The NFL is heading into the home stretch of the season with the conference races heating up. The Philadelphia Eagles have tied the Detroit Lions for the top seed in the NFC, but the Lions currently hold the tiebreaker due to having a better conference record. There are still plenty of games to sort out the race for home-field advantage in the NFC, as the Minnesota Vikings can also enter the picture for a top seed with a victory on Monday night.
In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs lead the Buffalo Bills by two games for the top seed in the conference -- yet Buffalo has an easy schedule to end the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have set themselves up for another battle for first in the AFC North next week while the Denver Broncos are on the verge of clinching a playoff berth after a Week 15 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Meanwhile, the Steelers and Texans are the latest to clinch playoff berths. Pittsburgh gets in despite losing to the Eagles, while Houston took down the Dolphins to win the AFC South. It needed help as the Broncos downed the Colts.
Below is a breakdown of the conference standings with Week 15 nearly in the books.
AFC playoff picture
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y - Chiefs | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 |
| 2 | y - Bills | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 |
| 3 | x - Steelers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 |
| 4 | y - Texans | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 |
| 5 | Ravens | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 |
| 6 | Broncos | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 |
| 7 | Chargers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 |
| 8 | Colts | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 |
| 9 | Dolphins | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 |
| 10 | Bengals | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 |
| 11 | e - Jets | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 |
| 12 | e - Browns | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 |
| 13 | e - Jaguars | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 |
| 14 | e - Titans | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 |
| 15 | e - Patriots | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 |
| 16 | e - Raiders | 2 | 11 | 0 | .154 |
y -- clinched division
x -- clinched playoff berth
e -- eliminated from playoffs
1. Kansas City Chiefs (13-1)
The Chiefs are up two games over the Bills for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. A Chiefs win and Bills loss in Week 16 would give Kansas City home-field advantage in the conference.
Remaining schedule: vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos
2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)
Buffalo trails Kansas City by two games for home-field advantage, but has the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Bills have one of the easiest schedules the rest of the way.
Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots, vs. Jets, at Patriots
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)
The playoff-bound Steelers lead the Ravens by one game in the AFC North after their loss to the Eagles (they also have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Baltimore), but travel to Baltimore on Saturday. Pittsburgh clinched a playoff berth this week despite losing to Philadelphia.
Remaining schedule: at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals
4. Houston Texans (9-5)
The Texans clinched the AFC South with their win over the Dolphins and the Colts' loss to the Broncos. They remain the No. 4 seed in the AFC and will have a home game in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans
5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
The Ravens hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Broncos for the No. 5 seed in the AFC and are one game behind the Steelers in the AFC North (Pittsburgh owns the tiebreaker). They host the Steelers on Saturday and can clinch a playoff berth with a win.
Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns
6. Denver Broncos (9-5)
The Broncos are a win away from clinching a playoff spot. They lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Ravens for the No. 5 seed.
Remaining schedule: at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs
7. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)
The Chargers fall to the No. 7 seed in the AFC after their loss to the Buccaneers. The Chargers play the Broncos next week with playoff seeding -- and a potential playoff clincher -- on the line.
Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-8)
The Colts are two games out of the final wild-card spot in the AFC, even with their loss to the Broncos (the Chargers lost to keep them alive). The Colts have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dolphins for the No. 8 seed by virtue of their Week 7 victory and own the tiebreaker over the Bengals based on having a better conference record (5-5) than Cincinnati (3-6).
Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Giants, vs. Jaguars
9. Miami Dolphins (6-8)
The Dolphins' AFC playoff hopes are still alive, even with their loss to the Texans. Miami is two games behind Los Angeles for the final playoff spot and holds the conference-record tiebreaker (5-5) over Cincinnati (3-6).
Remaining schedule: vs. 49ers, at Browns, at Jets
10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)
The Bengals remain the No. 10 seed in the AFC, needing significant help to earn a playoff berth. Cincinnati needs to jump multiple teams and win out to have a shot at the playoffs, as the Bengals are two games back of the Chargers and don't have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Broncos, at Steelers
Eliminated from playoff contention
Six teams are eliminated from the playoff race in the AFC: the Raiders, Patriots, Titans, Jets, Jaguars and Browns.
