Here’s what the NFL playoff picture looks like with Week 15 Sunday games completed:
FCA
x – 1. Buffalo Bills (11-3), AFC East leaders: They stayed on course to stay in snow-covered Orchard Park throughout January and took another step toward this Saturday night by stitching up the top spot in the conference playoffs with a win over Miami. Remaining schedule: to the Bears, to the Bengals, vs. patriots
y – 2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3), AFC West champions: Their loss to the Bills in Week 6 would currently mean the road to the AFC crown would be through Buffalo. But on the plus side, even though it took overtime to defeat the Houston Texans, KC won its seventh straight division title on Sunday. And the upcoming schedule suggests the No. 1 seed remains a distinct possibility if the Bills travel. Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks vs. Broncos at Raiders
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3. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4), AFC North leaders: The defending AFC champions passed the division-beaten Ravens on Saturday due to Baltimore’s loss at Cleveland and extended their lead with a win at Tampa on Sunday. However, Cincinnati faces a much more daunting schedule ahead of a potentially crucial Week 18 rematch with the Ravens. Remaining schedule: at Patriots vs. Invoices vs. crows
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4. Tennessee Titans (7-7), AFC South leaders: Losing four in a row, they look like a unique postseason team for the third year in a row…assuming they go that far with Jacksonville closing in on them quickly in the division. Remaining schedule: vs. Texans, against. Cowboys at Jaguars
5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5), wild card No. 1: Near-term opponents look favorable, but the Ravens couldn’t get past the Browns on Saturday without injured QB Lamar Jackson, who could return for Week 16. Tying Cincinnati’s record, which Baltimore sees again in Week 18, bodes good for Ravens. They have already beaten the Bengals and have a better division record. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons vs. Steelers, Bengals
6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6), wild card No. 2: QB Justin Herbert’s laser in the final minute helped the Bolts pull the rabbit out of a hat against Tennessee, moving LA from eighth to sixth place – last week’s win over the Miami Chargers – allowing the Chargers to pass the Dolphins. Remaining schedule: at Colts vs. Rams at Broncos
7. Miami Dolphins (8-6), wild card No. 3: A third straight loss leaves them on the precipice of the playoffs. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, Patriots, vs. Jets
8. New England Patriots (7-7), off the field: A shocking loss to the Raiders knocks them out of wildcard position. Sweep of Jets keep Pats ahead of New York. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals vs. Dolphins, to Bills
9. New York Jets (7-7), off the field: The crushing loss to Detroit leaves their playoff hopes on life support as they face a short deadline for Thursday night’s date with Jacksonville – not much time for injured QB Mike White to heal . Remaining schedule: vs. Jaguars, at Seahawks, at Dolphins
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8), out of playoff field: They won four of six to return to relevance. That could be a bigger threat to the AFC South-leading Titans than other wild-card contenders. A superior conference record (5-4) elevates the Jags ahead of Cleveland and Las Vegas. Remaining schedule: to the Jets, to the Texans, vs. Titans
11. Las Vegas Raiders (6-8), out of playoff scope: A stunning loss to the Rams in Week 14 erased by an even more mind-blowing escape from New England on Sunday. Remaining schedule: to the Steelers, against. 49ers vs Chiefs
12. Cleveland Browns (6-8), off the playoff field: These are obviously long shots, but the remaining opponents could give them a chance to sneak into the field if there is adequate attention from the teams currently ahead of them. Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, at Commanders, at Steelers
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8), out of playoff field: The playoffs still look like a pipe dream, especially with coach Mike Tomlin’s first loss in the first season. And yet, leading the table is not out of the question. Remaining schedule: vs. Raiders, to Ravens, against Raiders. Browns
NFC
x – 1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-1), leaders NFC East: Tough win in Chicago, but Philly kept two games away from the field in a continued effort to secure the No. 1 seed. The Eagles will earn the NFC East, first-round bye and home-court advantage by defeating Dallas in Week 16. Remaining schedule: to the Cowboys, against. saints versus giants
y – 2. Minnesota Vikings (11-3), NFC North champions: The historic comeback from a 33-point deficit against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday afternoon, the largest in league history in either the regular season or the playoffs, allowed the Vikes to win the division and stay vying for the first-round bye and home-court advantage. Remaining schedule: vs. Giants, at Packers, at Bears
y – 3. San Francisco 49ers (10-4), NFC West champions: The first team to clinch a division crown in the 2022 season with Thursday night’s win at Seattle. The Niners’ previous two NFC West titles (2012, 2019) have led to Super Bowl berths. Remaining schedule: vs. Commanders, at Raiders, against Raiders. Cardinals
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8), leaders NFC South: They squandered a 17-0 lead over Cincinnati on Sunday, losing their third game in the last four weeks. But Week 15 wasn’t so bad, with the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons losing. That leaves all of the Bucs’ divisional chasers, including the New Orleans Saints, with 5-9 registers. Remaining schedule: to cardinals, vs. Panthers, at Falcons
x – 5. Dallas Cowboys (10-4), wild card No. 1: The overtime loss at Jacksonville cost them the chance to clinch a playoff berth between the lines. However, the Commanders’ loss on Sunday night secured a spot for Dallas, who must now run the table and hope Philadelphia loses to do better than a wild card. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Titans, at Commanders
6. New York Giants (8-5-1), wild card No. 2: They stopped the bleeding against Washington and exponentially increased their chances of a surprise playoff entry…even though, sorry Big Blue fans, you helped Dallas. Remaining schedule: at Vikings, vs. Colts at Eagles
7. Washington Commanders (7-6-1), wild card No. 3: They still control the fate of the playoffs, but an upcoming trip to Silicon Valley could quickly change that. Remaining schedule: at 49ers, vs. Browns vs. cowboys
8. Seattle Seahawks (7-7), out of playoff field: Thursday’s loss was their fourth in the past five games as they continue to slow the pace of the playoffs with two tough games to come. The Week 4 win at Detroit keeps them ahead of the Lions. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Jets versus Rams
9. Detroit Lions (7-7), off the field: The long-term bid for the NFC North throne officially evaporated on Saturday. But odds are growing they could become the first team since 1990 to beat a 1-6 start and reach the playoffs after barely outlasting the Jets on Sunday. Remaining schedule: to the Panthers, against. Bears, at Packers
x – unhooked berth
y – unhooked division
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
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