The scores of week 15 in the 2015 NFL season sent more teams to their winter vacations and future planning, as we now have six teams altogether clinching a place in the playoffs: Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC, New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC.
The Panthers, 14-0 after beating the New York Giants, now have to win one more game in order to clinch home field for the postseason, while already having the first round bye. The Cardinals, beating or more accurately destroying the Philadelphia Eagles 40-17 have won the NFC West, but still need to make sure they get the first round bye, with the Packers breathing down their necks, although one more win will do it.
The Packers, beating the Oakland Raiders 30-20 make it to 10 wins once more. They’re in the postseason for sure, but they have yet to clinch the division with the Minnesota Vikings, following a win against the Chicago Bears, are at 9-5, almost clinching their Wild Card spot, needing one more win. The only team they’re worried about are the Atlanta Falcons who finally won, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17. They’ll need to win their two games and for the Vikings to lose their remaining two in order to grab a Wild Card spot. The Seahawks have already clinched the second wild card berth.
And for the NFC East? The Redskins are now the frontrunners with a 7-7 record following their impressive win against the Buffalo Bills. The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants lost to the two best teams in the NFC, but are still in the picture of making that #4 slot, if they can somehow topple the Redskins in the final two weeks. Washington are left with two road games: In Philadelphia before closing out the season in Dallas.
NFC
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division Leaders | |||||||||||
| 1 | Carolina Panthers | South | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 4–0 | 10–0 | .444 | .444 | W14 |
| 2 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 4–1 | 9–1 | .432 | .420 | W8 |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | North | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 3–2 | 7–3 | .479 | .419 | W2 |
| 4 | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 2–2 | 6–4 | .509 | .423 | W2 |
| Wild Cards | |||||||||||
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 2–2 | 6–4 | .503 | .369 | W5 |
| 6 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 4–1 | 6–4 | .491 | .394 | W1 |
| In the Hunt | |||||||||||
| 7 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0–4 | 4–6 | .467 | .397 | W1 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–2 | 3–7 | .497 | .513 | L1 |
| 11 | New York Giants | East | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–3 | 4–6 | .456 | .397 | L1 |
| Eliminated from playoff contention | |||||||||||
| 8 | St. Louis Rams | West | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–1 | 5–5 | .530 | .456 | W2 |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–2 | 5–5 | .454 | .410 | L2 |
| 12 | New Orleans Saints | South | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 2–3 | 4–6 | .544 | .431 | W1 |
| 13 | Chicago Bears | North | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–4 | 2–8 | .538 | .477 | L3 |
| 14 | Detroit Lions | North | 4 | 9 | 0 | .308 | 2–3 | 3–6 | .568 | .500 | L2 |
| 15 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 0–5 | 3–7 | .544 | .442 | L2 |
| 16 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–2 | 3–8 | .554 | .442 | L1 |
In the AFC things are almost over. The Patriots are close to clinching home field advantage while the Bengals, following their win with A.J. McCarron at quarterback, are hoping the Denver Broncos continue losing so they can finish up things and earn themselves a crucial bye, giving Andy Dalton more time to recover. The Broncos, at this rate, might even lose their lead in the division, especially with the Chiefs winning 8 consecutive games and nothing seems to be stopping them.
The other Wild Card team right now are the scorching Pittsburgh Steelers following their win against Denver, while the New York Jets, also 9-5, winning four in a row, are waiting for either the Chiefs or Steelers to slip up. Maybe the most dramatic change has been the Houston Texans grabbing the AFC South lead by the horns following their win against the Indianapolis Colts, and the Colts and Jags, with a combined record of 11-20, are still in the picture because this is just such an awful division.
AFC
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division Leaders | |||||||||||
| 1 | New England Patriots | East | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 4–0 | 9–1 | .485 | .462 | W2 |
| 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 4–1 | 8–2 | .467 | .415 | W1 |
| 3 | Denver Broncos | West | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 3–2 | 6–4 | .479 | .469 | L2 |
| 4 | Houston Texans | South | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–1 | 5–5 | .544 | .474 | W1 |
| Wild Cards | |||||||||||
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 4–1 | 8–2 | .521 | .442 | W8 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 2–2 | 6–4 | .527 | .462 | W3 |
| In the Hunt | |||||||||||
| 7 | New York Jets | East | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 2–2 | 6–4 | .426 | .364 | W4 |
| 10 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–2 | 4–6 | .539 | .458 | L3 |
| 11 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–3 | 5–6 | .473 | .369 | L1 |
| Eliminated from playoff contention | |||||||||||
| 8 | Oakland Raiders | West | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–2 | 6–4 | .497 | .397 | L1 |
| 9 | Buffalo Bills | East | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–2 | 6–5 | .533 | .423 | L2 |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | East | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 0–5 | 3–7 | .467 | .385 | L2 |
| 13 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–2 | 3–7 | .479 | .365 | L3 |
| 14 | San Diego Chargers | West | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 0–4 | 3–7 | .521 | .308 | W1 |
| 15 | Cleveland Browns | North | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–4 | 2–8 | .509 | .282 | L1 |
| 16 | Tennessee Titans | South | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–3 | 1–9 | .473 | .410 | L2 |