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Nfl Playoff Scenarios 2025 26 Review And Afc Nfc Picture Bracket

Bonisiwe Shabane
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nfl playoff scenarios 2025 26 review and afc nfc picture bracket

Parity has run wild in the NFL in 2025 and while any team in playoff contention can conceivably win the Super Bowl, the postseason picture and who will land where in the standings is... Such is the case after Week 16, where the Seattle Seahawks took over the top seed in the NFC and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers put the rest of the league on notice... What is the current playoff picture, who has the inside track to the remaining spots, and who is the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl in February? .css-1582m2i{margin:0;font:inherit;font-weight:700;}Division Leaders 1. x-Denver Broncos (12-3, AFC West; +900)

With two weeks left in the NFL season, the playoff field is mostly set: Ten teams have clinched playoff berths and four more are still available. Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks heading into Week 17: 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. 4. Steelers (9-6) In the driver’s seat in the AFC North. As every year, December is the "hottest month" in the NFL, and now is no exception, when a few weeks before the end of the regular season the scenarios for the playoffs are varied...

In both conferences, every victory - and every slip-up - is more important than ever. While some franchises are looking to secure their ticket to Super Bowl LX, others are clinging to their last chances to stay alive in the postseason race This is what the 2025-26 NFL Playoff Picture looks like, with the bracket, standings and most important scenarios in the AFC and NFC heading into the end of the season. 2. New England Patriots (11-3, AFC East) 3.

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4, AFC South) Welcome to The Athletic’s 2025 NFL Playoff Picture Simulator, where you’ll find everything you need to know about the NFL standings. From the No. 1 seed in each conference to the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, you can explore all the ways your favorite team’s season could end. The tables above represent a view of the standings if the season ended today, along with our best guess for the final playoff picture (with teams ordered by projected win totals, and ties accounting...

Below, you’ll find much more detailed estimates for all 32 NFL teams. All these estimates are powered by Austin Mock’s NFL Projection Model and helped us create a visual guide of every possible scenario for Week 17. You can read more about this tool and how it works right here, and send in your questions to AskAustin@theathletic.com. About the simulator: We estimate odds by randomly simulating the remainder of the season thousands of times and counting how often each team makes the playoffs, gets the No. 1 seed, the No. 1 draft pick and so on.

We estimate each team’s probability of winning each remaining game using a statistical forecast that incorporates a host of data, including team records, roster changes, weather, game location and more advanced measures like expected... By Ryan Best, David Haye, Elliot Jordan, Junghye Kim, Austin Mock, Matt Myers, Thomas Oide, Laura Pelton, Yuriko Schumacher and Oliver Viehweger Adapted from The New York Times’s NFL Playoff Simulator. We have the 2025-26 NFL Playoff picture, current standings, and projected seeds for you. Week 16 delivered massive drama: Eagles repeat as NFC East champs and eliminate Cowboys; Bears rally in OT to lead NFC North; Jaguars stun Broncos; Chargers secure key win; Panthers upset Bucs to take... Monday: 49ers crush Colts 48-27 behind Purdy’s 5 TD passes, improving to 11-4 and keeping NFC top-seed hopes alive.

Below is the updated playoff picture as of December 22, 2025 (post-Monday Night Football). Check the official NFL Playoff Picture for real-time updates. Download our free printable 2026 NFL playoff bracket and the NFL Christmas Schedule to track your predictions. Last updated: December 22, 2025 (after MNF). Stay tuned for Santa Updates. Week 16 delivered drama.

You can check out the latest playoff seeds and positioning if the playoffs were set today below. The Broncos (12-3) clinched the AFC West but dropped a game, keeping the top-seed race tight with the Patriots (12-3). Jaguars lead the South; Steelers hold the North edge. Colts’ loss drops their playoff odds dramatically. 🏈 5 AFC playoff spots available • 2 NFC playoff spots available 14 teams make the NFL playoffs each season – 7 from the AFC and 7 from the NFC.

Each conference’s playoff bracket includes four division winners (seeded 1-4) and three wild card teams (seeded 5-7). The top seed in each conference earns a first-round bye. Playoff seeding is determined by win-loss record, with tiebreakers applied when necessary. The four division winners are seeded 1-4 based on their records, regardless of wild card team records. Seeds 5-7 go to the three non-division winners with the best records. Tiebreakers include head-to-head results, division record, common games, conference record, and strength of victory.

“In The Hunt” refers to the seven teams in each conference that currently hold playoff positions. If the regular season ended today, these teams would qualify for the postseason. However, with games remaining, these positions can change weekly based on game results and tiebreakers. “On The Bubble” describes teams currently outside the playoff picture but still mathematically alive for a postseason berth. These teams (typically seeds 8-16) need to win games and have other results fall their way to climb into a playoff spot before the regular season ends. Believe it or not, the Carolina Panthers are your new division leaders in the NFC South.

Thursday night's loss dropped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the top spot, giving a Carolina team that won just seven games over the past two seasons control of its own destiny. The Panthers and Bucs do play twice over the final three weeks, though, so that divisional race will carry plenty of intrigue into the final month. The NFC South chase isn't the only one heating up as we approach the bulk of the Week 15 slate. Here's an updated look at the latest standings, this week's clinching scenarios, and the latest odds from .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)... .css-1582m2i{margin:0;font:inherit;font-weight:700;}Division Leaders 2.

New England Patriots (11-2; AFC East): N/A

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