Nfl Standings Updated Afc Nfc Playoff Pictures After Week 16 Of 2025

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 27, 2025, 2:00 AM

nfl standings updated afc nfc playoff pictures after week 16 of 2025

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. Week 16 is underway, and the NFL playoff race is heating up. Surprising contenders and intriguing potential matchups are beginning to fill out the bracket, giving fans a taste of what this year’s path to Super Bowl 60 could look like. With so much still to be decided, the NFL playoff picture is shifting weekly, but let’s take a peek at where things stand now. Here’s a look at the current NFL postseason bracket, plus a look at which teams are rising and falling in PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor. The Chicago Bears have proven to be a resilient bunch, and they have been impressive in Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach.

Late-game heroics by Caleb Williams helped Chicago pull out a 22-16 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers. The victory extended the Bears’ lead over the Packers in the NFC North. With the Lions’ loss to the Steelers, Chicago has officially clinched a playoff berth. According to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor, the Bears now have a 93.0% chance of winning the division. Who would’ve thought the Carolina Panthers would be sitting atop the NFC South heading into Week 17? That’s exactly where they are after knocking off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16.

With the win, Carolina improves to 8-7, while Tampa Bay drops to 7-8. There’s just one game separating these teams, but it was a massive win for the Panthers. 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. 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. More than half of the NFL's 14 playoff spots were clinched in Week 16.

Four spots in the NFC were clinched by the Seahawks, Eagles, Bears and 49ers. Over in the AFC, the Patriots clinched on Sunday night. Then, with the Colts' loss on Monday night, the Jaguars, Chargers and Bills all clinched a spot. The Broncos control their own destiny to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while the Seahawks and 49ers also do in the NFC. Here's where things stand after Week 16.

In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (8-7), Baltimore Ravens (7-8) 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. The NFL playoff picture is heating up in both the AFC and NFC standings.

Ahead of Sunday’s Week 16 matchups, four teams had clinched playoff spots. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are the two AFC franchises to punch their ticket to the postseason. As for the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams have all already clinched playoff berths. The San Francisco 49ers clinched a postseason berth as well amid the Week 16 results, becoming the fifth franchise to secure a postseason spot. As a reminder, each division winner is guaranteed a top-four seed and homefield for the team’s first-round matchup, even if their opponent has a better record. For example, this means that the NFC West teams who do not win the division will likely be playing on the road despite potentially holding better records than their opponents.

The No. 1 seed in each conference will get a first-round bye and are guaranteed homefield advantage throughout the NFL playoffs. Let’s take a look at the current NFL playoff standings for the NFC and AFC. Teams in bold have already clinched a playoff berth, while franchises in italics would make the postseason if it started today. 🏈 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.

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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.