NFL Playoff Picture 2022: Week 14 Standings, Super Bowl Odds and Wild-Card Hunt
The Philadelphia Eagles may not have clinched an NFL playoff berth in Week 13, but Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and the 11-1 squad appear to be the only certainty when it comes to the postseason following a 35-10 shellacking of the current AFC fourth-seeded Tennessee Titans.
Hurts continued an MVP-quality season with a historic performance against the Titans and further enforced the idea that his team is not just the best in its conference, but the top of the entire NFL.
Beyond them, parody has reigned supreme thus far, with teams closer in terms of wins and losses as well as overall quality of play than ever before.
The result? Greater intrigue and mystery surrounding which teams will ultimately play for a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
Which teams are making a late-season surge, cementing themselves the class of the league, and which are just on the outside, looking it at a chance to make some noise and upset the establishment in pursuit of the top prize in professional football?
Find out with this look at the current playoff standings and who the oddsmakers have as favorites to etch their names in the history books.
Super Bowl Odds
- Buffalo Bills (+350; bet $100 to win $350)
- Kansas City Chiefs (+500)
- Philadelphia Eagles (+500)
- Dallas Cowboys (+700)
- San Francisco 49ers (+1200)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+1200)
- Baltimore Ravens (+2000)
- Miami Dolphins (+2000)
- Minnesota Vikings (+2000)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2500)
- Tennessee Titans (+4000)
- Seattle Seahawks (+4000)
- Los Angeles Chargers (+8000)
- Washington Commanders (+10000)
- New York Jets (+10000)
- New England Patriots (+13000)
- Cleveland Browns (+13000)
- New Orleans Saints (+15000)
- New York Giants (+15000)
- Green Bay Packers (+20000)
- Las Vegas Raiders (+20000)
- Detroit Lions (+20000)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+25000)
- Atlanta Falcons (+25000)
- Carolina Panthers (+25000)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+30000)
- Arizona Cardinals (+70000)
- Los Angeles Rams (+80000)
- Indianapolis Colts (+100000)
- Denver Broncos (+100000)
Chicago Bears, Houston Texans not listed
AFC Playoff Picture
Teams In If the Season Ended Today
- Buffalo Bills (9-3)
- Kansas City Chiefs (9-3)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
- Tennessee Titans (7-5)
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)
- Miami Dolphins (8-4)
- New York Jets (7-5)
On the Bubble
- New England Patriots (6-6)
- Los Angeles Chargers (5-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (5-7)
- Cleveland Browns (5-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)
History Repeats Itself?
Don't look now, but the Cincinnati Bengals are playing out a script that looks eerily similar to last year's Super Bowl campaign.
Joe Burrow extended his win streak against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 to 3-0, out-dueling the MVP candidate for a 27-24 victory at home Sunday. The defending AFC champs out-gained the Chiefs in every significant offensive category, and the all-important offensive line limited K.C. to just one sack.
The Bengals defense came up big when necessary, with fourth-year linebacker Germaine Pratt forcing all-world tight end Travis Kelce into a rare fumble late. Pratt is no stranger to momentum-swinging plays in crucial games. It was he who secured the Wild Card victory over Las Vegas last January to set the Bengals on the path to a Super Bowl berth.
Big plays by key playmakers, mistake-free football from Burrow (25-of-31, 286 yards, two TDs), the return of a dominant Ja'Marr Chase (seven receptions, 97 yards) and the emergence of Samaje Perine as a legitimate force in the run game to go along with Joe Mixon whenever the starter returns have the Cardiac Cats trending in the right direction.
The Baltimore Ravens still lead the division, but there is uncertainty surrounding Lamar Jackson's availability following a knee injury that took him out of Sunday's 10-9 victory over Denver. With a season-ending showdown between the top two teams in the AFC North in Cincinnati, the Bengals are in a position to potentially run it back as the conference's representative in Super Bowl LVII.
They are not the only team looking to replay the closing month of last season, though.
Keep an eye on Las Vegas, which has strung together three wins in a row, including a 27-20 division win over Los Angeles Chargers and have winnable matchups against the Rams and Patriots before a Dec. 24 showdown with another surging team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Improved play from Derek Carr, MVP-quality rushing from league-leading yards leader Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams, who's been asserting his dominance, could push the Raiders into late-season contention, as was the case last year when they bested the bolts for the final playoff spot in the AFC.
With a potent offense, the Raiders could be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams if they can manage to get out of their own way, stop making the mistakes that plagued them in earlier games and finish things out, as they did Sunday afternoon in Vegas.
NFC Playoff Picture
Teams In If the Season Ended Today
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
- San Francisco 49ers (8-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)
- Dallas Cowboys (9-3)
- New York Giants (7-4-1)
- Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
On The Bubble
- Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
- Detroit Lions (5-7)
- Green Bay Packers (5-8)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
Different conference, different cats, same momentum.
The Detroit Lions may not have the win-loss record of the Cincinnati Bengals, but it would be a mistake for any team from any conference to sleep on what head coach Dan Campbell, Jared Goff and the long-hapless team from the Motor City have been able to accomplish in 2022.
The Lions rank sixth in the league in offense, thanks in large part to a rushing game fueled by touchdown machine Jamaal Williams and the elusive D'Andre Swift.
Jared Goff is playing some of the best football of his career and making limited mistakes while doing so, completing 31 of 41 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns Sunday against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that ranks 11th in the league in forcing turnovers.
The defense is still not up to par, as witnessed on Thanksgiving when they allowed Josh Allen to complete a late TD to Stefon Diggs to set up Buffalo's victory, but the explosive offense and big plays from breakout star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown make up for it with the team's ability to find the end zone.
Are they a Super Bowl team this season?
Absolutely not, but there is a growing confidence that is evident even by the way the players carry themselves on the field, and that could be the difference between making it into the postseason and wrecking a contender's Super Bowl hopes or sitting home for the sixth consecutive season.
That is a reflection of Campbell, whose passion and attitude have changed the culture in the locker room and no longer has Detroit looking like the worst franchise in the league.
Having won four of their last five, the Lions will hope to build on their newfound momentum as they fight for their playoff lives against division-leading Minnesota, then head to MetLife Stadium for a battle with a surprise team in the AFC, the New York Jets.
A showdown with the Packers and the opportunity to sweep them for the first time since 2017 wraps up the season and could be the deciding factor on the team's postseason fate.
Gambling problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visiting ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visiting OPGR.org (OR), or calling/texting TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.