Week 15 saw the first two teams clinch playoff spots for the NFL postseason, while an incredible run of success came to a brutal end for a storied franchise.
Both the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Broncos locked up playoff spots with their wins on Sunday. The Rams’ win over the Detroit Lions clinched at least a Wild Card spot for Los Angeles, while Denver booked their spot in the playoffs with a win over the Green Bay Packers. Similar to the Rams, the Broncos have not yet clinched their division.
But staying in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs joined the ranks of those teams eliminated from playoff contention, meaning that the Chiefs will be at home during the playoff for the first time since 2014. Add in the fact that Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in his left knee late in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and it was a brutal Sunday for Kansas City fans.
Here is how Week 15 shaped the standings.
Here is the full AFC playoff picture following Sunday’s games:
- Denver Broncos (12-2) – x
- New England Patriots (11-3)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
- Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)
- Buffalo Bills (10-4)
- Houston Texans (9-5)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
- Miami Dolphins (6-7)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-8) – e
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-10) – e
- New York Jets (3-11) – e
- Cleveland Browns (3-11) – e
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) – e
- Tennessee Titans (2-12) – e
Let’s start at the top of the AFC, where the Denver Broncos became the first team in the conference to clinch a playoff spot with their win over the Green Bay Packers. While the Broncos have not clinched the AFC West yet — they can clinch in Week 16 — they at least know they are in the playoffs.
Things also improved for Denver in the race for the No. 1 seed. With the New England Patriots losing to the Buffalo Bills, the Broncos now have a one-game lead over New England, plus they have already clinched a tiebreaker over the Patriots based on their record in common games.
Instead of looking ahead, the Patriots might be checking the rear-view mirror. After losing to the Bills, and missing out on a chance to clinch the AFC East, the Patriots now can see the Jacksonville Jaguars coming. Jacksonville’s win over the New York Jets moved them to within one game of New England for the No. 2 spot.
At the other end, the Kansas City Chiefs joined the ranks of eliminated teams with their loss to the Chargers. Andy Reid and company will miss out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
If the NFL playoffs began today, these would be the matchups on Wild Card Weekend:
- No. 7 Houston at No. 2 New England
- No. 6 Buffalo at No. 3 Jacksonville
- No. 5 Los Angeles at No. 4 Pittsburgh
Here are the full standings in the NFC:
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3) – x
- Chicago Bears (10-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)
- Detroit Lions (8-6)
- Carolina Panthers (7-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (6-8) – e
- Atlanta Falcons (5-9) – e
- New Orleans Saints (4-10) – e
- Washington Commanders (4-10) – e
- Arizona Cardinals (3-11) – e
- New York Giants (2-12) – e
As in the AFC, the NFC saw the first team clinch as the Los Angeles Rams are booked into the postseason. The Rams have not clinched the NFC West yet, as they still have the same record as the Seattle Seahawks. But the Rams’ win earlier in the year over Seattle gives them the tiebreaker edge right now.
And sets up a massive game on Thursday Night Football when those two teams meet again.
With the Chicago Bears winning and the Green Bay Packers losing, those two NFC North rivals flip spots both in the division, and the conference. Chicago is back up to the No. 2 spot from No. 7, while the Packers drop from No. 2 to No. 7. Chicago now leads in the NFC North, but those old rivals are set to meet on Saturday night in a game that could go a long way to deciding the division.
Tampa Bay remains in the lead in the NFC South. Both the Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers lost this week, and the Buccaneers maintain the division lead due to a better record in common games (5-4 versus 4-5).
If the NFL playoffs began today, these would be the three first-round matchups:
- No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Chicago
- No. 6 San Francisco at No. 3 Philadelphia
- No. 5 Seattle at No. 4 Tampa Bay
What about Steelers-Dolphins?
One game remains on the Sunday slate, Monday Night Football between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins.
For the Dolphins, this is an elimination game. With both the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans winning on Sunday, the Dolphins will be eliminated with a loss to the Steelers. A victory over Pittsburgh will keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
As for the Steelers, they are currently leading the AFC North, even with the Baltimore Ravens winning on Sunday. A win would keep them in the division lead with an 8-6 record over the Ravens, who are currently 7-7.
A loss would still see the Steelers atop the division, thanks to a better record in division play. Pittsburgh’s record in AFC North games is 3-1, while Baltimore’s is now 3-2 after their win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
