Two playoff spots have been filled. Who will grab the other 12? Let’s see where we stand.
NFC
NORTH
1) Green Bay (9-3) | 2) Minnesota (6-6) | 3) Chicago (5-7) | 4) Detroit (5-7)
OUT: NONE
Green Bay maintains a 3-game edge over the rest of the North, and the Pack could put away the division for the second straight year this week.
The Vikings have fought their way back into second place and back to .500 after a 1-5 start. The Bears and Lions split their season series, and they sit even in division record as well, which takes us to common opponents.
Chicago and Detroit have both played Atlanta, Carolina, Indianapolis and New Orleans. Against that quartet of teams, the Bears are 2-2 while the Lions are 1-3, giving Chicago third place for this week.
WEST
1) Los Angeles (8-4) | 2) Seattle (8-4) | 3) Arizona (6-6) | 4) San Francisco (5-7)
OUT: NONE
Another flip-flop this week at the top of the West after Seattle’s unceremonious loss to the Giants and the Rams’ divisional win over Arizona. With the ‘Hawks and Rams tied once more, L.A.’s Week 10 head-to-head win once again breaks the tie. The two will play the rematch in Week 16, and this race could go back and forth until then.
Arizona remains 2 games out, and the 49ers hold their spot as well at 3 games back.
EAST
1) New York (5-7) | 2) Washington (5-7) | 3) Philadelphia (3-8-1) 4) Dallas (3-9)
OUT: NONE
New York and Washington both grabbed wins this week, keeping them tied for first in the East, and the Giants’ 2-0 season sweep of Washington remains the tiebreaker.
Philadelphia’s loss to Green Bay dropped them to 1 ½ games back of the division lead, and Dallas still sits in striking distance at 2 games back even at 3-9 on the year.
SOUTH
1) New Orleans (10-2) | 2) Tampa Bay (7-5)
OUT: Atlanta (4-8) | Carolina (4-8)
The Saints’ win in Atlanta officially knocked the Falcons out of the race for the South, and New Orleans can lock down their fourth straight divisional crown as early as this weekend with either a win or a Tampa Bay loss. The Bucs sit 3 games back and lose out on any tiebreaker scenario after getting swept by the Saints this season.
Carolina was eliminated in Week 12. Their tie with Atlanta is broken by common opponents. The Panthers and Falcons have both played Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas and Minnesota. Atlanta is 2-2 against those teams, while Carolina is 1-3.
DIVISION LEADERS
1) New Orleans (10-2) | 2) Green Bay (9-3) | 3) Los Angeles (8-4) | 4) New York (5-7)
The Saints became the first team in the NFC (and the NFL overall) to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday and can now set their sights higher. If they cement themselves as a division winner on Sunday with a win, they would guarantee themselves a top-three seed, since they’ve already put themselves out of reach of whoever wins the East.
Green Bay’s Week 3 win over the Saints will continue to make them a viable player for the top seed as long as they keep winning games, but they remain 1 game back for now. The Rams are 2 games out of #1, but with four games left, there’s a lot left to be decided.
Except for the #4 seed.
That’s almost certainly being set aside for the NFC East champs.
WILD CARDS
1) Seattle (8-4) | 2) Tampa Bay (7-5) | 3) Minnesota (6-6)
4) Arizona (6-6) | 5) Chicago (5-7) | 6) Detroit (5-7)
7) San Francisco (5-7) | 8) Washington (5-7)
Seattle slips back to the wild-card race this week but leads that field by 1 game. The Buccaneers sat idle this week and now sit 1 game behind the Seahawks, but positioned where they can lock away a playoff spot simply by winning the rest of their games.
Minnesota climbed back to .500 and slipped past Arizona for the final wild card spot due to the common-opponents tiebreaker. In this case, the opponents involved are Carolina, Dallas, Detroit and Seattle. The Vikings are 2-2 against that bunch. The Cards are 2-3, having played Seattle twice.
Four teams sit below .500 but just 1 game out of the final wild card spot in the NFC.
The Bears and Lions are first separated by divisional tiebreakers, but both take advantage of conference record: Chicago – 5-5; Detroit – 4-5.
The Niners and Washington are both 3-5 in NFC play, and their tiebreakers lead us once again to common opponents. In their case, the teams involved are Arizona, Philadelphia, the New York Giants and the L.A. Rams. San Fran has played the Rams twice and sits 3-2 against that group. Washington has played the Giants twice and are 1-4 against those teams.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
1) Atlanta (4-8) | 2) Carolina (4-8) | 3) Philadelphia (3-8-1) | 6) Dallas (3-9)
Atlanta and Carolina are separated by divisional tiebreakers.
ELIMINATED
While four teams have already been knocked out in the AFC, the entire NFC continues to remain viable for the postseason.
