Nfl Playoff Picture After Week 15 Latest Afc Nfc Playoff Outlook

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 23, 2025, 12:57 AM

nfl playoff picture after week 15 latest afc nfc playoff outlook

There are now just three weeks left in the 2025 NFL regular season, with this past Week 15 action seeing a large percentage of the league eliminated from playoff contention. The battles for postseason positioning and a shot at competing for the Super Bowl are coming down to the wire, with a few teams having a chance to clinch this weekend. Let’s dive into the NFL playoff picture after Week 15, examining where things stand for AFC and NFC clubs entering Week 16. We’ve sorted our list by the seeding in each conference right now, starting with the AFC. The Denver Broncos have already clinched a playoff spot, guaranteeing that they will make the playoffs for the second consecutive season with head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix. Entering Week 16, Denver has an opportunity to clinch its first AFC West crown since 2015.

If the Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and the Los Angeles Chargers lose or tie against the Dallas Cowboys, Denver wins the division and earns a home playoff game. If on the off chance the Chargers, New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills all lose, then Denver clinches the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. Related: NFL Week 16 Power Rankings, Evaluating all 32 Teams after Week 15 The New England Patriots had the AFC East crown in hand on Sunday in the first half and then blew a 21-point lead over the Buffalo Bills. It means a season-split in the series, but New England is still a game up on Buffalo right now.

Heading into a Week 16 matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens, the Patriots can clinch a playoff berth with a win or an Indianapolis Colts loss to the San Francisco 49ers... We're all about NFL, CFB, NBA, and MLB news, rumors and lists. Sportsnaut.com prides itself on being #NautOpinionated. There are now just three weeks left in the 2025 NFL regular season, with this past Week 15 action seeing a large percentage of the league eliminated from playoff contention. The battles for postseason positioning and a shot at competing for the Super Bowl are coming down to the wire, with a few teams having a chance to clinch this weekend. Let’s dive into the NFL playoff picture after Week 15, examining where things stand for AFC and NFC clubs entering Week 16.

We’ve sorted our list by the seeding in each conference right now, starting with the AFC. The Denver Broncos have already clinched a playoff spot, guaranteeing that they will make the playoffs for the second consecutive season with head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix. Entering Week 16, Denver has an opportunity to clinch its first AFC West crown since 2015. If the Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and the Los Angeles Chargers lose or tie against the Dallas Cowboys, Denver wins the division and earns a home playoff game. If on the off chance the Chargers, New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills all lose, then Denver clinches the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

Get exclusive sports stories delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter today. QB Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a 35-31 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Sarah Stier / Getty Images It was all there in front of them, their first AFC East title since the days of Tom Brady; the chance to be frontrunners for the AFC’s No. 1 seed; and the opportunity to put their rival Buffalo Bills’ playoff hopes in limbo.

It was all there, and the New England Patriots blew it, along with the 21-0 lead they had built over the Bills on Sunday. Perhaps the Patriots can still bounce back and regain all that they may have lost in Sunday’s 35-31 defeat, but it’s hard not to see the collapse as a huge missed opportunity. That’s especially true because the team they’re competing with for the No. 1 seed, the Denver Broncos, kept on rolling Sunday by knocking off the Green Bay Packers 34-26. With their 11th straight victory, the Broncos, who became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff berth, now sit firmly in the driver’s seat to earn the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout... Meanwhile, over in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams maintained their perch atop the conference with a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions.

The Rams, too, have punched their ticket to the postseason, though they’re still not clear of their NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks, who matched the Rams’ 11-3 record with a comeback win over the... The Rams-Seahawks clash coming Thursday night in Seattle will now have massive playoff implications. Entering Week 15, no team in the NFL had clinched a playoff spot. However, that changed on Sunday. The Broncos and Rams secured playoff berths following their respective victories, keeping them in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in each conference as well.

The Patriots could've joined them, but they'll have to wait at least another week to possibly secure a playoff berth. Here's the latest look at the NFL's playoff picture as Week 15 develops. In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (8-6), Baltimore Ravens (7-7) || Sound Smart: 6 Observations From Week 15 The Broncos and Rams became the first two teams to clinch playoff berths on Sunday, and they have the inside track to the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC.

Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks after Monday Night Football in Week 15: 1. Broncos (12-2) If they win out, they’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 2. Patriots (11-3) Their lead in the AFC East still looks safe, but they’ll have a tough time catching the Broncos for the No.

1 seed. 3. Jaguars (10-4) The clear favorites in the AFC South. 4. Steelers (8-6) Have a one-game lead over the Ravens in the two-team race for the AFC North. Several high-stakes games with playoff implications headlined Sunday's slate, with divisional leads and playoff seeding at stake.

Which teams landed where in the updated NFL playoff picture and what awaits those hanging onto their postseason hopes by a thread? Find out with this look at the current bracket. .css-1582m2i{margin:0;font:inherit;font-weight:700;}Division Leaders 1. x-Los Angeles Rams (11-3, NFC West; +320 .css-wrcrjw{margin:0;font-size:1.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.92rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__link__secondary__default-mainChannel);font-size:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;white-space:normal;}.css-3nqh9c{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-color:rgba(var(--br--palette-primary-mainChannel) / 0.4);margin:0;font-size:1.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.92rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__link__secondary__default-mainChannel);font-size:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;white-space:normal;}.css-3nqh9c:hover{text-decoration-color:inherit;}.css-lu48cp{margin:0;font:inherit;color:var(--br--palette-primary-main);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-color:rgba(var(--br--palette-primary-mainChannel) / 0.4);margin:0;font-size:1.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.92rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__link__secondary__default-mainChannel);font-size:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;white-space:normal;}.css-lu48cp:hover{text-decoration-color:inherit;}odds to... Two teams are in, many more are close, and the final weeks promise drama across both the AFC and NFC.

The end of the 2025 NFL regular season is fast approaching, which means the playoff picture in both conferences is finally starting to take shape. That said, after the conclusion of Week 15, only two teams have officially locked in postseason spots. Expect plenty of drama in Weeks 16 through 18. The Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams are the only franchises that currently know they will be playing in January. We're in.And we're still climbing. pic.twitter.com/Y4D1u0QcZk

Denver secured its playoff berth in Week 15 thanks to a 34-26 road win over the Green Bay Packers, improving to 12-2. However, the job is not finished just yet. The Broncos still need to fend off the Los Angeles Chargers, who sit at 10-4, in the race for the AFC West crown. When we look back at the 2025 regular season, we may be pointing to Week 14 as the pivotal moment that sculpted the playoff picture. Coming into the weekend, the slate had the promise of being an inflection point with multiple divisional matchups on deck between clubs in the thick of the playoff race. That included Steelers-Ravens duking it out for first place in the AFC North, along with Bears-Packers squaring off at Lambeau Field in an NFC North duel, and Colts-Jaguars jockeying for position atop the AFC...

And those games did not disappoint. Pittsburgh and Green Bay both pulled off wins to jump back into first place in their respective division. Meanwhile, Jacksonville held its spot atop the AFC South after taking down Indy, but the headline from that contest was Daniel Jones leaving the game due to an Achilles injury. That further shakes up the playoff picture in the AFC. With Week 14 complete, let's take a look at this latest snapshot and see who would be in and out of the playoffs. On top of the standings, we'll also run through the entire playoff picture, including the remaining schedules for each primary contender.

This is the NFL playoff picture as it stands, with the following teams tabbed for postseason spots: Who is in position to make the NFL playoffs entering the NFL Week 15 schedule? What would NFL postseason matchups be right now? See the updated NFL playoff picture and NFL postseason standings after NFL Week 14 games. There were some big changes from the NFL playoff picture last week (last week's rank in parentheses). No teams have clinched berths in the postseason, but several teams have been eliminated from postseason contention.

There are eight NFL divisions, four in the NFC and four in the AFC, with each division winner earning a playoff berth in each conference, along with the three non-division winners with the best... The top seeds in each conference receive byes to the second round.

Nfl Playoff Picture After Week 15 Latest Afc Nfc Playoff Outlook

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