NFL playoff picture after Week 15: Vikings beat Bears, control path to NFC North title

nate davis, usa today

Tue, 17 Dec 2024, 12:18 am·7-min read

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 − typically 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 15 of the 2024 season complete:

NFC playoff picture

x – 1. Detroit Lions (12-2), NFC North leaders: After getting stomped by Buffalo on Sunday, they could be in a three-way tie atop the conference and deadlocked for the division lead by the time Monday night is over. A Week 7 win over Minnesota and conference record (8-1) that's one game better than Philly are the tiebreakers currently serving the Lions, who may still need to win out to keep their divisional throne. Remaining schedule: at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings

x – 2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2), NFC East leaders: Winners of 10 straight, they could not clinch the division Sunday following Washington's victory in New Orleans but can do so by ousting the Commanders in Week 16. Still, the Iggles did pull even with Detroit, but they'll need another Lions slip-up to move into the conference's top spot. Remaining schedule: at Commanders, vs. Cowboys, vs. Giants

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6), NFC South leaders: They embarrassed the Chargers on Sunday, which means – regardless of what Atlanta does Monday night – the Bucs will remain atop the division for at least another week. Seattle's loss pushed them up a spot, Tampa Bay with a better record (6-3) in conference games than the Rams (5-5). Remaining schedule: at Cowboys, vs. Panthers, vs. Saints

4. Los Angeles Rams (8-6), NFC West leaders: Win out, and they are division champs. LA overtook the Seahawks on Sunday night by virtue of their Week 9 victory at Seattle. Remaining schedule: at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks

x – 5. Minnesota Vikings (12-2), wild card No. 1: They clinched a spot Sunday night thanks to Seattle's loss. Monday's victory over Chicago means the Vikes control their own fate in the NFC North – win out, and the division is theirs. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions

Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Sam Darnold (14) against the Chicago Bears in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

6. Green Bay Packers (10-4), wild card No. 2: Getting swept by Detroit pretty much relegates the Pack to wild-card status, but they'll have to wait at least another week to clinch despite handling the Seahawks on Sunday night. Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears

7. Washington Commanders (9-5), wild card No. 3: They barely survived the Saints, but it was enough to keep them alive one more week in the division with the NFC East still technically up for grabs. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Cowboys

Dec 15, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) celebrates a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (14) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

8. Seattle Seahawks (8-6), in the hunt: Sunday night's loss to Green Bay dropped them not only out of the NFC West lead but from the projected field entirely. And they may have to move forward without injured QB Geno Smith. Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, at Bears, at Rams

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 12: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter in the game at Levi's Stadium on December 12, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

9. Atlanta Falcons (7-7), in the hunt: Their four-game losing streak is over after they labored past the Raiders on Monday night. Catch the Bucs, whom the Dirty Birds swept, and they're back atop the NFC South. A 6-3 mark in NFC games puts them three games ahead of Arizona as it pertains to that tiebreaker. Remaining schedule: vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers

10. Arizona Cardinals (7-7), in the hunt: They broke a three-game skid by beating the Patriots but, at this point, need the NFC West field to come back to them. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8), in the hunt: Thursday's loss to the Rams was a near-fatal blow to the reigning NFC champs, who have better than a 99% probability of missing postseason, per NFL.com. Remaining schedule: at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Cardinals

12. Dallas Cowboys (6-8), in the hunt: Like the Niners, whom they lost to in Week 8, their postseason hopes are on life support despite Sunday's win in Charlotte. Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Eagles, vs. Commanders

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AFC playoff picture

y – 1. Kansas City Chiefs (13-1), AFC West champions: A 21-7 win in Cleveland on Sunday keeps them in driver's seat for home-field advantage ... provided QB Patrick Mahomes' ankle injury isn't overly serious. Two more wins will lock in home-field advantage and a first-round bye. Remaining schedule: vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos

y – 2. Buffalo Bills (11-3), AFC East champions: Sunday's win in Detroit probably does more for their collective psyche than it really does for their playoff positioning at the moment. Pittsburgh's loss makes their second-place standing in the conference more comfortable ... as does a very inviting closing stretch. Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots, vs. Jets, at Patriots

x – 3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4), AFC North leaders: Decidedly mixed bag Sunday. The Colts' loss (combined with Miami's earlier Sunday) clinched a postseason berth for the Steelers. However they're backing up to the Ravens, next week's opponent, in the division and probably now out of the running for the No. 1 seed. Still, beat Baltimore on Saturday afternoon, and the Steelers put a bow on the division. Remaining schedule: at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals

Dec 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) celebrates his sack with defensive tackle Montravius Adams (57) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

y – 4. Houston Texans (9-5), AFC South champions: Sunday's win combined with Indianapolis' loss assured they'll rule a weak division for the second straight year. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans

5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5), wild card No. 1: Cruised past sleepwalking Giants and picked up a game on Pittsburgh, the Ravens' opponent in Week 16. Maybe the AFC North throne isn't out of sight. One more win secures a berth. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns

6. Denver Broncos (9-5), wild card No. 2: It's a near certainty they'll make their first postseason trip since winning Super Bowl 50 nine years ago. But they'll drop back down to the seventh seed if they get swept by Bolts on Thursday night. One more win secures a berth. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs

7. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6), wild card No. 3: Are they suddenly "Charger-ing"? Three losses in the past four weeks have slipped them into the final wild-card spot ... though it appears their pursuers are bolting with even more speed. Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders

8. Indianapolis Colts (6-8), in the hunt: After Sunday's loss at Denver, it's basically over. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Giants, vs. Jaguars

9. Miami Dolphins (6-8), in the hunt: After Sunday's loss at Houston, it's basically over. Remaining schedule: vs. 49ers, at Browns, at Jets

10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8), in the hunt: They won in Nashville on Sunday, meaning there's still a faint pulse. A 3-6 conference mark keeps them buried behind Fins and Colts. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Broncos, at Steelers