NFL Standings 2014-15: Week 16 Records, Playoff Scenarios, Wild Card Review

NFL Standings Week 17 2011-2012

Despite a few division champions being crowned over the weekend, it"s still anyone"s guess as to how the NFL playoff field will come together with Week 16 fast approaching.

Football fans will have to wait until Sunday to see games with playoff implications, with the 2-12 Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars battling for draft position onThursday Night Football. But that"s only one of two games out of the 16-game slate that won"t have some sort of ramifications to teams" playoff hopes.

Some of the work has already been done for four teams, as ESPN Stats and Information shows, but even they still have playoff seeding to play for:

Whether it"s teams that desperately need a win to stay alive, squads hoping to sweeten their playoff position down the stretch or anything in between, things could get really wacky entering the final week of the season if more upsets take place.

With that said, let"s break down the latest playoff outlook by the conferenceentering Week 16.

AFC Playoff Outlook

AFC Standings Entering Week 16 Denver Broncos 11 3 0 at CIN, vs. OAK Kansas City Chiefs 8 6 0 at PIT, vs. SD San Diego Chargers 8 6 0 at SF, at KC Oakland Raiders 2 12 0 vs. BUF, at DEN New England Patriots 11 3 0 at NYJ, vs. BUF Buffalo Bills 8 6 0 at OAK, at NE Miami Dolphins 7 7 0 vs. MIN, vs. NYJ New York Jets 3 11 0 vs. NE, at MIA Cincinnati Bengals 9 4 1 vs. DEN, at PIT Pittsburgh Steelers 9 5 0 vs. KC, vs. CIN Baltimore Ravens 9 5 0 at HOU, vs. CLE Cleveland Browns 7 7 0 at CAR, at BAL Indianapolis Colts 10 4 0 at DAL, at TEN Houston Texans 7 7 0 vs. BAL, vs. JAX Tennessee Titans 2 12 0 at JAX, vs. IND Jacksonville Jaguars 2 12 0 vs. TEN, at HOU

NFL.com (highlighted teams have clinched division)

The three AFC teams that have separated themselves from the pack throughout the 2014 season all had a chance to wrap up their divisions in Week 15, and they didn"t hesitate at the opportunity.

With big wins on Sunday, New England, Denver and Indianapolis all clinched their respective division titles once again. Now, next up on the docket for all three teams is clinching a first-round byealthough only two of them will succeed.

The odd team out is looking more and more like Andrew Luck"s 10-4 Colts. They"re already a game behind both the 11-3 Pats and Broncos, and would need one of the two to lose both games down the stretch (Indianapolis lost to both teams, so identical records wouldn"t favor the Colts).

New England also beat Denver convincingly earlier in the year, which means the Patriots can wrap up the AFC"s top seed by beating the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills to finish at 13-3. The Broncos need to win out and a Pats loss to jump them, but one more win will clinch at least a first-round bye.

We may not be officially on course for another AFC Championship Game between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, but the improved play of both defenses makes it feel like an impending reality, per Pro Football Focus" Steve Palazzolo:

The fate of the top teams are close to sealed, but that"s far from the case in the AFC North and wild-card racewhich are becoming close to one in the same.

While the Browns fell to the wayside, all three other divisional teamsCincinnati, Baltimore and Pittsburghwon in Week 15. That"s making this tweet from NFL Network become closer and closer to a reality:

Some teams sit in better positions than others entering the final two weeks. Pittsburgh will clinch a playoff spot with a win over Kansas City. Baltimore can do the same with wins over both Houston and Cleveland.

All Cincinnati needs is one win and corresponding Ravens and Steelers losses to clinch the division, but that will be a tough propositionthe Bengals face Denver in Week 16 and close the season against the Steelers.

Kansas City, San Diego and Buffalo will be the AFC North"s biggest enemies down the stretch. All three teams sit at 8-6 and need help to get back into the conversation, but would do just that if the Steelers and Ravens both lose in Week 16.

