Which Teams Are Eliminated From the NFL Playoffs?

It’s that time of year again. The NFL playoffs are upon us and teams are fighting for their chance to hoist the Lombardi trophy. But for some, their season will end in disappointment. Here’s a look at which teams are eliminated from the playoffs.

Introduction

In the National Football League (NFL), the playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the league champion. The tournament bracket is made up of six teams from each of the league’s two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). From this pool, four teams from each conference advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. These eight teams are seeded according to their regular-season records, with four wild card teams filling out the bracket. In the divisional round, the top seed in each conference hosting the lowest remaining seed, while seeds two and three face off against each other. The winners of these games then advance to their respective conference championship games, where they play for a spot in Super Bowl LIII.

The NFL playoffs are not without controversy, as some argue that they allow for too much parity and not enough opportunity for truly bad teams to turn things around. This was most recently on display in 2018, when the 6-10 Indianapolis Colts made it all the way to the divisional round before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

AFC teams that have been eliminated

At this point in the NFL playoffs, the AFC has four teams remaining: the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the New England Patriots. This leaves twelve teams that have been eliminated and are now out of the running for the Super Bowl. Let’s take a look at the four divisions in the AFC and see which teams have been eliminated.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its home games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills.

The Ravens were established in 1996, when Art Modell, who was then the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to relocate the franchise to Baltimore. As part of a settlement between Modell, the city of Cleveland, and the other NFL teams, Modell was required to leave the Browns’ history and records in Cleveland for a replacement franchise that would be established by 1999. In return, he was allowed to take his own personnel and team to Baltimore, where such personnel would then form an expansion team. The Ravens have qualified for the NFL playoffs ten times since 2000, with two Super Bowl victories (Super Bowl XXXV in 2000 and Super Bowl XLVII in 2012), two AFC Championship appearances (2000 and 2012), 15 playoff victories (10th most in NFL history), and four divisional championship titles (2003, 2006, 2011, 2018). The Ravens have won their division four times while also qualifying as a wild card team twice.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs after losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round. The Chargers end their season with a record of 13-4.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars 45-42.

NFC teams that have been eliminated

The Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints have all been eliminated from the NFL playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs after losing to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional round. The Cowboys, who were the top seed in the NFC, put up a valiant effort against the Packers, but ultimately came up short. This marks the end of an impressive season for Dallas, who finished with a 13-3 record.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs.

Conclusion

The answer to this question largely depends on how the NFL playoffs shake out, but as of right now, there are a few teams that can be safely considered eliminated from contention. The Cleveland Browns, for example, have not made the playoffs since 2002 and are currently sporting a dismal 1-15 record. Similarly, the San Francisco 49ers have not made the playoffs since 2013 and currently have a sub-.500 record. Other teams that are likely to miss the playoffs include the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears.