Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Members of our staff forecast the 2019 NFL postseason all the way through Super Bowl LIV.
Members of The Huddle’s team made predictions of how the NFL playoffs will shake out, all the way through Super Bowl LIV.
The lowest remaining seed advances to the highest remaining team, and the scores are listed in parentheses.
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The Vikings will travel to play the Saints in the wild card round of the 2019 playoffs.
The Vikings will travel to play the Saints in the wild card round of the 2019 playoffs.
The game will be in New Orleans. Kickoff is set for 12:05 p.m. CT.
The game will air on FOX.
It does seem somewhat of a surprise the Vikings aren’t in the Saturday night primetime spot considering their history with the Saints.
The rest of the wild card round is as follows:
Saturday, 3:35 p.m. CT: Bills at Texans (ESPN/ABC)
Saturday, 7:15 p.m. CT: Titans at Patriots (CBS)
Sunday, 3:40 p.m. CT: Seahawks at Eagles (NBC)
The Baltimore Ravens are fighting for the No. 1 seed, first-round bye and home-field advantage in the postseason in Week 16.
The Baltimore Ravens lead the NFL with their 12-2 record and have stacked the 2020 Pro Bowl roster with their own players. But the ultimate goal is getting into the postseason and going all the way to Super Bowl LIV. Well, the Ravens are well on their way to that goal too.
After beating the New York Jets in Week 15, Baltimore cemented themselves as the AFC North champions. It’s their second-consecutive AFC North crown and guarantees them no worse than the No. 3 seed. But in Week 16, the Ravens can lock up the No. 1 seed, giving them the option of resting in Week 17.
The No. 1 seed would give Baltimore a ton of benefits. For one, they’d get a first-round bye in the postseason, giving them a little extra rest at the end of the season. The Ravens would also host all AFC playoff games and they tend to be a far better team when playing in front of the hometown Baltimore crowd.
For the Ravens to drop down to the No. 3 seed, they’d have to lose both remaining games (against the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers) while both the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots win out. While unlikely to happen, it’s not completely ruled out yet.
Take a look at the AFC playoff picture entering Week 16:
| Seed | Team | Overall record | Conference record |
| 1 | Baltimore Ravens | 12-2 | 8-2 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | 11-3 | 7-3 |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | 10-4 | 8-3 |
| 4 | Houston Texans | 9-5 | 8-3 |
| 5 | Buffalo Bills | 10-4 | 7-3 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-6 | 6-4 |
If the playoffs started right now, the Ravens would have a first-round bye and then play the lowest remaining seed. That would end up being a rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills or Houston Texans.
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Can the Broncos still make the NFL playoffs this season?
After starting 3-8, the Denver Broncos were longshots to reach the 2019 NFL playoffs. Quarterback Drew Lock won his first two starts, though, renewing optimism that the team could finish 8-8 and sneak into the postseason as the AFC’s No. 6 seed.
After Sunday’s 23-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver’s hopes of a late-season push have been crushed. The Broncos are now officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 5-9 record.
Even if Denver won its final two games and ended the year 7-9, that wouldn’t be enough to make the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans already have eight wins so the Broncos could not catch up to them.
The Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders are also within reach of eight wins, ruling out the possibility of Denver making the playoffs with a losing record. This marks the third-straight year the Broncos have finished with a losing record.
Denver will host the Detroit Lions on Sunday and the Raiders in Week 17. Already eliminated from postseason contention, Denver will be playing for pride and the future. Lock is 2-1 as a starter so far this year.
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As the Bears look to keep their playoff hopes alive, they need to beat the Packers, but they need some help from the Cowboys and Chargers.
No matter how you look at it, the Chicago Bears’ playoff hopes are slim. But they’re not out of it yet, not with a current 2% chance at making the playoffs. The Bears are still very much “in the hunt” for a Wild Card playoff berth.
While the Bears could still win the NFC North (while a long shot, a real possibility), their best bet of getting into the playoffs remains as a Wild Card team.
Sitting at 7-6, the Bears are currently one game out of that final Wild Card spot, where they’re battling the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams for that sixth seed.
The Bears need to take care of business in their final three games — including today’s game against the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings — they’re going to need a lot of help from the teams playing the Vikings and Rams in the final three games.
Let’s take a look at the two games that Bears fans should keep an eye on (should the Bears beat the Packers) in the NFC playoff race in Week 15:
When looking at the final three games on Minnesota’s schedule, this is the game that they could win and the Bears could still feel really good looking ahead. With Green Bay and Chicago left on the schedule, the Vikings would need to lose out for the Bears to have a chance at a Wild Card berth.
