NFL Playoff Bracket Eventualities 2024-25 Week 16: Image After Falcons, Vikings Win

The Detroit Lions have been on cruise management for a lot of the season, however their NFC North lead is not even secure heading into the stretch run.

That’s as a result of the Minnesota Vikings pulled even with Detroit at 12-2 due to Monday’s win over the Chicago Bears, which means solely the tiebreaker is preserving the Lions forward at this level. These two groups are additionally battling with the 12-2 Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 1 seed and first-round bye within the convention.

Elsewhere, the Atlanta Falcons picked up an essential win over the Las Vegas Raiders to stay inside one recreation of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within the NFC South.

Atlanta has the tiebreaker after sweeping the season sequence, so it nonetheless has a golden alternative to make a late cost regardless of Tampa Bay’s place in first place.

Here’s a have a look at the place they and everybody else stands with Week 15 formally within the books.

Division Leaders

1. Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (13-1)

2. Buffalo Payments (11-3)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)

4. Houston Texans (9-5)

Wildcard

5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)

6. Denver Broncos (9-5)

7. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)

On the Bubble

8. Indianapolis Colts (6-8)

9. Miami Dolphins (6-8)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)

Eradicated

11. New York Jets (4-10)

12. Cleveland Browns (3-11)

13. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11)

14. Tennessee Titans (3-11)

15. New England Patriots (3-11)

16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)

The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are nonetheless safely atop the AFC standings following Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, however they’re going through a brand new concern.

NFL Community’s Ian Rapoport reported Patrick Mahomes is “thought of to be week-to-week” with an ankle harm he suffered in that victory. Contemplating Kansas Metropolis faces three groups in playoff place within the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos to complete the season, that No. 1 seed is not a assure.

That’s very true given the best way Josh Allen is enjoying.

He accounted for 4 touchdowns as his Buffalo Payments went on the highway and defeated the Lions 48-42 after he scored six touchdowns within the earlier loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Buffalo finishes with three straight video games towards the eradicated New York Jets and New England Patriots, so it will be stunning if it did not win out.

The Payments even have the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head win over Kansas Metropolis in Week 11, so the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it’s nonetheless inside attain if the Chiefs slip up with Mahomes coping with his harm.

Mahomes and Allen aren’t the one elite quarterbacks to observe down the stretch, as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have received two in a row and are all of a sudden two again of the Los Angeles Chargers for the ultimate wild-card spot after the AFC West workforce misplaced two in a row.

Cincinnati should win out to have an opportunity, although, because the Chargers have the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head win over the Bengals in Week 11.

However there’s nonetheless an opportunity so long as Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase proceed to torch opposing defenses.

Division Leaders

1. Detroit Lions (12-2)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2)

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)

4. Los Angeles Rams (8-6)

Wild Card

5. Minnesota Vikings (12-2)

6. Inexperienced Bay Packers (10-4)

7. Washington Commanders (9-5)

On the Bubble

8. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)

9. Atlanta Falcons (7-7)

10. Arizona Cardinals (7-7)

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8)

12. Dallas Cowboys (6-8)

13. New Orleans Saints (5-9)

Eradicated

14. Chicago Bears (4-10)

15. Carolina Panthers (3-11)

16. New York Giants (2-12)

To say issues are heating up within the race for the highest seed within the NFC could be an understatement.

Detroit has sat atop the standings for a lot of the season, but it surely fell to 12-2 with Sunday’s loss to the Payments. What’s extra, accidents are beginning to catch as much as the NFC North leaders to the purpose the place they could have to start out the playoffs on the highway as a wild-card workforce.

That Week 18 contest towards the Vikings looms as a possible difference-maker in each the division and the battle for the No. 1 seed.

Then there’s Philadelphia, which overcame the drama surrounding the connection between Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown with a convincing victory over the Steelers. The Eagles have now received 10 in a row following an inconsistent 2-2 begin and are primed to leap into that prime spot whereas the NFC North groups are battling one another.

Whereas the race for the No. 1 seed is producing probably the most headlines, the NFC West can also be up for grabs.

The 7-7 Arizona Cardinals defeated the Patriots and are only one recreation behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Los Angeles moved into first place due to its win over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday and Seattle’s loss to the Inexperienced Bay Packers on Sunday, though the 2 groups face one another in Week 18.

Just like the race between Detroit and Minnesota, that ultimate recreation of the common season could possibly be the deciding issue.