NFL playoff picture as Week 16 unfolds: Jaguars move into playoff field, Bills win AFC East
claimed third straight AFC East crown. Next week’s matchup against Cincinnati will be electric, with home-field advantage at stake. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Patriots Â
y – 2. Kansas City Chiefs (12-3), AFC West champions: Took care of business against the Seahawks. Two AFC West foes to wrap up the season and stay in play for the No. 1 seed, but earlier losses to Buffalo and Cincinnati are costly. Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos, at Raiders
x – 3. Cincinnati Bengals (11-4), AFC North leaders: Joe Burrow balled out again, this time against Bill Belichick’s Patriots defense. Again – next week against Buffalo is key, and so is the week after against Baltimore. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, vs. Ravens
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after Titans lost to Texans. Week 18 matchup will be pivotal. Remaining schedule: at Texans, vs. Titans
x – 5. Baltimore Ravens (10-5), wild card No. 1: Backup Tyler Huntley won again thanks to a Greg Roman rushing attack and stout defense, keeping the Ravens in contention for the AFC North title. They have a wild card spot thanks to the victory and losses by Jets and Patriots. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at BengalsÂ
disastrous second half vs. Green Bay has put them in a more precarious position heading to Foxboro, but they also control their own destiny in the final two weeks. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, vs. JetsÂ
8. New England Patriots (7-8), out of playoff field: Looked shell-shocked after last week’s devastating last-second defeat in the first half, and the Bengals torched them. Then they lost, excruciatingly, again and remain on the outside looking in. Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins, at Bills
9. New York Jets (7-8), out of playoff field: Have lost four straight and their playoff hopes are almost nonexistent. Worse, QB Zach Wilson has been benched – again. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, at DolphinsÂ
10. Tennessee Titans (7-8), AFC South leaders: Titans have lost five in a row and have let season slip away. Remaining schedule: vs. Cowboys, at Jaguars
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8), out of playoff field: Defeated Raiders in dramatic fashion in game where they celebrated the life and legacy of Franco Harris. Remaining schedule: at Ravens, vs. Browns Â
12. Las Vegas Raiders (6-9), out of playoff field: In dire straits after Pittsburgh went 76 yards and scored the game-winning TD with under a minute to go, the latest dramatic finish in what has been a wild and ultimately disappointing first season under coach Josh McDaniels. Mostly just a matter of time before they’re officially eliminated. Remaining schedule: vs. 49ers, vs. Chiefs
NFC
x – 1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-2), NFC East leaders: Missed opportunity to clinch NFC East, first-round bye and home-field advantage by losing to Dallas. Still have breathing room to secure that advantage. Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, vs. Giants
y – 2. Minnesota Vikings (12-3), NFC North champions: Greg Joseph’s leg keeps the Vikings in the No. 2 spot, at least for this week. Remaining schedule: at Packers, at Bears
Have won eight in a row and remain in contention for No. 2 seed. Remaining schedule:Â at Raiders, vs. CardinalsÂ
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8), NFC South leaders: Wins by Carolina and New Orleans keep the heat turned up on Tom Brady and Co. Their lead is down to a 1/2 game, and the Bucs play at Arizona on Sunday night. Remaining schedule: at Cardinals, vs. Panthers, at Falcons
x – 5. Dallas Cowboys (11-4), wild card No. 1: Appear primed to travel for wild card weekend matchup against NFC South winner. Also not out of NFC East race, but need help. Remaining schedule: at Titans, at Commanders
6. New York Giants (8-6-1), wild card No. 2: Had a golden opportunity to secure a wild card spot Sunday but the Vikings came out on top in the back-and-forth affair. Helped by everybody chasing them also losing. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, at Eagles
7. Washington Commanders (7-7-1), wild card No. 3: Despite two straight losses, still in the playoff field. That tie against the Giants on Dec. 4 is looking all the more beneficial. Seahawks and Lions both losing was a help. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Cowboys
8. Seattle Seahawks (7-8), out of playoff field: Could not get anything going against Chiefs defense and miss an opportunity to put pressure on Washington. The good news is that the Lions also lost, and Seattle has the head-to-head advantage. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, vs. Rams
9. Detroit Lions (7-8), out of playoff field: Finally fell back to Earth. Run defense was embarrassed. They also benefited from a contending counterpart stumbling. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Packers
10. Green Bay Packers (7-8), out of playoff field: Suddenly, the Packers are alive after their comeback against Miami. If they can win the last two at home and the Commanders lose one, they’ll be in the postseason. Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, vs. Lions
11. Carolina Panthers (6-9), out of playoff field: Demolished the streaking Lions and ran all over them, while Sam Darnold is playing the best ball of his career. They control their own destiny. Remaining schedule: at Buccaneers, at Saints
12. New Orleans Saints (6-9), out of playoff field: Scored 17 unanswered in bitter Cleveland conditions to stay alive in NFC South race. Problem for New Orleans is poor division record (2-3) that will cost the Saints in tiebreakers. Remaining schedule: at Eagles, PanthersÂ
x – clinched berth
y – clinched division Â
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.