Week 16 has impacted both the AFC standings and the NFC playoff picture. Check out what’s going on.
Week 16 started on Thursday night, continued on Saturday with a pair of games, then some big Sunday contests will all impact the NFL Playoff Picture with the Monday night game buttoning up the week.
The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers were both in wild card spots heading into the week, and LA’s win has shifted the seeding.
On Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers played in a key AFC North matchup, with Baltimore coming out on top to even the two teams’ records. The Houston Texans lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday in a battle of division leaders.
On Sunday, there was a game between two playoff teams, too, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders playing a crazy game that went down to the wire. Washington overcame five turnovers to win.
With Sunday’s action likely to further impact the standings, we have all the info you need right here:
1. x-Detroit Lions (13-2, win over MIN, 9-1 NFC)
2. x-Philadelphia Eagles (12-3)
3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6, win over SEA, 5-5 NFC)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6, 6-3 NFC)
5. x-Minnesota Vikings (12-2, loss to DET)
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4)
7. Washington Commanders (10-5)
8. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
9. Atlanta Falcons (8-7, 7-3 NFC)
10. Arizona Cardinals (7-8, 3-6 NFC) — eliminated
11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8, win over DAL)
12. Dallas Cowboys (6-8, loss to SF) — eliminated
13. New Orleans Saints (5-9)
14. Chicago Bears (4-11) — eliminated
15. Carolina Panthers (4-11) — eliminated
16. New York Giants (2-13) — eliminated
1. y-Kansas City Chiefs (14-1)
2. y-Buffalo Bills (11-3)
3. x-Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5, 7-3 AFC)
4. y-Houston Texans (9-6)
5. x-Baltimore Ravens (10-5, 6-4 AFC)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6, wins over DEN)*
7. Denver Broncos (9-6, losses to LA)*
8. Indianapolis Colts (7-8, 6-5 AFC, win over MIA)*
9. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8, 4-6 AFC)*
10. Miami Dolphins (6-8, 5-5 AFC, loss to IND)*
11. New York Jets (4-11) — eliminated
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11, win over TEN, loss to CLE, win over NE) — eliminated
13. New England Patriots (3-11, losses to JAX) — eliminated
14. Cleveland Browns (3-12, 1-4 in common opoonents vs TEN) — eliminated
15. Tennessee Titans (3-12, 0-4 in common opponents with CLE) — eliminated
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) — eliminated
Teams with an asterisk (*) have been eliminated from divisional contention
Teams with an (x) have clinched a playoff spot
Teams with a (y) have clinched their division
The Commanders further solidified their spot in the playoffs, beating one of the most complete teams in the NFL. Jayden Daniels scored five touchdowns but the Commanders were able to overcome the miscues to win.
The Eagles’ 10-game winning streak ended on the same day QB Jalen Hurts left the game with a concussion. Philly wasn’t able to secure the NFC East title and they fell a game behind Detroit for the one seed. Just a killer afternoon for the Eagles.
KC can’t seem to lose in close games, with 15 straight wins in one-score contests. They had another one on Saturday and their magic number to clinch the one seed is one. They can do it with a win on Christmas now.
The Ravens evened the record with the Steelers on Saturday, but Pittsburgh stays in the lead in the AFC North thanks to their conference record. The AFC North is going to come down to the wire, but both teams are in the postseason.
The Rams defeated the New York Jets to stay in first place in the NFC West. Their defense stepped up in a big way in the last two weeks, holding the Jets and 49ers under 10 points.
The Lions are in a huge fight for the one seed in the NFC and the division crown in the NFC North, and they made easy work of the division-rival Bears on Sunday. Moving to 13-2 will keep them in first place until at least next weekend.
The Bengals had another win on the arm of Joe Burrow, and moved to 7-8. The Colts took down the Titans to move to 7-8. With two games left, both teams are two games behind both the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos in the AFC wild card race.
The Falcons switched from Kirk Cousins this week and blew out the New York Giants. Atlanta is a half-game behind the Bucs for first place in the NFC South with Tampa playing on Sunday night football. We will keep following.
The Cardinals rallied to force overtime, but couldn’t get the offense churning in the extra period. The loss eliminated Arizona from the playoff race in both the wild card and the NFC West. Carolina finally won one of the close games.
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 while the Philadelphia Eagles joined them on Sunday. The Houston Texans won the AFC South in Week 15 while the Minnesota Vikings sewed up their spot before they even played in Week 15. The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched a playoff spot in Week 15 despite losing. The Baltimore Ravens joined the part on Saturday of Week 16 by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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 Broncos win on Monday night, they eliminated the Jaguars from the playoffs. In Week 14, the Browns joined the list. The Week 15 elimination group includes the Bears and Panthers.