The Chargers are a lot better than their 5-8 record would indicate, and they’ve beaten both the Bears and Packers this season. So as the Vikings travel to Los Angeles, there’s definitely a chance that the Chargers could pull out the win.
Rams (8-5) vs. Cowboys (6-7)
Unlike the Vikings-Chargers game, this is a game that the Rams absolutely have to lose if the Bears are going to have a shot at the playoffs. Like the Vikings, the Rams need to lose two of their last three games. Los Angeles will play the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals in the final three weeks. Stranger things have happened, but the Rams are not going to lose to the Cardinals. So they need to lose their next two just for the Bears to have a shot.
While the Cowboys, coming off a loss to the Bears, appear to be in free-fall, they’re still very much alive in the race for the NFC East. In fact, it’s that desperation mode that should have Bears fans feeling good about the Cowboys’ chances of beating the Rams in Dallas.
While the Bears are clinging to slim playoff hopes, they’re still in the hunt for a playoff spot — and maybe even a division title.
The Chicago Bears are playing meaningful football in December for the second straight year. And while the Bears are clinging to slim playoff hopes heading into these final three games, they’re still in the hunt for that final Wild Card spot.
While the Bears need to win out in their last three games, they also need a lot of help in terms of the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams both losing two of their last three games.
The Vikings have the Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers and Bears left on their schedule. The Rams have the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals remaining. So it’s definitely possible, but certainly not a guarantee by any means.
But believe it or not, there’s actually a scenario where the Bears could still win the NFC North.
I kid you not.
Here’s what would need to happen for the Bears to win the NFC North:
That would then set up a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North at 10-6, and the Bears would win the tiebreaker with the best division record at 5-1.
Now, of all the scenarios that could happen, this feels like the least likely. Sure, the Bears could win out (especially with the way they’ve been playing). Sure, the Vikings could lose to the Bears. Sure, the Packers could lose to the Bears and Vikings. But the Packers losing to the David Blough-led Lions in Week 17 just doesn’t seem in the realm of possibility.
The likelihood that the Bears make the playoffs isn’t good. FiveThirtyEight gives the Bears a 2% chance to make the playoffs as of Saturday. Stranger things have happened, but we shall see.
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The Baltimore’s Week 15 win and the New England Patriots losing to the Kansas City Chiefs helped extend the Ravens’ lead on the top seed
The Baltimore Ravens are officially going to the playoffs. After defeating the Buffalo Bills 24-17 in Week 14, the Ravens punched their ticket to the dance and will be on their way no matter what else happens this season.
But a hard-fought victory deserved a little extra love, which Baltimore got thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs defeated the New England Patriots to help extend the Ravens’ lead for the No. 1 seed. Baltimore now holds what is effectively a 1.5-game lead for the top seed thanks to their head-to-head tiebreaker over the Patriots due to their Week 9 win.
Take a look at the AFC playoff picture after Week 14:
| Seed | Team | Overall record | Conference record |
| 1 | Baltimore Ravens | 11-2 | 7-2 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | 10-3 | 6-3 |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | 9-4 | 7-3 |
| 4 | Houston Texans | 8-5 | 7-3 |
| 5 | Buffalo Bills | 9-4 | 6-3 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-5 | 6-3 |
The Ravens haven’t locked up their own division quite yet with the Steelers picking up a close win of their own over the Arizona Cardinals. But with a win next week, Baltimore can officially close the book on the division for the season regardless of how Pittsburgh fares.
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With the Bears “in the hunt” for a Wild Card berth, they need the Vikings and Rams to lose 2 of their last 4 games — starting in Week 14.
Following a convincing win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, the Chicago Bears are very much “in the hunt” for a playoff berth.
Sitting at 7-6, the Bears are currently one game out of that final Wild Card spot, where they’re battling the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams for that sixth seed.
While the Bears need to take care of business in their final three games — including matchups against Green Bay, Kansas City and Minnesota — they still need some help from teams facing the Vikings and Rams in these final four games.
Let’s take a look at the two games that Bears fans should keep an eye on in the NFC playoff race in Week 14:
While it’s possible the Lions could beat the Vikings, it’s not likely. Not with Detroit down to their third-string quarterback David Blough and with one of the NFL’s worst defenses. Then there’s the fact that the Vikings offense has been efficient and kept up with the Seahawks in last Monday’s loss.
