When Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season finally came to a close, the playoff picture was pretty confusing.
In the AFC alone, six teams boasted records of 7 wins and 6 losses, all vying for the final two wild card spots. In the NFC, the same team has too many teams with a 6-7 record, so if it comes to the playoffs, they have to rely on multiple tiebreakers to see who gets in and who gets eliminated. did.
Thanks to this weekend's results, the picture is a little clearer. There are still two games left this week – sunday night football tiles between baltimore ravens And that jacksonville jaguarsand a large NFC collision occurred between. philadelphia eagles And that seattle seahawks Monday night — but here's how things stand right now.
We'll be updating our NFL playoff photos this week after each of the last two games.
Also, before we get started, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the NFL. Tie-break procedure. We're going to use them…a lot.
NFC
right now
1. san francisco 49ers (11-3)
Games remaining: Ravens, Commanders, Rams
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)
Number of games remaining: seahawksGiants, Cardinals, Giants
3. detroit lions (10-4)
Remaining games: Vikings, Cowboys, Vikings
Four. tampa bay buccaneers (7-7)
Remaining games: Jaguars, Saints, Panthers games
Five. dallas cowboys (10-4)
Number of games remaining: Dolphinin Lions and Commanders
6. minnesota vikings (7-7)
Remaining games: Lions; packersat Lions
7. Los Angeles Rams (7-7)
Games remaining: Saints, Giants, 49ers
in the hunt
8. new orleans saints (7-7)
Remaining games: Rams, Buccaneers, Falcons
9. Seattle Seahawks (6-7)
Remaining games: Eagles, Titans; steelerswith the Cardinals
Ten. atlanta falcons (6-8)
Games remaining: Colts, Bears, Saints
11. Green Bay Packers (6-8)
Remaining games: Panthers, Vikings, Bears
You can start at the top with NFC. San Francisco inched closer to first place with the win over the Cardinals. Dallas' loss to the Bills will knock them out of first place in the NFC East for the time being, but they could return to first place if the Eagles lose to the Seahawks on Monday night.
It wasn't all bad news for the Cowboys, who clinched a playoff spot thanks to losses to the Packers and Falcons. Philadelphia also qualified for the playoffs based on results in other games.
The Saints, Rams, and Vikings are all tied for a wild-card spot at 7-7. Minnesota has a tiebreaker advantage over both teams due to its superior record in the conference. In the conference, the Vikings are 6-3, the Rams are 5-4, and the Saints are 4-5.
This leaves the Saints and Rams competing for the final playoff spot, with the Rams currently favored in the NFC at 5-4, while the Saints have a 4-5 record in the conference as outlined above. I'm leaving it behind.
But these two teams face each other on Thursday night, and that game suddenly looms large.
NFC playoff matchups if the postseason started today
If the NFC playoffs started today, Wild Card Weekend would feature three matchups:
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
- Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The San Francisco 49ers will receive the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC and will receive a bye in the first round.
A.F.C.
right now
1. baltimore ravens (10-3)
Remaining games: Jaguars, 49ers, Dolphins, Steelers
2. Miami Dolphins (10-4)
Remaining games: Cowboys, Ravens, Bills
3. kansas city chiefs (9-5)
Remaining games: Raiders, Bengals, charger
Four. jacksonville jaguars (8-5)
Games remaining: Ravens, Buccaneers, Panthers, Titans
Five. cleveland browns (9-5)
Number of games remaining: texansJets, Bengals
6. cincinnati bengals (8-6)
Remaining games: Steelers, Chiefs, Browns
7. indianapolis colts (8-6)
Remaining games: Falcons, Raiders, texans
in the hunt
8. Houston Texans (8-6)
Remaining games: Browns, Titans, Colts.
9. buffalo bills (8-6)
Games remaining: Chargers, Patriots, Dolphins
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
Remaining games: Bengals, Seahawks, Ravens
11. denver broncos (7-7)
Remaining games: Patriots, Chargers, Raiders
Let's start at the top. With Sunday's win over the Jets, the Dolphins improved to 10-4 on the year. However, they are still behind the Ravens for the top spot in the conference. However, if Baltimore loses tonight, Miami, which has a better record in the conference, will slide into the top spot.
The Bengals are tied with the Colts, Bills and Texans for the final two spots. Under tiebreak rules, the two AFC South teams will play each other until one survives. In the process, the Colts “eliminated” the Texans because Indianapolis had a better head-to-head record.
Then between the three of us. Among the remaining teams, Cincinnati slides into 6th place as they have wins over both Indianapolis and Buffalo. Between Indianapolis and Buffalo, the Colts have the better conference record, so they fall to seventh place, and the Bills fall out of the playoffs.
Between the Texans and Bills, Houston currently has the advantage due to their better conference record. That puts the Texans in 8th place and the Bills in 9th place.
AFC playoff brackets if the postseason started now
If the AFC Playoffs started today, Wild Card Weekend would feature three matchups:
- Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins
- Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Baltimore Ravens will earn the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC and receive a first-round bye, as outlined above.
This updates after both “Sunday Night Football” and “Monday Night Football.”
