Sportsnaut
Who will make the NFL playoffs? The first 14 weeks of the 2025 NFL season have come to a close, with each team having four games left to punch their ticket to the playoffs. It’s a particularly intriguing battle this year, as perennial Super Bowl contenders like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are currently on the outside looking in.
Let’s dive into the NFL playoff picture right now with an examination of where things stand for NFC and AFC contenders entering Week 15.
Entering Week 15, the Denver Broncos sit atop the AFC West and are in the pole position for the first-round bye as the No. 1 seed. The Broncos hold a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Chargers, giving them an 85 percent chance of winning the division and hosting a playoff game. In terms of the AFC West, beating the Chargers in Week 18 would guarantee the division title for Denver regardless of record. As for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Broncos hold the tiebreaker over the New England Patriots based on win percentage in games against conference opponents.
The New England Patriots currently have a two-game lead in the AFC East over the Buffalo Bills and the head-to-head tiebreaker. Fittingly, the two playoff contenders are going head-to-head this week, and the stakes are high. If New England wins, it will clinch the division and be guaranteed to host a playoff game in the Wild Card Round. Even if Buffalo wins in Week 15, the Patriots will still be a game up over the Bills, and by winning out—against the Ravens, Jets, and Dolphins—New England wins the AFC East and is guaranteed to be the No. 2 seed.
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With Daniel Jones lost for the season, it’s effectively a two-team race for the AFC South between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. The Jaguars are currently leading the division right now by 1 game and they are 2 games ahead of the AFC North division leader, putting them in position for the AFC’s No. 3 seed. Jacksonville and Houston split their season series. The Texans face the Cardinals, Raiders, Chargers, and Colts in their final four games while the Jaguars face the Jets, Broncos, Colts, and Titans.
Read More: NFL Week 15 Predictions
From 4-1 to 6-6 and now 7-6 with a one-game lead. That probably says a lot more about the state of the AFC North in 2025 than it does the Pittsburgh Steelers as a viable playoff team. Whichever team wins the North will be the 4th seed in the AFC, hosting the best Wild Card team in the first round of the playoffs. One complicating factor for the Steelers is their remaining schedule,...
