NFL Playoff Picture: Looking At The Postseason Landscape Heading Into Week 16, 2022

The NFL regular season is coming to a close and we are now just three weeks away from knowing exactly who we’ll see in the playoffs, getting themselves one step closer to the Super Bowl. We're now in Week 16 of the NFL season and the playoffs are on the minds of everyone right now. With that said, we're taking a look at the lay of the land as we approach the postseason. It’s been another wild week in the NFL, so let’s get stuck into what we know for sure. This is information you'll want before betting on anything in the coming weeks.

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There are five teams we know for sure that we won’t be seeing in the playoffs. They are the Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals. 

On the flip side of that, there are six teams we know we’ll see in the playoffs. In the AFC, we’ve seen the 11-3 Kansas City Chiefs clinch the divisional title for the AFC West, while the Buffalo Bills, also 11-3, are guaranteed a playoff berth.

Over in the NFC, we’ve had the 11-3 Minnesota Vikings and 10-4 San Francisco 49ers clinch the NFC North and NFC West respectively. In addition to that, we had two NFC East teams, the 13-1 Philadelphia Eagles and 10-4 Dallas Cowboys, lock themselves into the playoffs, with the division still up for grabs, for now at least.

If the league ended today, then we’d also see the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins in the playoffs from the AFC, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants and Washington Commanders joining from the NFC.

The NFL teams whose playoff picture will be determined in Week 16

The 11-3 Bills have already secured a playoff spot but will win the AFC East if they either beat the Chicago Bears on Saturday, or if the divisional rival Dolphins lose.

The Bengals sit on a 10-4 record and currently have pole position in the AFC North but seeing as all teams are still in the chase they can’t win the division just yet, however if they beat the New England Patriots on Saturday then they’re into the playoffs, as they will be if the New York Jets fail to win too.

Second place in the AFC North is the 9-5 Ravens and they have a complicated route to securing a playoff berth this weekend. All three scenarios see them needing to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday. In addition to that, they’re get the playoff berth if the Jets and Patriots lose, or the Jets and Dolphins lose, or Patriots and Dolphins lose. So to put it simply Ravens fans, if you win and any two of the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins lose then you’re in. Got that? Good.

The Chiefs may have locked up the AFC West but the Los Angeles Chargers can secure a playoff spot on Monday if they beat the Indianapolis Colts. The problem is that they only qualify if beforehand the Jets, Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders all lose. If that happens then we could see a box office game on Monday.

Over in the NFC, it’s only the NFC East that can see any real clarity this week, with no team from the other three divisions able to confirm their futures in Week 16. The Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the division and if they beat the Cowboys, at Jerry World, on Saturday, then they’ve secured the divisional title, but they’ve got to do it without Jalen Hurts.

The New York Giants can become the third team from the division to secure a spot in the playoffs if they beat the Vikings on Saturday and then any two of the Lions, Seahawks or Commanders both lose.

The other teams still in the chase, for now at least, but unable to secure anything this coming week are the Patriots, Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars (who we like to win the AFC South), Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Colts, in the AFC. In the NFC, we could potentially still see three of the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints or Falcons reach the playoffs.