The NFL Playoff picture is even more up in the air after Week 15 as the Chicago Bears are looking at a first-round bye and the Los Angeles Rams are falling.
Heading into NFL Week 15, there was a chance that the 2018-19 NFL Playoff picture would take a better, clearer shape. Instead, what transpired on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday thrust the entire situation into more turmoil. There were several shocking results throughout the league that now leave more questions that answers heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Perhaps the most shocking result came on Sunday Night Football. With many thinking that the Los Angeles Rams would be hungry coming off a loss, they instead were handled by the Philadelphia Eagles. As such, Sean McVay’s team put themselves in a precarious position at the top of the NFC while the Eagles stayed alive behind Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday put the AFC West in question. Also in that conference, the New England Patriots falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the former out of having a first-round bye and strengthened the chances of the latter.
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So, how do things stand at this point? Let’s get into the AFC as we look at the NFL Playoff picture after Week 15.
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3)
2. Houston Texans (10-4)
3. New England Patriots (9-5)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-3)
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
Still Alive
7. Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
8. Tennessee Titans (8-6)
9. Miami Dolphins (7-7)
10. Cleveland Browns (6-7-1)
Several critical things happened to the NFL Playoff picture in the AFC in Week 15. The Chiefs’ loss to the Chargers leaves the latter in line to vault up to win the AFC West and be the top seed, putting Kansas City in the Wild Card at that point. Meanwhile, the Steelers and Ravens winning makes the Browns’ path near impossible, but not quite mathematically. Moreover, the Patriots loss puts the Texans in line for a first-round bye.
Now, let’s move to the NFC
NFC
1. New Orleans Saints (11-2) – Play Monday Night
2. Los Angeles Rams (11-3)
3. Chicago Bears (10-4)
4. Dallas Cowboys (8-6)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
6. Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1)
Still Alive
7. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)
8. Washington Redskins (7-7)
9. Carolina Panthers (6-7) – Play Monday Night
Fewer teams in the NFC are still alive in the NFL Playoff picture, but the race remains just as tight with those teams. A loss by the Panthers on Monday against the Saints would be horrible for their chances which are already rapidly dissipating. Meanwhile, the Rams loss now leaves the Bears in prime position to vault them. Should the Rams lose again and the Bears win out, Chicago would get a top-two seed.
And let’s not forget the NFC East. The Cowboys could’ve clinched the division this week with either a win or a loss by the Eagles and Redskins. Instead, the opposite happened as Dallas was blanked by the Colts while Philly and Washington picked up wins. This one is likely going to come down to the wire.
Make no mistake, it’s not abnormal for the NFL Playoff picture to be undecided heading into the final two weeks of the season. However, that’s decidedly the case this season, making the drama exceptionally high down this final stretch.