NFC Playoff Outlook

NFC Standings Entering Week 16 Arizona Cardinals 11 3 0 vs. SEA, at SF Seattle Seahawks 10 4 0 at ARI, vs. STL San Francisco 49ers 7 7 0 vs. SD, vs. ARI St. Louis Rams 6 8 0 vs. NYG, at SEA Dallas Cowboys 10 4 0 vs. IND, at WSH Philadelphia Eagles 9 5 0 at WSH, at NYG New York Giants 5 9 0 at STL, vs. PHI Washington Redskins 3 11 0 vs. PHI, vs. DAL Detroit Lions 10 4 0 at CHI, at GB Green Bay Packers 10 4 0 at TB, vs. DET Minnesota Vikings 6 8 0 at MIA, vs. CHI Chicago Bears 5 9 0 vs. DET, at MIN New Orleans Saints 6 8 0 vs. ATL, at TB Carolina Panthers 5 8 1 vs. CLE, at ATL Atlanta Falcons 5 9 0 at NO, vs. CAR Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 12 0 vs. GB, vs. NO

NFL.com (highlighted teams clinched playoff berth)

The Green Bay Packers entered Week 15 on a furious win streak that looked like it couldn"t be stopped, but a trip to Buffalo halted the NFC"s darling in their tracks. Now, they"re not even leading the NFC North.

A loss to the Bills dropped the Pack to 10-4, putting them even with the red-hot Detroit Lionswho have won seven of nine. Aaron Rodgers and crew don"t hold the tiebreaker over Detroit right now, but that shouldn"t be a worry given what"s ahead.

All the Packers have to do is beat the Lions in their season finale and the NFC North is theirsand probably a first-round bye. The teams" tight records make their Week 16 matchups seemingly unimportant, per Bleacher Report"s Zach Kruse:

The Packers and Lions won"t be the only divisional race practically coming down to one head-to-head matchup, as the NFC West is in the same boat. However, fans won"t have to wait until the final week of the season for that one.

Despite losing two quarterbacks, the Arizona Cardinals have improved to an 11-3 record, clinching at least a postseason berth. But if they don"t take care of business against Seattle in Week 16, the Seahawks will tie them in the NFC West and maintain that crucial tiebreaker with both head-to-head wins.

Folks like ESPN"s Robert Flores were quick to crown the Seahawks when Arizona announced Ryan Lindley as its starting quarterback for Week 16, but crazier things have happened:

Because head-to-head battles for the division are apparently the popular thing in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles faced off in a Week 15 battle that wouldseemingly decide the NFC East. Dallas came up big in the rematch, but it"s far from in the clear for a postseason berthmuch less the division.

Dallas would lose the tiebreaker against Philadelphia, which is only one game back at the moment. The Cowboys can move closer to the prize by winning against the Colts at home, but ESPN"s Skip Bayless noted the team"s woes at home:

Don"t be surprised if the NFC East team missing out on the division ends up missing out altogether. Whichever teams fall flat in both the NFC North and West will have similar records of 10 wins or more, and there are only two wild-card spots up for grabs.

Should the NFL consider allowing a third wild-card team when division champs are below .500?

As for the NFC South, well, at least a few of them are showing some sort of interest in grabbing the available playoff spot. The New Orleans Saints convincingly beat the Chicago Bears onMonday Night Footballto move into first in the division, and the Carolina Panthers are a half-game behind after taking care of Tampa Bay.

The Saints can win the division with two victories down the stretch, but one defeat will allow the Panthers to do the same. Atlanta still remains in the hunt at 5-9 (miraculously), but will need the Saints to fall apart down the stretch along with winning out.

Either way, it will be seriously debated whether one of the hot NFC wild-card contenders deserves a spot over whoever wins the division.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2301241-nfl-standings-2014-15-week-16-records-playoff-scenarios-wild-card-review