NFL Playoff Scenarios 2017: Where Cowboys, Raiders, Steelers, Giants And More Fall In Postseason Standings

NFL parity is on clear display entering Week 15, as a surprising number of teams remain in the playoff hunt. At the moment 26 teams have a mathematical chance of reaching the playoffs with only the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, and Los Angeles Rams eliminated from the postseason.

As of Monday, the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle Seahawks each have a 99 percent chance of making the postseason, followed by the Oakland Raiders (98 percent), the Atlanta Falcons (90 percent), the Pittsburgh Steelers (85 percent), the Detroit Lions (84 percent) and the New York Giants (75 percent), according to FiveThirtyEight. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, currently riding a five-game winning streak, own the final NFC wild-card spot and have a 53 percent chance to reach the playoffs.

With so many teams still angling for any spot in the postseason, much could change in the next three weeks.

A look at each division can help clear up some of the confusion.

AFC East

It would take a massive breakdown for the New England Patriots (10-2) to not win the division. The Miami Dolphins (8-5) had a strong chance to reach the postseason, but Ryan Tannehill’s injury and the season finale against the Pats could make things tough. The Buffalo Bills (6-7) and the New York Jets (4-9) can start booking vacation plans for January now.

AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5) are currently in control, but if the Baltimore Ravens (7-5) can upset New England, they move into division’s driver seat due to their perfect 4-0 division record. The Browns were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, and while the Cincinnati Bengals (5-7-1) are still mathematically in the hunt, their tie with Washington and matchups vs. Pittsburgh, at Houston, and vs. Baltimore make greatly limit their chances.

AFC South

The Houston Texans (7-6) picked up just their second road win of the season in Week 14, but it also assured them a sweep of the Indianapolis Colts (7-6) and makes them the frontrunner to win the South. Houston’s 4-0 in the division and can pick on the 2-11 Jacksonville Jaguars next week. The Tennessee Titans (7-6) will have to sweep their next three games (at Chiefs, at Jaguars, vs. Texans) and need some help to either win the division or a wild-card berth.

AFC West

Simply put, the Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) took advantage of a major opportunity in Week 14 and the Oakland Raiders (10-3) squandered one. The Chiefs swept the season series with the Raiders and are likely to hold down the division, and can challenge the Patriots for the No. 1 seed. Two of KC’s last three are at home. The Raiders will have to keep up their otherwise torrid pace and gun for a wild card, while the San Diego Chargers (5-8) need to win out and pray for a number of teams to experience three-game slides. The defending champion Denver Broncos (8-5) have a much better shot of keeping the wild-card berth than claiming the division since they’ve gone 1-3 against AFC West opponents.

NFC East

The New York Giants (9-4) dually ate into the Dallas Cowboys (11-2) division lead and further solidified the top wild card berth, while leaving open a chance at winning the division, albeit a small one. The Giants have a 4 percent change of wrangling the division from Dallas, FiveThirtyEight shows. The Washington Redskins (7-5-1) likely put down the Philadelphia Eagles’ (5-8) hopes with their win in Week 14, but their tie puts them at 46 percent to make the playoffs. But Washington does have easier games vs. Carolina and at Chicago before ending the season at home against New York.

NFC North

This division is particularly interesting. Claiming five straight, the Detroit Lions (9-4) have a strong two-game lead in the division, leaving the 7-6 Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers likely scrambling for the wild card. But the Lions are dealing with Matthew Stafford's finger injury and have to travel to face the Giants and Cowboys. The Vikings are right on Tampa’s heels for the final wild card, but a 4-6 conference record compared to the Bucs 6-3 leaves them in serious trouble. The streaking Packers are on the road against the Bears in Week 15 and then host the Vikings before finishing the season with a road game against Detroit.

NFC South

The Atlanta Falcons (8-5) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) split their season series and are locked at 3-1 in the division and 6-3 in the conference, making the next three games massively important. The Falcons have a much easier road since they host the 49ers, then head to Carolina Panthers (5-8) before finishing at home against the new Orleans Saints (5-8), as all three opponents seem assured of missing the postseason. The Bucs must contend with Dallas in Week 15 and then are at New Orleans and vs. Carolina. The Saints and Panthers need to win out and get a lot of help.

NFC West

Despite their tie, the Seattle Seahawks (8-4-1) have a firm lead in the division and can likely only move up and down among the conference’s top four seeds. The Arizona Cardinals (5-7-1) can win out but their losses to Minnesota and Atlanta hurt their head-to-head tiebreaker. The Rams and 49ers looked out of contention in October.