AFC
NORTH
1) Pittsburgh (11-1) | 2) Cleveland (9-3)
OUT: Baltimore (7-5) | Cincinnati (2-9-1)
The two-team race in the AFC North tightened after the Steelers finally picked up their first loss of the season, closing the gap with the Browns to just 2 games. They did beat Cleveland back in Week 6, and even if the Browns keep winning, they’ll still need Pittsburgh to drop one more game to make the season-ending rematch count for more than just playoff positioning and bragging rights.
Baltimore was eliminated in Week 12.
Cincinnati was eliminated in Week 11.
WEST
1) Kansas City (11-1) | 2) Las Vegas (7-5)
OUT: Denver (4-8) | Los Angeles (3-9)
The Chiefs are right on the brink of their fifth straight division title. They hold a 4 game lead over the Raiders with four to play, and simple math tells us they’re just one win or one Las Vegas loss away from salting away the crown.
Denver and Los Angeles were eliminated in Week 12.
EAST
1) Buffalo (9-3) | 2) Miami (8-4) | 3) New England (6-6)
OUT: New York (0-12)
Buffalo and Miami remained locked in a tight race to the top of the East. Both took home wins in Week 13, so the Bills remain in front by 1 game. They also won the first meeting with the Fins in Week 2. They’ll close out the season with a rematch that could decide the division.
The Patriots kept pace as well by blowing out the Chargers, but remain 3 games back with just four to play.
New York was eliminated in Week 9.
SOUTH
1) Tennessee (8-4) | 2) Indianapolis (8-4) | 3) Houston (4-8)
OUT: Jacksonville (1-11)
The gap between the Titans and Colts became nonexistent once again after Tennessee’s loss to the Browns and Indy’s win over the Texans. The two teams are tied once more at the top of the AFC South, and they split the season series, so divisional record separates them: Tennessee – 3-1 | Indianapolis – 2-2.
The Texans remain 4 games back with four to play, but should see their reign as division champion officially come to an end very, very soon.
Jacksonville was eliminated in Week 12.
DIVISION LEADERS
1) Pittsburgh (11-1) | 2) Kansas City (11-1) | 3) Buffalo (9-3) | 4) Tennessee (8-4)
The ’72 Dolphins popped the champagne Monday night as the Steelers picked up their first loss of the year, losing their bid for perfection. But more importantly, the loss dropped them into a tie at the top of the conference with the Chiefs. The good news for the Steelers: The loss was to an NFC team, so they remain unbeaten in the AFC at 8-0. That gives them the edge over KC, who sits at 9-1 in the conference.
Oddly enough, the Chiefs clinched a playoff berth this weekend while the Steelers did not, despite them both sitting at 11-1, because tiebreakers are fickle mistresses.
Buffalo now sits 2 games out of the top seed with Tennessee 3 games out.
WILD CARDS
1) Cleveland (9-3) | 2) Miami (8-4) | 3) Indianapolis (8-4)
4) Las Vegas (7-5) | 5) Baltimore (7-5) | 6) New England (6-6)
The Browns hold their 1-game advantage over the rest of the AFC’s wild-card hopefuls after clinching their first winning season since 2007. Miami and Indy are tied at 1 game behind Cleveland but would both be in the postseason if it started today. The tiebreaker between them is conference record: Miami – 5-3; Indianapolis – 4-4.
From there, both Las Vegas and Baltimore sit just 1 game back. Vegas gets the edge over the Ravens due to AFC record: Las Vegas – 5-3; Baltimore – 4-5.
As for New England, they’ve completed the climb back to .500, and you can’t count them out of the equation as they sit just 2 games out of the final wild-card spot, but with just four games left, their margin for error is at zero.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
1) Denver (4-8) | 2) Houston (4-8)
AFC record separates the Broncos (4-5) from the Texans (3-6).
ELIMINATED
Los Angeles (3-9) | Cincinnati (2-9-1) | Jacksonville (1-11) | New York (0-12)
Add the Bolts and Bengals to the Jags and Jets under the “wait ‘til next year” banner.
Jacksonville and New York were eliminated in Week 12.
GAMES TO WATCH: WEEK 14
The Rams host New England on Thursday night in a matchup that could impact L.A.’s chances to win the West AND the Patriots’ waning viability for a postseason berth.
Miami hosts Kansas City in a game that could not only end up being a playoff preview but could also affect the Fins’ shot at winning the AFC East and KC’s bid for the #1 overall seed in the AFC.
The Vikings visit Tampa Bay needing to keep their winning ways rolling to slide into a wild-card spot, while the Bucs are hoping they regained their mojo in the bye week.
The Colts travel to Vegas in a game with major wild-card implications.
Buffalo hosts Pittsburgh in what should be a very physical matchup of division leaders on Sunday night.
Cleveland battles Baltimore on Monday night in an AFC North showdown that could carry even more weight if the Steelers fall again the night before.