Week 15 NFL Standings: Three Teams Look to Clinch Playoff Berths
We are officially down to the home stretch of the NFL season.
Only four weeks remain in the regular season, and teams are beginning the last spring towards the playoffs. Heading into Week 15, three teams have a chance to clinch playoff berths either with wins or some help from other teams. Before this next week of football begins, here is an updated look at the NFL standings.
NFL Standings
AFC East
- New England Patriots (11-2)
- Buffalo Bills (9-4)
- Miami Dolphins (6-7)
- New York Jets (3-10)
The New England Patriots spent Week 14 on their bye, and now, as they head into Week 15, they have a chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs and their first AFC East title since 2019 by beating the Buffalo Bills who just won one of the more wild games of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend. With its own win, Buffalo would keep its hopes alive of continuing their dominance in the division. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins have continued to climb the AFC standings, winning their fourth straight game by beating the New York Jets.
AFC North
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-7)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
- Cleveland Browns (3-10)
The Pittsburgh Steelers earned a pivotal win this weekend to snatch sole possession of the AFC North once again, toppling the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 27-22. The Bengals, however, saw their chance of the playoffs be all but eliminated with their loss to the Bills. They need to hope for a very bad home stretch from the Steelers and Ravens while also winning out. A win over Baltimore this weekend would be a start.
AFC South
- Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4)
- Houston Texans (8-5)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-5)
- Tennessee Titans (2-11)
Oh how the mighty have fallen. After an 8-2 start, the Colts have now lost three straight games following their bye week, and this latest loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars might have taken all the wind out of their sales. Not only did they officially fall behind in the AFC South for the first time this season, but they lost Daniel Jones for the year to a torn Achilles. The Texans have made things more interesting as well with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Shout out to the Titans as well for picking up their second win of the year.
AFC West
- Denver Broncos (11-2)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
The Denver Broncos can also clinch a playoff spot this weekend if they get a win over the Green Bay Packers this weekend after beating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. However, the Los Angeles Chargers continue to hang around in the divisional race after beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. The same cannot be said of the Kansas City Chiefs, whose reign in the AFC West officially came to an end last weekend after their loss to the Texans. At 6-7, their playoff hopes continue to get grimmer by the week.
NFC East
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-5)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1)
- Washington Commanders (3-10)
- New York Giants (2-11)
The NFC East remains in flux as both the Eagles and Cowboys lost in Week 14, and after already splitting their season series, both teams will have to rely on wins in other divisional matchups to secure this race. The Eagles have two games against the Washington Commanders still on their schedule over the final four weeks while Dallas will play Washington and the New York Giants.
NFC North
- Green Bay Packers (9-3-1)
- Chicago Bears (8-4)
- Detroit Lions (8-5)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
The NFC North continues to be a dog fight among the top three teams. The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears this weekend to reclaim the division lead and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Detroit Lions also inched closer to a Wild Card spot after their win over the Cowboys, and the Vikings kept their last hopes of a playoff run alive with a dominant win over the Commanders.
NFC South
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6)
- Atlanta Falcons (4-9)
- New Orleans Saints (3-10)
The Carolina Panthers were given a share of the NFC South division lead during their bye week thanks to a heroic performance by Tyler Shough in the New Orleans Saints’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. New Orleans may have found a quarterback to build around after all, but now Carolina has a chance to do what Tampa Bay couldn’t against the rookie before the division leaders clash in Week 16.
NFC West
- Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
The three-team race for the NFC West remains a tight one after all the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks earned wins this past weekend while the San Francisco 49ers were on their bye. LA is the final team with a chance to clinch a playoff spot this week as they host the Lions, and they likely need a win with Seattle playing a Daniel Jones-less Colts team and San Francisco playing the Titans.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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