2024 NFL playoff picture: who’s in, who’s out and who’s in the mix after Week 14
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Patrick Mahomes (left) and the Kansas City Chiefs and Jared Goff (right) and the Detroit Lions have booked their spot in the 2024 NFL playoffs. Getty Images
The 2024 NFL season is coming down to the wire and that can only mean one thing: playoff football is just round the corner.
Seven teams from each conference will qualify for the postseason as they all battle for the eventual prize: a Super Bowl title.
Here’s how things look in terms of playoff seeding currently:
Who’s definitely in?
After Week 14 of the season, four teams across the two conferences have booked their spots in the playoffs already.
In the AFC, the two-time reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs have continued their quest to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row as the current No. 1 seed.
The Buffalo Bills – who beat the Chiefs in Week 11, Kansas City’s only loss of the season – are also guaranteed a spot in the playoffs after wrapping up the AFC East title in comfortable fashion.
In the NFC, the Detroit Lions are on course for the No. 1 seed as they enjoy a historic season to march to the postseason.
And the Philadelphia Eagles will also be in the playoffs after a long-winning run helped propel them into the postseason having won the NFC East title.
Who’s in the mix?
The majority of the teams still have plenty to play for.
In the AFC, the picture looks fairly set with five teams close to booking their place in the postseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the verge of making it as the No. 3 seed with a 10-3 record and a two-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. The Houston Texans are also likely to qualify for the playoffs as the No. 4 seed with an 8-5 record and a two-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South.
Below those two, there are three teams with an 8-5 record and a good chance of reaching the postseason.
The Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos look set to reach the playoffs with a huge swing needed to fall out of the top seven best records in the AFC. The next closest teams are the Colts and the Miami Dolphins who each have 6-7 records. The Cincinnati Bengals have not mathematically been ruled out of contention with their 5-8 record but according to NFL.com, have a 3% of reaching the playoffs.
It is a much more wide-open race in the NFC.
The race for the two division titles still undecided remains wide open with the 8-5 Seattle Seahawks and 7-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently leading the NFC West and NFC South, respectively.
The Seahawks hold a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Rams in their division, with the two teams facing off in Week 18. The Bucs, meanwhile, have bounced back after a mid-season slump – and paired with the Atlanta Falcons’ losing run – look set to reach the postseason.
The NFC North dominates the rest of the conference’s playoff positions with the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings and 9-4 Green Bay Packers filing the No. 5 and No. 6 spots respectively.
The final spot is currently occupied by the 8-5 Washington Commanders, who have an 81% chance of reaching the postseason, per NFL.com.
The Rams lead the charge for teams on the outside looking in, with their 7-6 record giving them a 30% of making meaningful January football following their big win over the Bills.
There are three teams with 6-7 record – the Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers – who face a stiff challenge of continuing their season.
And while they haven’t been mathematically eliminated, the hopes of the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers are all hanging on by a thread.
Who’s out?
While there are teams still fighting to extend their seasons and compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the 2024 campaign is already over for others.
In the NFC, the New York Giants are the only team eliminated from contention so far after a season in which they cut starting quarterback Daniel Jones and which head coach Brian Daboll may not last long.
There are many more teams in the AFC who will not be in the playoffs.
The Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders have all been eliminated from contention and will turn their eyes to the draft and the 2025 season.
Full playoff seedings after Week 14
AFC
1) Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) – clinched
2) Buffalo Bills (10-3) – clinched
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
4) Houston Texans (8-5)
5) Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
6) Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)
7) Denver Broncos (8-5)
On the outside
8) Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
9) Miami Dolphins (6-7)
10) Cincinnati Bengals (5-8)
Eliminated
11) Cleveland Browns (3-10)
12) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10)
13) New York Jets (3-10)
14) Tennessee Titans (3-10)
15) New England Patriots (3-10)
16) Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
NFC
1) Detroit Lions (12-1) – clinched
2) Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) – clinched
3) Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
5) Minnesota Vikings (11-2)
6) Green Bay Packers (9-4)
7) Washington Commanders (8-5)
On the outside
8) Los Angeles Rams (7-6)
9) Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
10) Arizona Cardinals (6-7)
11) San Francisco 49ers (6-7)
12) New Orleans Saints (5-8)
13) Dallas Cowboys (5-8)
14) Chicago Bears (4-9)
15) Carolina Panthers (3-10)
Eliminated
16) New York Giants (2-11)
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