Nfl Playoff Picture Week 16 Sees Chiefs Bengals Vikings Eliminated

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 28, 2025, 4:18 AM

nfl playoff picture week 16 sees chiefs bengals vikings eliminated

It took 15 weeks of the 2025 NFL season, but some NFL teams have finally clinched playoff berths. Two teams to be exact. The Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos punched their tickets to the NFL playoffs with wins in NFL Week 15. See the updated NFL playoff picture and NFL postseason standings after NFL Week 15 games, which saw some big changes from the NFL playoff picture last week (last week's rankings in parentheses) and the... 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 Week 16 picks: Rams at Seahawks | Eagles at Commanders | Packers at Bears | Buccaneers at Panthers | Bills at Browns | Chargers at Cowboys | Jets at Saints | Vikings at... Week 17 of the NFL season is under way after a trio of games took place on Christmas Day. The Dallas Cowboys' 30-23 road win over the Washington Commanders kicked off the festivities. Both teams played for pride with their playoff hopes gone, and they turned in a solid game to open the day. Then the Minnesota Vikings, behind a phenomenal defensive performance, stunned the visiting Detroit Lions 20-10 to knock them out of playoff contention. Finally, the Denver Broncos held off an impressive effort from a severely shorthanded Kansas City Chiefs team en route to a 20-13 road victory.

With the win, Denver stayed first in the AFC. Following those results, here's a look at the current NFL standings and playoff scenarios. What 14 teams are positioned to make the NFL playoffs in the 2025 regular season, from the eight division winners to six total wild cards? What would the seeding look like in the race for Super Bowl 60? Here are the answers in Sporting News' latest look at how the postseason field is coming together in both conferences going into the Sunday night and Monday night games of Week 16. 1.

Denver Broncos, 12-3 (first place, AFC West) The Broncos, who have clinched a playoff berth, lead the Patriots by only a common-games tiebreaker for the top playoff seed after their tough Sunday home loss against the Jaguars, whom they lead by... The Broncos still lead the Chargers by one game in the division title race. Five teams in each conference have clinched playoff berths: The Broncos, Patriots, Jaguars Chargers and Bills in the AFC, and the Seahawks, Bears, Eagles, 49ers and Rams in the NFC. That leaves four playoff berths remaining, plus plenty of jockeying for playoff seeding. Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks after Week 16:

1. Broncos (12-3) If they win out, they’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 2. Patriots (12-3) Would lose the common-games tiebreaker to the Broncos. 3.

Jaguars (11-4) The clear favorites in the AFC South. 5. Chargers (11-4) First in the wild card race thanks to a better AFC record than the Bills. What an insane sequence to end the Lions-Steelers game. Amon-Ra St. Brown scored what looked like the game-winning touchdown, but it was negated by a pass interference penalty on Isaac TeSlaa.

A few plays later, on fourth down, St. Brown caught a pass at the goal line but wasn't able to get into the end zone... but he flipped the ball backwards to Jared Goff, who ran it a few yards into the end zone. HOWEVER... the play was negated by a pass interference penalty on St. Brown, and with no time left on the clock, the game is over.

Steelers win and improve to 9-6, keeping their hold on the AFC North, while the Lions drop to 8-7 and have their playoff hopes on life support. Trevor Lawrence was masterful against one of the best defenses in the NFL: He went completed 23 of 36 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for another score. The Jaguars remain in control of the AFC South despite Houston's win over the Raiders this afternoon. The Broncos' lead in the AFC West is down to one game, while their lead over the Patriots in the race for the top seed in the AFC is now a half-game. (And it's one game over the Jags.) Quarterback Brock Purdy threw five touchdown passes to lead Colton McKivitz and the 49ers to a 48-27 win over the Colts on Monday night.

Dylan Buell / Getty Images Are the Jacksonville Jaguars the cream of the AFC crop? They certainly looked the part Sunday, as they ended the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak emphatically, winning 34-20 at Mile High Stadium. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence looks like he’s playing the best football of his career, and he has the Jaguars on the verge of winning their first AFC South title since 2022. They even have an outside chance of securing the top seed in the AFC. Meanwhile, in the NFC, five playoff berths have already been claimed.

While seeding still needs to be sorted out in the final two weeks, the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have all already punched their tickets to... 1 seed. With their win against the Colts Monday night, the 49ers have a clean path to taking the top spot: Beat the Bears in Week 17 and the Seahawks in Week 18, and the first-round... Let’s take a look at what else happened around the NFL in Week 16: Listed odds to make the playoffs, win the division and secure the No. 1 seed are all via The Athletic’s NFL Projection Model, created by Austin Mock.

Seven teams from each conference make the playoffs, with the top seed in each conference securing a first-round bye. Go check out our NFL Playoff Simulator to play out your favorite team’s path to the playoffs. The NFL playoff picture continues to get sorted out in Week 16 with important games in the NFC South and AFC. The Broncos host the Jaguars in a matchup of divisional leaders on Dec. 21. Jacksonville cannot clinch the AFC South with a win but could climb to the doorstep, while Denver can secure the AFC West and home field advantage with a win and help.

In the NFC, the Seahawks (NFC West) and Bears (NFC North) earned overtime divisional wins to stay in first place in their divisions. Tampa Bay will have the same opportunity at Carolina. Here is the NFL playoff picture in Week 16, with the standings updating throughout Dec. 21: Clinching scenarios: The Broncos clinch the AFC West with a win and a Chargers loss or tie OR a tie and a Chargers loss. The Broncos clinch home field advantage for the AFC playoffs with a win, a Chargers loss or tie, a Patriots loss and a Bills loss or tie.

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1. Broncos (12-3) If they win out, they’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 2. Patriots (12-3) Would lose the common-games tiebreaker to the Broncos. 3.