NFC playoff picture
| Rank | Team | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x - Lions | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 |
| 2 | x - Eagles | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 |
| 3 | Rams | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 |
| 4 | Buccaneers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 |
| 5 | x - Vikings | 11 | 2 | 0 | .846 |
| 6 | Packers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 |
| 7 | Commanders | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 |
| 8 | Seahawks | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 |
| 9 | Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 |
| 10 | Falcons | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 |
| 11 | 49ers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 |
| 12 | Cowboys | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 |
| 13 | Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 |
| 14 | e - Bears | 4 | 9 | 0 | .308 |
| 15 | e - Panthers | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 |
| 16 | e - Giants | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 |
x -- clinched playoff berth
e -- eliminated from playoffs
1. Detroit Lions (12-2)
The Lions remain the No. 1 seed in the conference even with their loss to the Bills due to having a better conference record (8-1) than the Eagles (7-2). They lead the division over the Vikings (own the head-to-head tiebreaker) no matter what Minnesota does on Monday.
Remaining schedule: at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2)
The Eagles remain in the hunt for home-field advantage, thanks to the Lions' loss, but Detroit still has the conference-record tiebreaker. Philadelphia can clinch the NFC East and the No. 2 seed with a win next week.
Remaining schedule: at Commanders, vs. Cowboys, vs. Giants
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
The Buccaneers still lead the NFC South after their win over the Chargers. Tampa Bay (6-3) holds the conference-record tiebreaker over Los Angeles (5-5) for the No. 3 seed. Atlanta has swept Tampa Bay this season, but the Buccaneers can take a commanding lead in the division with a Falcons loss on Monday.
Remaining schedule: at Cowboys, vs. Panthers, vs. Saints
4. Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
The Rams take over the NFC West lead with the Seahawks' loss to the Packers. Los Angeles holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle, which is how the Rams gained the division lead.
Remaining schedule: at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks
5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2)
Minnesota remains the top wild-card team in the conference, but can tie Detroit for first place in the NFC North with a win over the Bears Monday. Detroit will still have the division lead via the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Vikings also clinched a playoff berth this week, despite not having played yet.
Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4)
The Packers remain the No. 6 seed in the NFC after their win over the Seahawks. They can clinch a playoff berth as soon as next week.
Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears
7. Washington Commanders (9-5)
The Commanders lead the Seahawks by one game for the final playoff spot in the conference. They remain three back of the Eagles in the NFC East.
Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Cowboys
8. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
The Seahawks lost the NFC West lead due to their loss to the Packers, as the Rams own the head-to-head tiebreaker for the division lead. They remain one-game back of the Commanders for the final wild-card spot.
Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, at Bears, at Rams
9. Arizona Cardinals (7-7)
The Cardinals remain in the NFC West and wild-card hunt after their win over the Patriots. Arizona is two games behind Washington for the final wild-card spot.
Remaining schedule: at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers
10. Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
The Falcons need a win over the Raiders on "Monday Night Football" to keep pace with the Buccaneers in the NFC South.
Remaining schedule: at Raiders, vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers
11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8)
The 49ers' slim playoff hopes are still alive, even with their loss to the Rams. They are three games out of the final playoff spot, so their wild-card chances are almost nonexistent. They are two games behind the Rams and Seahawks in the NFC West.
Remaining schedule: at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Cardinals
12. Dallas Cowboys (6-8)
The Cowboys are still in the playoff hunt after their win over the Panthers on Sunday. One more loss by Dallas will eliminate the Cowboys from playoff contention.
Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Eagles, vs. Commanders
13. New Orleans Saints (5-9)
The Saints are three games out of the NFC South lead with three games to play. They will be eliminated from playoff contention with another loss.
Remaining schedule: at Packers, vs. Raiders, at Buccaneers
Eliminated from playoff contention
The Bears and Panthers joined the Giants as teams officially eliminated from the playoffs with losses in Week 15.