Heading into Week 16, nearly half of the NFL’s teams already have been eliminated from playoff contention.
The season essentially is over for the Bears, Cardinals, Giants, Lions, Falcons, Redskins, Panthers and Buccaneers in the NFC. In the AFC, the same is true for the Bengals, Broncos, Chargers, Dolphins, Jets, Jaguars and Colts.
Only 17 teams still have a shot at the Super Bowl. That’s the lowest amount of teams in this position this late in the season since 2007. But that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of excitement. Many things remain undecided and some of them could be decided this week.
Let’s take a look into the playoff situation for this week.
The AFC playoff picture at the moment
1. Ravens (12-2): The Ravens already have clinched the AFC North. They can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win against Cleveland or a tie paired with either a tie or a loss by either the Patriots or Chiefs.
2. Patriots (11-3): The Patriots already have clinched a playoff spot. They can clinch the division with a win or tie against Buffalo. They also can clinch a first-round by with a win or tie combined with a tie or loss by the Chiefs.
3. Chiefs (10-4): The Chiefs already have clinched the AFC West. They can’t clinch anything more this week.
4. Texans (9-5): The Texans haven’t clinched anything just yet. But they can clinch an AFC South title with a win against the Buccaneers combined with a tie or loss by the Steelers. A tie combined with a tie by the Steelers would earn Houston a wild-card spot.
5. Bills (10-4): The Bills already have clinched a playoff berth. They can’t clinch anything more this week.
6. Steelers (8-6): The Steelers haven’t clinched anything yet. But they currently hold the tiebreaker on the Titans due to a better conference record.
Still in the picture
Titans (8-6): Tennessee can’t be eliminated from playoff contention this week. But the Titans can be eliminated from AFC South contention if the Texans clinch the division.
Browns (6-8): Cleveland’s chances of making the postseason. If the Browns lose to or tie the Ravens this week, they’re out of the playoffs. They also will be eliminated with wins or ties by the Steelers, Titans or Colts.
Raiders (6-8): Oakland also is a long shot. A loss or tie to the Chargers will eliminate the Raiders. They also will be eliminated with wins or ties by the Steelers, Titans or Colts.