AFC, NFC fields are still changing

On December 16, 2024By Littum

Each week during the 2024 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture — typically starting after late Sunday afternoon games and then moving forward the rest of the week (to Monday and Thursday’s games, or Saturdays if it is relevant).

What just happened? What does that mean? What are the relevant factors (and perhaps tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? Everything will be explained and analyzed until the time the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, January 5th.

Here’s where things stand with Week 15 of the 2024 season almost complete:

NFC playoff picture

x – 1. Detroit Lions (12-2), NFC North leaders: After getting stomped by Buffalo on Sunday, they could be in a three-way tie atop the conference and tied for the division lead when Monday night is over. A Week 7 win over Minnesota and conference record (8-1) that is one game better than Philly are the tiebreakers currently serving the Lions. Remaining schedule: at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings

x – 2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2), NFC East leaders: Winners of 10 straight, they failed to clinch the division Sunday after Washington’s win in New Orleans. But the Iggles drew even with Detroit, only a slightly worse record in NFC play that currently keeps them out of first place in the conference. Remaining schedule: at Commanders, vs. Cowboys vs. Giants

3. Seattle Seahawks (8-5), NFC West leaders: A loss on Sunday night would drop them out of the division lead due to their Week 9 loss to the Rams. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers vs. Vikings, Bears, Rams

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6), NFC South leaders: They embarrassed the Chargers on Sunday, which means — no matter what Atlanta does Monday night — the Bucs will remain atop the division for at least one more week. Remaining schedule: at Cowboys, vs. Panthers vs. Saints

5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2), wild card no. 1: Minnesota can clinch a spot by beating Chicago on Monday night — though a loss in Seattle would secure it first. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions

6. Green Bay Packers (9-4), wild card no. 2: Getting swept by Detroit pretty much demotes the pack to wild-card status, but they’ll have to wait at least one more week to get there. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears

7. Washington’s commanders (9-5), wild card no. 3: They narrowly outlasted the Saints, but it was enough to keep them alive for one more week in the division, with the NFC East still technically up for grabs. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles vs. Falcons, at Cowboys

8. Los Angeles Rams (8-6), in the chase: Win out, and the Rams — now a half game behind Seattle — are the NFC West champions. LA, also in the wild-card hunt, moves into first place in its division Sunday night if Seattle loses. Remaining schedule: at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks

9. Arizona Cardinals (7-7), in the chase: They snapped a three-game skid by beating the Patriots, but at this point they need the NFC West field to come back to them. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers

10. Atlanta Falcons (6-7), in the hunt: Their margin for error is gone, and so is first place in the NFC South after their losing streak extended to four in Week 14. Their season opener with the Bucs means they only need to pull even with Tampa Bay to regain the division lead… but the first place Buccaneers are not cooperating so far. Remaining schedule: at Raiders, vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8), in the hunt: Thursday’s loss to the Rams was a near-death blow to the reigning NFC champions, who according to NFL.com have a better than 99% chance of missing the postseason. Remaining schedule: at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Cardinals

13. Dallas Cowboys (6-8), in the hunt: Like the Niners, who they lost to in Week 8, their postseason hopes are on life support despite Sunday’s win in Charlotte. Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Eagles, vs. Commanders

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AFC playoff picture

y – 1. Kansas City Chiefs (13-1), AFC West champions: A 21-7 win in Cleveland on Sunday puts them in the driver’s seat for home court advantage…assuming QB Patrick Mahomes’ ankle injury isn’t too serious. Remaining schedule: vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos

y – 2. Buffalo Bills (11-3), AFC East Champions: Sunday’s win in Detroit likely does more for their collective psyche than it actually does for their playoff positioning. Pittsburgh’s loss makes their second-place finish in the conference more comfortable. Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots vs. Jets, at Patriots

x – 3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4), AFC North leaders: Definitely a mixed Sunday. The Colts’ loss clinched a spot for the Steelers. But they back up the Ravens, next week’s opponent, in the division and likely now out of contention for home field advantage. Remaining schedule: at Ravens, vs. Chiefs vs. Bengals

y – 4. Houston Texas (9-5), AFC South champions: Sunday’s win combined with Indianapolis’ loss ensured they will rule a weak division for the second year in a row. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans

5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5), wild card no. 1: Cruised past the sleeper Giants and picked up a game at Pittsburgh, the Ravens’ opponent in Week 16. Maybe the AFC North throne isn’t out of sight. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns

6. Denver Broncos (9-5), wild card no. 2: They will almost certainly make their first postseason trip since winning Super Bowl 50 nine years ago. But they will drop back to the seventh seed if swept by the Bolts. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs

7. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6), wild card no. 3: Are they suddenly “Charger-ing”? Three losses over the past four weeks have dropped them into the final wild-card spot … though it looks like their pursuers are romping with even more speed. Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders

8. Indianapolis Colts (6-8), in the hunt: After Sunday’s loss in Denver, it’s pretty much over. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Giants, vs. Jaguars

9. Miami Dolphins (6-8), in the hunt: After Sunday’s loss in Houston, it’s pretty much over. Remaining schedule: vs. 49ers, at Browns, at Jets

10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8), in the hunt: They won in Nashville on Sunday, which means there is still a faint pulse. They remain behind Miami due to an inferior record in AFC games. A 3-6 conference mark keeps them buried behind the Fins and Colts. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns vs. Broncos, at Steelers