What Does The NFL Playoff Picture Look Like?

The NFL playoff picture is looking very good for the Rams and the Saints.

AFC

The AFC playoff picture is starting to come into focus as we head into Week 15 of the NFL season. The New England Patriots have clinched the AFC East and are in position to claim the top seed in the conference. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in control of the AFC North, while the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans are battling for the AFC South crown.

New England Patriots

AFC
1. New England Patriots (11-3) — The Patriots have wrapped up the AFC East for the ninth straight season and could still finish with the No. 1 seed in the conference if they win out and the Chiefs lose to either the Seahawks or Raiders in Weeks 16 or 17.

2. Baltimore Ravens (10-4) — The Ravens have a two-game lead over the Steelers in the AFC North and can clinch the division title with a win over Cleveland in Week 17. They would also clinch a first-round bye if they win out and the Patriots lose one of their final two games.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) — The Chiefs are clinging to a one-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West, but they can clinch the division title with a win over Seattle in Week 16. They would also clinch a first-round bye if they win their final two games and the Patriots lose one of theirs.

4. Houston Texans (9-5) — The Texans have a three-game lead over the Titans in the AFC South and can clinch their third division title in four years with a win over Tampa Bay in Week 16 or a Titans loss to either the Giants or Redskins in Weeks 16 or 17.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC. In contrast with their status as perennial also-rans in the pre-merger NFL, where they were the oldest team never to win a league championship, the Steelers of the post-merger era are one of the most successful NFL franchises.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have clinched the AFC South and are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They will host a home playoff game on Sunday, January 6 or 7.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the AFC West division for the sixth consecutive season and will host a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium for the fifth time in that span. The Chiefs can earn a first-round bye with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 or a loss by the New England Patriots.

NFC

As the NFL season enters its final quarter, the playoff picture is starting to take shape. In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints are on track to earn first-round byes, while the Seattle Seahawks are in position to claim the conference’s top seed.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that compete in the National Football League (NFL). The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the following year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis, and were known as the St. Louis Rams from 1995 to 2015. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016.

The Rams organization has won three NFL championships, and is the only one to win championships representing three cities (Cleveland in 1945, Los Angeles in 1951, and St. Louis in 1999). The franchise has experienced long periods of failure throughout its history, but has also featured several periods of success, including two stretches of more than a decade of consecutive winning seasons (1949–1958 and 1973–1982) and five NFL Championship victories (1945, 1951 2012-2018).

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints currently compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Saints were founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966. The team plays its home games at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.

The Vikings have played their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis since 2016. The team previously played at Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome from 1982 to 2013.

The Vikings have made 23 playoffs appearances, 10 of which were in consecutive seasons from 1973 to 1982, tied for the second longest streak in NFL history; they reached the NFC Championship Game six times, winning it four times (1970, 1974, 1975, 1976), but lost in 1987 and 1998. They have one of the NFL’s highest winning percentages (.571), and have an overall record of 540–397–11 (.573).

Philadelphia Eagles

The defending Super Bowl champions are in the mix again, but they face a difficult road ahead. They’ll need to win their final two games against the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins, and they’ll also need some help from other teams. If the Eagles can manage to get into the playoffs, they could be a dangerous team.