NFL
What is the NFL playoff picture after Sunday’s games? Who’s in and who’s out
The lineup for the 2024-25 NFL playoffs is starting to take shape, after more teams qualified and were eliminated in Week 15’s action.
Three more teams booked their place in the 2024-25 NFL playoffs this weekend, as the Houston Texans, the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers added their names to the postseason bracket.
How did the Texans, Steelers and Vikings make the playoffs in Week 15?
In the AFC, the Texans were crowned champions of the AFC South on Sunday, after their 20-12 win over the Miami Dolphins was followed by a 31-13 defeat for the Indianapolis Colts, Houston’s only remaining divisional competitors, against the Denver Broncos. It is a second consecutive AFC South title for the 9-5 Texans, who will be featuring in the postseason for the eighth time. So far, Houston have never progressed beyond the playoffs’ divisional round.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the 10-4 Steelers reached the postseason for the 34th time in their history, despite losing to the in-form Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Pittsburgh went down 27-13 to the Eagles - who claimed a franchise-record 10th straight triumph - but nonetheless stamped their ticket to the postseason, thanks to the defeats suffered by the Colts and the Dolphins. Mike Tomlin’s men, who won the last of their six Super Bowl titles in 2008, will now bid to secure the AFC North title ahead of the 9-5 Baltimore Ravens.
In the NFC, meanwhile, the Vikings’ postseason qualification was confirmed without the Minnesotans taking to the field. Kevin O’Connell’s team, who face the Chicago Bears in Monday Night Football today, were sent into the postseason by the Green Bay Packers’ 30-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The This is the 32nd time that the Vikings, who currently sit second to the 12-2 Detroit Lions in the NFC North, have reached the playoffs. Together with the Texans, the Vikings are one of 12 teams never to have won the Super Bowl.
Which teams have qualified for the 2024-25 NFL playoffs? Playoff picture as it stands
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs: 13-1, clinched division
2. Buffalo Bills: 11-3, clinched division
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-4
4. Houston Texans: 9-5, clinched division
NFC
1. Detroit Lions: 12-2
2. Philadelphia Eagles: 12-2
5. Minnesota Vikings: 11-2
Which teams have been eliminated from the 2024-25 NFL playoffs?
While seven teams are certain of a playoff berth, there are now nine franchises that have been eliminated from postseason contention. The latest teams to be knocked out were the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears.
The Bears’ elimination was confirmed ahead of their Week 15 match-up with the Vikings, thanks to the Washington Commanders’ 20-19 triumph over the New Orleans Saints at the weekend. This is the fourth season on the spin that the 4-9 Bears have failed to reach the postseason. Elsewhere in Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. ET kickoffs, the Panthers’ postseason hopes were officially ended when they slipped to 3-11 with a 30-14 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys. This is the seventh successive year that Carolina have missed out on the playoffs - franchise record.
Full list of teams out of the 2024-25 NFL playoff picture
AFC
11. New York Jets: 4-10
12. Cleveland Browns: 3-11
13. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-11
14. Tennessee Titans: 3-11
15. New England Patriots: 3-11
16. Las Vegas Raiders: 2-11
NFC
14. Chicago Bears: 4-9
15. Carolina Panthers: 3-11
16. New York Giants: 2-12
Will any teams make playoffs or be eliminated in Week 15 MNF?
No. Week 15’s Monday Night Football matchups see the Chicago Bears visit the Minnesota Vikings at 8:00 p.m. ET, before the Atlanta Falcons go to the Las Vegas Raiders at 8:30 p.m. ET. Atlanta are the only member of the quartet whose playoff qualification/elimination has not been decided; the 6-7 Falcons sit second to the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South division, and have the 10th-best record in the NFC. According to the NFL’s official playoff odds, the Georgians have a 36% chance of making the postseason if they win in Las Vegas.
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