Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks with Week 15’s early Sunday games complete:
AFC
x – 1. Buffalo Bills (11-3), AFC East leaders: They retain inside track to remain in snowy Orchard Park throughout January and took another step toward that Saturday night by sewing up conference’s first playoff berth with win against Miami. Remaining schedule: at Bears, at Bengals, vs. Patriots Â
y – 2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3), AFC West champions: Their Week 6 loss to Bills would currently mean road to the AFC crown goes through Buffalo. But on plus side, even if it took overtime to defeat the Houston Texans, K.C. won its seventh consecutive divisional title Sunday. And the upcoming schedule suggests the No. 1 seed remains a distinct possibility if the Bills trip. Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks, vs. Broncos, at Raiders
NFL NEWSLETTER:Sign up now for exclusive content sent to your inbox
Follow every game: Latest NFL Scores and Schedules
3. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4), AFC North leaders: Defending AFC champs bypassed battered Ravens in division Saturday due to Baltimore’s loss at Cleveland but must win in Tampa on Sunday to retain lead. Also, Cincinnati faces a much more daunting schedule ahead of potentially pivotal Week 18 rematch with Ravens. Remaining schedule: at Buccaneers, at Patriots, vs. Bills, vs. Ravens
WINNERS, LOSERS FROM SATURDAY TRIPLEHEAD:Vikings make history; Josh Allen shines
GREGG DOYEL:Colts continue to unravel with biggest choke in NFL history vs. Vikings
4. Tennessee Titans (7-6), AFC South leaders: Uncharacteristically blown out two weeks in a row – and now losers of three straight – they look to be a one-and-done postseason squad for the third consecutive year … assuming they get that far with Jacksonville steadily closing on them in the division. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, vs. Texans, vs. Cowboys, at Jaguars
5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5), wild card No. 1: Near-term schedule looks favorable, but they couldn’t get past Browns on Saturday without injured QB Lamar Jackson, who may return for Week 16. Matching the record of Cincinnati, which Baltimore sees again in Week 18, bodes well for Ravens. They’ve already beaten Bengals and have better division record. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, vs. Steelers, at Bengals
6. Miami Dolphins (8-6), wild card No. 2: Third consecutive loss leaves them with shaky footing. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, at Patriots, vs. Jets
7. New England Patriots (7-6), wild card No. 3: A superior record in AFC games currently gives them tiebreaker edge over Chargers. Remaining schedule: at Raiders, vs. Bengals, vs. Dolphins, at Bills
8. Los Angeles Chargers (7-6),  out of playoff field: Looking for help from Raiders on Sunday afternoon – and their own win – to get back into field. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Colts, vs. Rams, at Broncos
9. New York Jets (7-7), out of playoff field: Crushing loss to Detroit leaves their playoff hopes on life support as they face short turnaround for Thursday night date with Jacksonville – not much time for injured QB Mike White to heal. Remaining schedule: vs. Jaguars, at Seahawks, at DolphinsÂ
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8), out of playoff field:Â They’ve won four of six to scratch their way back to relevance. Might be a bigger threat to AFC South-leading Titans than other wild-card aspirants. Superior conference record allows Jags to jump Cleveland. Remaining schedule: at Jets, at Texans, vs. Titans
11. Cleveland Browns (6-8), out of playoff field: They’re obviously long shots but remaining opponents could give them a chance to sneak into the field if there’s adequate attrition of the teams currently in front of them. Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, at Commanders, at Steelers
NFC
x – 1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-1), NFC East leaders: Tough win in Chicago but it kept Philly two games clear of the field in ongoing bid to secure No. 1 seed. Eagles will win NFC East by beating Dallas in Week 16. Remaining schedule: at Cowboys, vs. Saints, vs. Giants
y – 2. Minnesota Vikings (11-3), NFC North champions: Historic comeback from 33-point deficit to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday afternoon, the largest in league history in the regular season or playoffs, allowed Vikes to win division and remain in contention for first-round bye and home-field advantage. Remaining schedule: vs. Giants, at Packers, at Bears
y – 3. San Francisco 49ers (10-4), NFC West champions: The first team to clinch a divisional crown in the 2022 season thanks to Thursday night’s win at Seattle. The Niners’ previous two NFC West titles (2012, 2019) led to Super Bowl berths. Remaining schedule: vs. Commanders, at Raiders, vs. CardinalsÂ
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7), NFC South leaders: They remain atop this woeful division despite Week 14’s embarrassing loss to San Francisco. But this Sunday worked out pretty well, both the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons losing. That leaves all of the Bucs’ divisional pursuers, including the New Orleans Saints, with 5-9 ledgers. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals, at Cardinals, vs. Panthers, at Falcons
5. Dallas Cowboys (10-4), wild card No. 1: Overtime loss at Jacksonville cost them opportunity to clinch postseason berth … though a Commanders loss on Sunday night will secure a spot for Dallas, which must now run the table and hope Philadelphia loses out to do better than a wild card. Remaining schedule:Â vs. Eagles, at Titans, at Commanders
6. Washington Commanders (7-5-1), wild card No. 2: While on their Week 14 bye, the Commanders, winners of six of their past eight, jumped from eighth place in the NFC to sixth courtesy of losses by the Giants and Seahawks. Beating Big Blue on Sunday night would leave Washington sitting pretty. Remaining schedule: vs. Giants, at 49ers, vs. Browns, vs. Cowboys
7. New York Giants (7-5-1), wild card No. 3: Falling like a stone with just one win in their past six outings. Washington’s superior record in NFC East games moved the Commanders ahead of New York going into their massive Week 15 rematch. Remaining schedule: at Commanders, at Vikings, vs. Colts, at Eagles
8. Detroit Lions (7-7), out of playoff field: Long-shot bid for NFC North throne officially evaporated Saturday. But odds growing they could become first team since 1990 to overcome 1-6 start and reach playoffs after barely surviving against Jets on Sunday. Better record in NFC games moves Lions ahead of Seahawks. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, vs. Bears, at PackersÂ
9. Seattle Seahawks (7-7), out of playoff field: Thursday’s loss was their fourth in the past five games as they continue to fall off the playoff pace with two tough contests ahead. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Jets, vs. Rams
x – clinched berth
y – clinched division
***
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
Story Credit: usatoday.com