NFL Playoffs 2022-23: Updated Standings, Bracket Picture and Scenarios

With just two games left to go in Week 15 of the NFL season, we're that much closer to knowing the 14 teams that will earn playoff berths...and which will be ending their seasons with a higher draft pick.

On Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers got Week 15 started with a bang by becoming the first team to clinch a division title when they defeated the division rival Seattle Seahawks.

On Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings entered the same rarefied air as the 49ers, coming back from a 33-point deficit to the Indianapolis Colts to win the NFC North.

Over in the AFC on Sunday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans in overtime to clinch the AFC West for the seventh straight season.

Those are the only three divisions whose leaders have been crowned, but there's still plenty on the line for both the teams at the top of the playoff picture (first-round byes and home-field advantage) as well as for those battling it out on the bubble.

Here's what the NFL playoff picture would look like if the season ended today. This is complete through the Sunday late afternoon games.

Current Playoff Seeding

1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-1, clinched berth)

2. Minnesota Vikings (11-3, clinched division)

3. San Francisco 49ers (10-4), clinched division)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8)

5. Dallas Cowboys (10-4)

6. Washington Commanders (7-5-1)

7. New York Giants (7-5-1)

On the Bubble

8. Seattle Seahawks (7-7)

9. Detroit Lions (7-7)

Somewhat unbelievably, if the season ended today, all four NFC East teams would make it to the playoffs. However, the Commanders and Giants face each other on Sunday Night Football, so the result of that game will send ripple effects through the standings.

If the Commanders lose, the Cowboys will clinch a playoff berth. And the Giants, who have dropped or tied five of their last six games, desperately need a win to hang on to their precarious grip on the conference's third wild card.

Meanwhile, if the Eagles can defeat the archrival Cowboys in Week 16, they will clinch the NFC East and finally put an end to that division's madness.

For those who joke (or suggest seriously) that the NFL should move to a seven-best-teams system rather than a division system, the Buccaneers are a great example of that, sitting pretty with the No. 4 seed despite having a losing record. Both teams on the playoff bubble, the Seahawks and Lions, have .500 records.

Current Playoff Standings

1. Buffalo Bills (11-3, clinched berth)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3, clinched division)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4)

4. Tennessee Titans (7-7)

5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)

6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)

7. Miami Dolphins (8-6)

On the Bubble

8. New England Patriots (7-7)

9. New York Jets (7-7)

With their win against the Dolphins Saturday night, the Bills secured the AFC's first playoff berth and took another step toward clinching home-field advantage...which, given the weather in Buffalo as of late, any team should fear.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, have made their path to a No. 1 seed more difficult with their loss to the Bills in Week 6, but it's not impossible with the teams both sitting at 11-3 with three games left.

The Titans appear to be doing everything they can to let their division lead (and playoff berth) fall through their fingers with four straight losses. The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, are currently out of postseason contention with their 6-8 record but have a fire lit under them, winning four of their last six with a stunning upset over the Cowboys with a pick-six in overtime Sunday.

The Chargers jumped up into the playoff picture with their win against the Titans, while the Patriots fell out of wild-card position with their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.