Week 14 saw a major shake-up in the NFL playoff picture. In the AFC, we have five teams within two games of the number-one seed in the conference and a six-way tie for the last two playoff spots. Meanwhile, in the NFC, three teams are tied at 10-3 at the top of the conference, the NFC South has the top three teams at 6-7, and seven teams are within one game of the final Wild Card spot.
AFC Playoff Picture
- Baltimore Ravens (10-3)
- Miami Dolphins (9-4)
- Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5)
- Cleveland Browns (8-5)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
- Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
In the hunt: Houston Texans (7-6) Denver Broncos (7-6), Cincinnati Bengals (7-6), Buffalo Bills (7-6), Los Angeles Chargers (5-8), Las Vegas Raiders (5-8), New York Jets (5-8), Tennessee Titans (5-8)
Eliminated: New England Patriots (3-10)
The Bills-Chiefs matchup provided the most intrigue heading into the Sunday slate. In a devastating loss, Kansas City’s chances of claiming the No. 1 spot in the AFC are further out of reach as Buffalo remains in the fight for a Wild Card spot.
MORE: Should the Dolphins Root for the Chiefs or Bills in Week 14?
The Colts and Bengals are also fighting for Wild Card spots, with their matchup being of great importance. With the Bengals winning, they rose in the rankings and now hold the seventh spot. In the AFC South, the Jaguars will look to retain their lead while the Browns look for a Wild Card spot, making for another intriguing matchup.
The Ravens have a strong lead in the AFC North and took down the Rams, who are still in the fight for a Wild Card berth in the NFC. Baltimore holds a two-game lead over Cleveland in the division. The Ravens also ended the week atop the AFC standings thanks to results elsewhere
Monday Night Football saw one of the shocks of the week as the Dolphins were beaten thanks to a late comeback by the Titans. Miami missed the chance to go back to the top of the AFC standings. They now have little margin for error and the race for the number one seed in the AFC could come down to their Week 17 game in Baltimore.
In Week 14, The Patriots were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
NFC Playoff Picture
- San Francisco 49ers (10-3)
- Dallas Cowboys (10-3)
- Detroit Lions (9-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
- Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)
- Minnesota Vikings (7-6)
- Green Bay Packers (6-7)
In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (6-7), Los Angeles Rams (6-7), Atlanta Falcons (6-7), New Orleans Saints (6-7), New York Giants (5-8), Chicago Bears (5-8), Washington Commanders (4-9), Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
Eliminated: Carolina Panthers (1-12)
The most important matchup this week was the Eagles at Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. The game had heavy implications for determining the NFC East and the No. 1 seed in the conference.
With the Cowboys’ win, they now jump the Eagles for the second seed in the NFC, moving the 49ers into the top seed.
Otherwise, in the NFC South, the Falcons had the chance to increase their lead as they led Tampa Bay and New Orleans by one game in the division race. The Buccaneers took down the Falcons and now hold the top spot in the division due to conference records.
In the NFC North, the Lions are in prime position to take the title and should have been able to cushion that even more with a win over the Bears. Instead, they fell to Chicago 28-13. Detroit has a two-game lead in the division over the Vikings, with an outside shot still at the No. 1 seed.
The Packers remained seventh in the NFC despite their surprise Monday Night Football loss to the Giants. They are now atop a five-way tie at 6-7 based on NFL playoff tiebreakers. The result also kept the Giants in the playoff picture heading into Week 15. There are seven teams within one game of the final playoff spot with four weeks to play.
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