The NFL playoff race usually provides a lot of drama down the stretch, but that might not be the case this year, at least in the AFC.
In the AFC, four of the seven spots have been clinched and by the end of Week 16, there’s a chance that all seven spots could be clinched. The Chargers, Broncos and Ravens could clinch the final three spots before the week is over (You can check out their clinching scenarios here).
Although we might not see a lot of drama in the AFC, the NFC could make up for that with three of the divisions still up for grabs (NFC North, NFC South and NFC West). The NFC East is also still technically up for grabs, but the Eagles will need just one more win over the final three weeks to clinch it.
So who’s going to make the playoffs? Let’s get to our projections and find out.
These projections are based on data from number-cruncher Stephen Oh of SportsLine. Each week, Oh plugs some numbers into his SportsLine computer and simulates the rest of the NFL season. Using those numbers, we then project the 14 teams we expect to make the playoffs.
With that in mind, let’s get to the projections heading into Week 16.
AFC playoff projection
Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other AFC teams (with percentage chance of getting into the playoffs in parentheses): Colts (6.5%), Dolphins (4.6%), Bengals (4.5%), Titans (Eliminated), Browns (Eliminated), Jets (Eliminated), Jaguars (Eliminated), Patriots (Eliminated), Raiders (Eliminated)
AFC wild-card bracket projection
(7) Chargers at (2) Bills
(6) Broncos at (3) Steelers
(5) Ravens at (4) Texans
Bye: Chiefs
NFC playoff projection
Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other NFC teams (with percentage chance of getting into the playoffs in parentheses): Seahawks (38.6%), Falcons (27.9%), Cardinals (8.1%), Cowboys (0.2%), 49ers (0.1%), Saints (0.0%), Panthers (Eliminated), Bears (Eliminated), Giants (Eliminated)
NFC wild-card bracket projection
(7) Commanders at (2) Lions
(6) Packers at (3) Rams
(5) Vikings at (4) Buccaneers
Bye: Eagles
