by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
December 19, 2024
Sorry, Cowboys fans.
Heading into Week 16 of the NFL season not all the playoff spots have been solidified, but CBS Sports has made its predictions based on data from Sportsline.
Only seven teams from the league’s two conferences, the AFC and NFC, will make the postseason.
Here are the records for the teams this week and the projected order of how they will finish in the AFC. The first four teams lead their divisions.
Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) *clinched playoff spot
Buffalo Bills (11-3) *clinched playoff spot
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)
Houston Texans (9-5) *clinched playoff spot
Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
Denver Broncos (9-5)
Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)
The number-one seed of the conference gets to rest for one week. The other two division winners, based on record, capture the number two and three spots. Then, the remaining spots are determined by won-loss records.
AFC wild-card bracket projection
(7) Chargers at (2) Bills(6) Broncos at (3) Steelers(5) Ravens at (4) Texans
Bye: Chiefs
Here are the records for the projected playoff teams in the NFC. The first four teams lead their divisions.
Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) *clinched playoff spot
Detroit Lions (12-2) *clinched playoff spot
Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
Minnesota Vikings (12-2) *clinched playoff spot
Green Bay Packers (10-4)
Washington Commanders (9-5)
NFC wild-card bracket projection
(7) Commanders at (2) Lions(6) Packers at (3) Rams(5) Vikings at (4) Buccaneers
Bye: Eagles
The NFC still hasn’t been determined yet, and everything could change over the next three weeks based on who wins or loses. The Vikings, Lions, and Packers could realistically end the year in a three-way tie. If that happens, several factors will determine which team comes out on top to get the bye and top seed for the conference.
Tune in to local listings to find out which games are being played and when.
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