The Vikings are still very much battling the Packers for the NFC North title or, at worst, a Wild Card spot. While the Bears essentially need to win out to have a shot at that final playoff spot, they also need the Vikings to lose two of their final four games. While one of those is not likely to be against the Lions on Sunday, Minnesota does have to play the Packers (Week 16) and Bears (Week 17), both of which could be losses.
This is certainly the most important game of the week as the Rams will host the NFC’s current No. 1 seed in the Seahawks.
The Seahawks are battling the 49ers for the NFC West title — and a top seed in the playoffs — which means that these final four games are crucial. Following a hard-fought victory over the Vikings last Monday night, expect to see a focused Seahawks team come Sunday night. Although we certainly know that division games sometimes have a way of surprising people.
If the Bears can win out in their final three games, the Rams need to lose two of their last four games for Chicago to sneak past them for that final Wild Card spot. Luckily, the Rams still have to face the Seahawks (Week 14) and 49ers (Week 16) this season.
The Buffalo Bills have a chance to earn a playoff berth this weekend.
The last time the Buffalo Bills made the playoffs, they earned their playoff berth in the dramatic fashion. It took a Week 17 victory against the Dolphins coupled with a Baltimore Ravens loss to propel the Bills to a playoff spot.
However, their fate was not solidified that season until the famous last-minute 49-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Andy Dalton to Tyler Boyd to officially quell the Ravens’ playoff hopes.
This year, Buffalo may not have to wait as long to earn their postseason spot. Even so, it will include a familiar participant from the 2017 playoff picture.
Buffalo faces off against the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. In order for the Bills to clinch a playoff berth, they need to take care of their own business at New Era Field. First, Buffalo needs to defeat the Ravens.
That’s only the first step in the process. After that point, things are a bit more complicated.
The Bills will need help from some underdogs to officially be a part of the 2019 postseason as early as Week 14.
Here are the other situations that need to fall into Buffalo’s favor this weekend:
Now, the number of things that need to occur for Buffalo to clinch this weekend is a bit daunting. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. After all, the Bills weren’t supposed to silence the crown in Dallas and demoralize the Cowboys on Thanksgiving in front of a national audience.
Even if the Bills were to lose this weekend, there is still some good news. The team will still hold a playoff spot after this weekend no matter the outcome of Week 14 action, as the Bills currently have a two-game cushion on the next Wild Card team, currently the 7-5 Pittsburgh Steelers.
But a victory this weekend will further declare that the Bills should be considered among the best in the AFC this season. A win will also keep them within arm’s reach of the AFC East-leading New England Patriots and (dare I say) have a shot at dethroning the six-time champions from the top of the division by the end of the season.
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The Baltimore Ravens handled their business while the New England Patriots faltered in Week 13. That moves the Ravens to the No. 1 seed.
With the New England Patriots’ loss to the Houston Texans, the Baltimore Ravens move into the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture. As of right now, the postseason runs through Baltimore. Let’s look at how it happened this week.
Week 13 was the toughest test for the Ravens and a potential chance for them to fall or rise in the AFC playoff picture. But by handling their business and pulling out a close 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Ravens put themselves in a great spot at the end of the season. But Baltimore isn’t alone in the conference and there are six playoff berths open.
The Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs all won in Week 13, which helped them keep pace in the AFC playoff picture. However, Houston’s win over New England put the Patriots into a 10-2 tie with the Ravens. Thanks to their Week 9 win, Baltimore holds a head-to-head tiebreaker that gives them a half-game lead for the top spot.
Things are far from settled in the AFC playoff picture at this point but the cream is clearly rising to the top of the conference. With seven teams truly in the hunt, it’s seemingly just a matter of what seeds everyone earns and who they’ll be playing after Week 17.
Let’s take a look at the playoff race as it stands following Week 13.
| Seed | Team | Overall record | Conference record |
| 1 | Baltimore Ravens | 10-2 | 6-2 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | 10-2 | 6-2 |
| 3 | Houston Texans | 8-4 | 7-2 |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | 8-4 | 6-3 |
| 5 | Buffalo Bills | 9-3 | 6-2 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-5 | 6-3 |
With just four games remaining, it’s getting down to crunch time in the conference for playoff seeding. While it seems like destiny for the Ravens to make the postseason, they haven’t officially locked in a spot quite yet. However, if they beat the Buffalo Bills and get some help in Week 14, they could clinch a playoff berth.
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