakland.

Therefore, it's an unfair advantage over the Raiders provided that Oakland can manage their rough schedule as well. Cincinnati basically needs to win at least two more games for a legit shot, and they must beat St. Louis.

Dropping to 7-7 would kill their confidence, especially losing to a team like the Rams. Week 15 is the week we learn how these young Bengals respond to adversity, because they've lost four of five and are on the verge of a complete breakdown.

Seattle Seahawks (6-7)

Believe it or not, the Seattle Seahawks are alive and well for the postseason. A big reason is because of their current 5-4 NFC record and having three NFC Games remaining.

The current incumbent of the NFC's No. 6 seed, Detroit, may be 8-5, but they have tough games left against Oakland, San Diego and Green Bay. Also, the Lions have just a 6-5 NFC record.

So, if Detroit loses to Green Bay (as most expect) and then once more prior to either Oakland or San Diego, as long as the Seahawks finish with the same record, Seattle gets the nod thanks to a better conference record.

For as bad as we all expected the NFC West to be, this is quite an interesting possibility down the stretch. Seattle has won four of five and has games left against Chicago, San Francisco and Arizona.

We've seen their upside (winning over the Giants and Ravens), so running off three straight to make the playoffs is not out of the realm of impossibility. What's even more insane is a similar situation with the next team.

Arizona Cardinals (6-7)

Yes, the Arizona Cardinals, who are also 6-7 and are 6-5 in the NFC. Thing is, if the Cardinals can win both of their next two games (Cleveland, at Cincinnati), their Week 17 matchup with Seattle could determine who goes to the playoffs.

We know the Lions are in dire straits if they lose to either Oakland or San Diego; plus, what's currently keeping Arizona alive is their 19-13 OT win over the Dallas Cowboys. Having that tiebreaker is vehement right now; otherwise, the season would be over for the Cardinals.

And based on how the Lions have played since the middle of the season began (3-5 with wins over Denver, Carolina and Minnesota), it would not be surprising to see The Motor City drop two of their final three, if not all of them.

Much like Seattle, Arizona has done well as of recent and is 5-1 in their previous six games. The season is closing fast and with much chaos. That being said, keep an eye on Arizona, as their playoff chances are shining brighter than most believe.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27