With Week 15 in the books, the NFL playoff picture is starting to come together. Two more teams punched their tickets to the playoffs, while a handful of others solidified their positions. Meanwhile, the two worst divisions in football are as unpredictable as ever.
NFL playoff picture 2015: Cardinals wrap up NFC West, Steelers move into Wild Card position
The playoff field is starting to get thinned out with just two weeks left.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks are the next two teams to secure their playoff spot. AJ McCarron did just enough to lift the Bengals over the San Francisco 49ers, while the Seahawks had little trouble putting away the Cleveland Browns at home. Unfortunately for Seattle, its faint hopes of a divisional crown were officially snuffed out when the Arizona Cardinals routed the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. The Cardinals win the NFC West for the first time since 2009.
The AFC Wild Card picture saw some more intrigue with the Pittsburgh Steelers jumping the New York Jets after a dramatic comeback win over the Denver Broncos. The Steelers were down 27-10 in the second quarter but rallied back with 24 unanswered points. They now hold a common games tiebreaker over the Jets, who could potentially finish 11-5 and still miss the playoffs, thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs refusing to lose.
If you thought the AFC South couldn’t get any wackier, the Houston Texans were down to Brandon Weeden at quarterback and still pulled off the win over the Indianapolis Colts, moving to first place in the division. It’s the first time the Texans have won at Indianapolis in franchise history. In other division news, the Jacksonville Jaguars continued to frustrate fans with a letdown loss to the Atlanta Falcons. They’re still technically alive for the division crown, but need everything perfect to happen over the next two weeks.
The AFC West race is starting to get interesting after the Broncos’ latest collapse, because the Chiefs are now just one game behind and hold an advantage in divisional record. With Denver playing the Bengals and Kansas City getting the Browns, it’s entirely possible we see a new team on top of the division next week.
Washington opened up a one-game lead on the NFC East with a convincing win over the Buffalo Bills, but this division is far from settled. Next week’s Saturday game between Washington and the Eagles will go a long way towards deciding who gets the NFC’s No. 4 seed.
Here are the complete standings after Week 15.
AFC East
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| z-New England Patriots | 12 | 2 | 7-1 | 5-1 | 4-0 |
| New York Jets | 9 | 5 | 5-2 | 4-3 | 2-2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 8 | 3-3 | 3-5 | 3-2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5 | 9 | 2-4 | 3-5 | 0-5 |
AFC North
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| x-Cincinnati Bengals | 11 | 3 | 5-2 | 6-1 | 4-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 5 | 6-2 | 3-3 | 2-2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4 | 10 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 2-2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 11 | 2-5 | 1-6 | 1-4 |
AFC South
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| Houston Texans | 7 | 7 | 4-3 | 3-4 | 3-1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6 | 8 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 3-2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 | 9 | 4-4 | 1-5 | 2-3 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3 | 11 | 1-6 | 2-5 | 1-3 |
AFC West
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| Denver Broncos | 10 | 4 | 4-2 | 6-2 | 3-2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 5 | 4-2 | 5-3 | 4-1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 6 | 8 | 2-5 | 4-3 | 2-2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 10 | 3-5 | 1-5 | 0-4 |
NFC East
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| Washington | 7 | 7 | 6-2 | 1-5 | 2-2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 8 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 2-2 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 8 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 2-3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4 | 10 | 1-6 | 3-4 | 3-2 |
NFC North
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| x-Green Bay Packers | 10 | 4 | 5-2 | 5-2 | 3-2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 5 | 5-2 | 4-3 | 4-1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 9 | 3-4 | 2-5 | 2-3 |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 9 | 1-6 | 4-3 | 1-4 |
NFC South
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| z-Carolina Panthers | 14 | 0 | 7-0 | 7-0 | 4-0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 3-3 | 4-4 | 0-4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 8 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 3-2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 3-4 | 2-5 | 2-3 |
NFC West
| W | L | Home | Away | Div | |
| y-Arizona Cardinals | 12 | 2 | 5-1 | 7-1 | 4-1 |
| x-Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 5 | 5-2 | 4-3 | 2-2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6 | 8 | 5-3 | 1-5 | 3-1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4 | 10 | 3-4 | 1-6 | 0-5 |
x - clinched playoff berth
y - clinched division
z - clinched first-round bye
And here is the updated playoff picture through Sunday’s games.
AFC
1. Patriots (12-2)
2. Bengals (11-3)
3. Broncos (10-4)
4. Texans (7-7)
5. Chiefs (9-5)
6. Steelers (9-5)
In the hunt
Jets (9-5)
Colts (6-8)
Jaguars (5-9)
Eliminated
Raiders (6-8)
Bills (6-8)
Dolphins (5-9)
Ravens (4-10)
Chargers (4-10)
Browns (3-11)
Titans (3-11)
NFC
1. Panthers (14-0)
2. Cardinals (12-2)
3. Packers (10-4)
4. Washington (7-7)
5. Seahawks (9-5)
6. Vikings (9-5)
In the hunt
Falcons (7-7)
Eagles (6-8)
Giants (6-8)
Eliminated
Rams (6-8)
Buccaneers (6-8)
Lions (5-9)
Saints (5-9)
Bears (5-9)
49ers (4-10)
Cowboys (4-10)
See More:
