NFL playoff picture: Wild ‘TNF’ game ends with first NFC spot clinched
Every week for the duration of the 2024 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture − starting after Sunday afternoon’s late games and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable).
What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 5.
Here’s where things stand with Week 14 of the 2024 season underway:
NFC playoff picture
x – 1. Detroit Lions (12-1), NFC North leaders: For the first time in their 95-season history, they’ve won 12 games in successive seasons – and winning Thursday night’s nail biter over the Packers officially qualifies the Lions for the 2024 postseason. Big game with Buffalo next, but one that shouldn’t be penal in the tiebreaker department if Detroit stumbles. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings
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2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2), NFC East leaders: Win and get some help, and they’re officially into the field Sunday. They’re a clear and present danger to Detroit and might run away, a la RB Saquon Barkley, with this division … but can no longer overtake Lions this weekend. Remaining schedule: vs. Panthers, vs. Steelers, at Commanders, vs. Cowboys, vs. Giants
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5), NFC West leaders: Sunday’s comeback against the Jets gave them a one-game lead in a hotly contested division likely to send just one team to postseason. Remaining schedule: at Cardinals, vs. Packers, vs. Vikings, at Bears, at Rams
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6), NFC South leaders: Their margin for error is gone after collapsing at home Sunday to the Chargers. A season sweep of the Bucs is the only reason Atlanta remains in first place. Remaining schedule: at Vikings, at Raiders, vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers
5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2), wild card No. 1: Like Philly, win and get some help, and they’re officially into the field Sunday. The Vikes continue to win ugly – including Sunday’s escape from Arizona – yet are also on a five-game heater any team would consider beautiful. It may not seem like Minnesota is a threat to win its division, yet the Vikings are only one game back of Detroit in the NFC North loss column. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, vs. Bears, at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions
6. Green Bay Packers (9-4), wild card No. 2: Valiant effort at Ford Field on Thursday night, but getting swept by the Lions pretty much relegates the Pack to wild-card status. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears
7. Washington Commanders (8-5), wild card No. 3: They snapped a three-game losing streak in spectacular style with Sunday’s 23-point blowout of Tennessee while putting a bit of distance between themselves and the conference’s other wild-card hopefuls. However a week off, good as it should be for the roster’s health, may not be kind to Washington’s cushion. Remaining schedule: BYE, at Saints, vs. Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Cowboys
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6), in the hunt: Sunday was nearly disastrous … until they finally vanquished the plucky Panthers in overtime. Now, the Bucs are virtually tied with the Falcons atop the NFC South, and their conference record (6-3) pushes them past Arizona (3-5) in the overall NFC standings. Remaining schedule: vs. Raiders, at Chargers, at Cowboys, vs. Panthers, vs. Saints
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-6), in the hunt: They blew a golden opportunity in Minnesota but must regroup for Week 14, when they’ll face NFC West-leading Seattle for the second time in 15 days. Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks, vs. Patriots, at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers
10. Los Angeles Rams (6-6), in the hunt: They won in New Orleans but remain behind the Cards, who buried them in Week 2. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, at 49ers, at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-7), in the hunt: What’s quickly become a cursed season continued Sunday night in the Buffalo snow, where RB Christian McCaffrey hurt his knee … and maybe put the Niners’ flickering postseason aspirations on injured reserve. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, vs. Rams, at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Cardinals
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7), in the hunt: Hand it to Mike McCarthy’s crew – they’re not dying easy, when it would be quite easy, at this point, to do exactly that. Their latest win – and first at home this year – over the Giants on Thanksgiving moved them up, yet not past the 49ers, who won the team’s Week 8 matchup. Dallas’ near-term goal? Get back to .500 and see what happens afterward. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals, at Panthers, vs. Buccaneers, at Eagles, vs. Commanders
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AFC playoff picture
x – 1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), AFC West leaders: Yet another close shave as they narrowly escaped the Raiders 19-17 in Week 12. But that was still sufficient to convey this season’s first clinched playoff berth to the reigning champs, who are pursuing the first Super Bowl three-peat. Next up? The Chiefs can win their division for the ninth consecutive season by handling the Bolts on Sunday night. The Bills’ head-to-head tiebreaker advantage still means K.C. can’t afford to backslide at all – but it can only slip so far at this point. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Browns, vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos
y – 2. Buffalo Bills (10-2), AFC East champions: No better way to win a fifth straight division title, and the league’s first in 2024, than by sparkling in lake effect snow in front of a national television audience – and with QB Josh Allen further bolstering his MVP bona fides amid his club’s seventh consecutive victory and with a memorable performance of his own. And, with that potentially pivotal tiebreaker against the Chiefs in hand, the Bills could soon steer the road to Super Bowl 59 through Western New York – and certainly have an easier path than K.C. Remaining schedule: at Rams, at Lions, vs. Patriots, vs. Jets, at Patriots
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3), AFC North leaders: They didn’t cruise Sunday at Cincinnati but are cruising toward a postseason return. The question in the short term will be whether they can get back into the race for the No. 1 seed and/or if they’ll have to fend off Baltimore for the divisional title given the tough upcoming games the Steelers face. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, at Eagles, at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals
4. Houston Texans (8-5), AFC South leaders: They were unimpressive in many ways Sunday but did get back into the win column to maintain what’s effectively a three-game lead over Indy in the division due to Houston’s season sweep of the Colts. Remaining schedule: BYE, vs. Dolphins, at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans
5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4), wild card No. 1: Beating Atlanta on Sunday didn’t assure the Bolts a playoff berth, even after they overtook Baltimore for the time being. But they’ll have to do a lot of ‘Charger-ing’ to cough up a golden opportunity in Year 1 under HC Jim Harbaugh … though they will face more playoff-caliber squads the next three weeks. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5), wild card No. 2: Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia further jeopardizes any shot they have at the AFC North crown and a playoff game in Charm City. Remaining schedule: BYE, at Giants, vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns
7. Denver Broncos (8-5), wild card No. 3: Their hold on the AFC’s final berth continues to harden, though only after surviving the Browns on a wild Monday night – when a Denver loss would have set up a pivotal matchup with Indianapolis in Week 15. Even in victory, the Broncos don’t surpass the Ravens, who trounced Denver in Week 9. Remaining schedule: BYE, vs. Colts, at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7), in the hunt: They get a week off after a gutsy win in New England. Their Week 15 trip to Denver would have been truly massive if Cleveland had cooperated Monday night but should still be a consequential meeting. Remaining schedule: BYE, at Broncos, vs. Titans, at Giants, vs. Jaguars
9. Miami Dolphins (5-7), in the hunt: QB Tua Tagovailoa was excited to ‘kill narratives’ on Thanksgiving … like the one that says the Fins can’t win in cold weather or late in the season. Welp. Miami’s three-game win streak ended in Lambeau Field, and its playoff hopes also took a crippling hit. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Texans, vs. 49ers, at Browns, at Jets
NFL playoff clinching scenarios for Week 14
Kansas City clinches AFC West division title with:
Win
Minnesota clinches a playoff berth with:
Win + Seahawks-Cardinals tie
Win + Cardinals loss + Rams loss or tie
Tie + Buccaneers loss + Cardinals loss + Rams loss
Tie + Buccaneers loss + Cardinals tie + Rams loss + Eagles win or tie
Philadelphia clinches a playoff berth with:
Win + Falcons loss or tie + Seahawks-Cardinals tie
Win + Falcons loss or tie + Cardinals loss + Rams loss or tie
Win + Falcons loss or tie + Cardinals loss
Win + Buccaneers loss or tie + Seahawks-Cardinals tie
Win + Buccaneers loss or tie + Cardinals loss + Rams loss or tie
Win + Buccaneers loss or tie + Cardinals loss
Tie + Falcons loss + Seahawks-Cardinals tie
Tie + Falcons loss + Cardinals loss + Rams loss or tie
Tie + Buccaneers loss + Seahawks-Cardinals tie
Tie + Buccaneers loss + Cardinals loss + Rams loss or tie
NFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2024
x – clinched playoff berth
y – clinched division
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