With just three weeks left to play in the regular season, there are still 27 teams in playoff contention, which I’m only pointing out, because that’s the tied for the most ever this late in the season. Even the 4-9-1 Colts could still make the playoffs if everything goes their way over the next three weeks, and I mean everything.
One team that won’t be making the playoffs is the Rams. With their loss to the Packers on Monday, the Rams were officially eliminated, which ties them with the 1999 Broncos for the earliest that a reigning Super Bowl champion has ever been eliminated. Right now, not only are there still eight playoff spots up for grabs, but all 14 seeds — seven in the AFC and seven in the NFC — are still waiting to be clinched.
With that in mind, we’re going to project the 14 teams that are going to make the playoffs along with their seed. The projections are based on data from number-cruncher Stephen Oh of SportsLine.com. Oh plugged some numbers into his SportsLine computer and simulated the rest of the NFL season, and using those numbers, not only were we able to figure out the playoff chances for every team, but we’re also going to project the entire playoff field. Alright, let’s get to this week’s playoff projections. Actually, before we do that, here’s a mock draft (click here) that Texans, Bears, Rams, Cardinals and Broncos fans might want to read. Those five teams have officially been eliminated and if you’re a fan of one of those three teams, a mock draft will probably be much more exciting to read than this projection. As for everyone else, let’s get to the projection. Note: Remember, this is a projection based on how we think the rest of the regular season will play out. If you want to see the current playoff standings, be sure to click here. For a breakdown of the current playoff picture, be sure to click here.
AFC playoff projectionHere’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other AFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Jaguars (41%), Patriots (27.2%), Jets (19.6%), Raiders (2.4%), Browns (0.5%), Colts (0.3%), Steelers (0.3%), Broncos (Eliminated), Texans (Eliminated)Note: The 6-8 Jaguars have a higher chance of getting into the playoffs than the other contenders listed here because Jacksonville still has a viable chance to win the AFC South title. NFC playoff projectionHere’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other NFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Commanders (31.5%), Lions (30.8%), Panthers (16.3%), Packers (12.7%), Saints (4.9%), Falcons (4.8%), Cardinals (Eliminated), Rams (Eliminated), Bears (Eliminated)
Wild card round projectionAFC(7) Dolphins at (2) Chiefs(6) Chargers at (3) Bengals(5) Ravens at (4) TitansBye: BillsNFC (7) Seahawks at (2) Vikings(6) Giants at (3) 49ers(5) Cowboys at (4) BuccaneersBye: Eagles