American Football
Breaking down the NFL playoff picture coming out of Week 14
Eight playoff teams are in action on Sunday in Week 14, and we are updating the playoff picture as results come in.
The NFL playoff field has begun filling as teams started clinching berths in Week 13. The Detroit Lions joined the field when they held off the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. Only one other game this weekend featured two teams holding one of the 14 playoff berths heading into Week 14. That doesn’t mean the playoff picture can’t change, though. Eight teams in playoff position were in action on Sunday.
The only game featuring two current playoff teams was in Minnesota, where the five seed Minnesota Vikings hosted the four seed Atlanta Falcons. The division-leading Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans are on their bye weeks along with two wild card teams in the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders. Also on bye were the Indianapolis Colts, who are two games out of a playoff spot.
Here are the standings as of right now:
NFC standings during Week 14
1. x-Detroit Lions (12-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (9-4)
7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-6, win over LAR)
10. Los Angeles Rams (6-6, loss to ARI)
8. Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-7, win over DAL)
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7, loss to SF)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-8, 2-3 NFC South, 3-5 NFC)
14. Chicago Bears (4-8, 2-5 NFC)*
15. Carolina Panthers (3-10)
16. New York Giants (2-10)* eliminated
AFC standings during Week 14
1. x-Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
2. y-Buffalo Bills (10-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5, win over DEN)
7. Denver Broncos (8-5, loss to BAL)
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
11. New York Jets (3-9, 3-5 AFC, win over TEN)
12. Cleveland Browns (3-10, 3-4 AFC, SOV 19 wins)* eliminated
13. New England Patriots (3-10)* eliminated
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10, win over TEN)* eliminated
15. Tennessee Titans (3-10, loss to JAX)* eliminated
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)* eliminated
Note: In the three-way tie between Cleveland, New York, and Tennessee, the Jets are eliminated first because of a worse AFC record, then the Titans are eliminated because of their worse strength of victory. But the tiebreaker starts over after that, which is why the Jets’ win over Tennessee factors into the standings.
Teams with an asterisk have been eliminated from their divisional races.
Teams with an “x” have clinched a playoff spot
Teams with a “y” have clinched their division
Key playoff picture takeaways in Week 14
Steelers eliminate Browns from playoff contention
The Steelers continued rolling and eliminated a rival in the process. They beat the Browns XX-XX to add a half game to their AFC North lead while the Ravens were on a bye. Pittsburgh has a two-game lead in the division and maintains pace two games back of the Chiefs for the No. 1 seed.
Eagles hold off tough Panthers squad
Philly was the biggest favorite of the weekend but they had to battle against a recently surging Panthers squad. They made a defensive stop in the final minute to secure ninth straight win. With the Commanders on a bye, the Eagles are now three games up in the NFC East with four games remaining. They remain a game back of the Lions. The Eagles entered the week needing a win and losses by the Falcons and Cardinals. The Falcons got thumped in Minnesota while Arizona hosts Seattle in the 4 p.m. ET window.
Bucs take over NFC South lead
The Bucs jumped out early on the Raiders but stumbled in the middle quarters. They held on late though and that coupled with the Falcons loss in Minnesota means Tampa has a one-game lead in the division. The Falcons beat the Bucs in both matchups this season, so Tampa has to win the division outright to claim the playoff berth.
Vikings maintain pace
The Falcons were giving the Vikings a tough time in the first half, but Kirk Cousins fell apart and the wheels came off the defense in the second half. Minnesota maintains pace behind Detroit in the NFC North. The Vikings entered the weekend with a chance to clinch a playoff. berth with a win and losses by the Cardinals and Rams. Both Arizona and LA play in the 4 p.m. ET window.
Which NFL teams have already clinched playoff spots?
When they moved to 11 wins in Week 13, the Kansas City Chiefs became the first NFL team in the NFL to clinch a playoff spot. The Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC East last Sunday night, ensuring a home playoff game. The Lions secured their playoff spot with the Thursday night win.
– Kansas City Chiefs
– Buffalo Bills
– Detroit Lions
Which NFL teams have been eliminated from the playoffs?
In Week 13, the Giants became the first team this season to be officially eliminated from the playoff race. On Black Friday, the Raiders joined them with their tenth loss of the season and they are also eliminated. On Sunday, the Patriots were also eliminated them with a loss and wins by the Chargers and Texans. With the Denver Broncos win on Monday night, they eliminated the Jacksonville Jaguars from the playoffs.
– New York Giants
– New England Patriots
– Jacksonville Jaguars
– Las Vegas Raiders
Some NFL teams can clinch playoffs spots this week
Three teams could clinch playoff spots in Week 14, with the Detroit Lions sewing up their berth on Thursday. The Vikings need some help to clinch a spot while the Philadelphia Eagles also need some things to go their way in order to clinch.
NFL Division Standings
AFC East standings
- Buffalo Bills, 10-2 — division clinched
- Miami Dolphins, 5-7
- New York Jets, 3-9
- New England Patriots, 3-10 — eliminated from playoff contention
AFC North standings
- Pittsburgh Steelers, 10-3
- Baltimore Ravens, 8-5
- Cincinnati Bengals, 4-8
- Cleveland Browns, 3-10 — eliminated from playoff contention
AFC South standings
- Houston Texans, 8-5
- Indianapolis Colts, 6-7
- Jacksonville Jaguars, 3-10 — eliminated from playoff contention
- Tennessee Titans, 3-10 — eliminated from playoff contention
AFC West standings
- Kansas City Chiefs, 11-1
- Los Angeles Chargers, 8-4
- Denver Broncos, 8-5
- Las Vegas Raiders, 2-11 — eliminated from playoff contention
NFC East standings
- Philadelphia Eagles, 11-2
- Washington Commanders, 8-5
- Dallas Cowboys, 5-7
- New York Giants, 2-10 — eliminated from playoff contention
NFC North standings
- Detroit Lions, 12-1
- Minnesota Vikings, 11-2
- Green Bay Packers, 9-4
- Chicago Bears, 4-8
NFC South standings
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7-6
- Atlanta Falcons, 6-7
- New Orleans Saints, 4-8
- Carolina Panthers, 3-10
NFC West standings
- Seattle Seahawks, 7-5
- Arizona Cardinals, 6-6
- Los Angeles Rams, 6-6
- San Francisco 49ers, 5-7