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Six teams have punched their ticket to this season’s NFL Playoffs as the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs all clinched spots during a wild Week 15 to join the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles tied a franchise record by winning their 13th game on Sunday but also may have suffered a significant loss as NFL MVP candidate Jalen Hurts sprained his right shoulder and will likely miss Philly’s Christmas Eve clash with the Cowboys and maybe even more time than that. So we’ll certainly have to see how that story develops.

The top five in the NFC standings remained the same from a week ago, but the Giants and Commanders flip-flopped at six and seven after New York’s win over Washington on Sunday night.

The top two in the AFC remained the same as both the Bills and Chiefs got wins in Week 15, but we’ve got a new No. 3 as the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals moved into first place in the AFC North, knocking the Baltimore Ravens down to the first wild-card spot at No. 5.

Tennessee is clinging to the No. 4 spot by a thread but holds just a one-game lead in the AFC South over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The LA Chargers and Miami Dolphins hold the sixth and seventh spots, respectively, and the Patriots and Jets are on the outside looking in at 7-7.

Here’s a look at the full NFL playoff picture heading into Week 16.

NFL Playoff Picture 2022: Who’s in and who’s out in the NFC heading into Week 16?

As the Eagles continue to own the best record in the NFL, we’ll again kick things off in the NFC. Here’s who’s in. (*=clinched playoff spot)

  • 1. Philadelphia Eagles* (13-1, 1st NFC East)
  • 2. Minnesota Vikings* (11-3, 1st NFC North)
  • 3. San Francisco 49ers* (10-4, 1st NFC West)
  • 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8, 1st NFC South)
  • 5. Dallas Cowboys* (10-4, 2nd NFC East)
  • 6. New York Giants (8-5-1, 3rd NFC East)
  • 7. Washington Commanders (7-6-1, 4th NFC East)

And here’s who’s out.

  • 8. Seattle Seahawks (7-7, 2nd NFC West)
  • 9. Detroit Lions (7-7, 2nd NFC North)
  • 10. Green Bay Packers (6-8, 3rd NFC North)
  • 11. Carolina Panthers (5-9, 2nd NFC South)
  • 12. New Orleans Saints (5-9, 3rd NFC South)
  • 13. Atlanta Falcons (5-9, 4th NFC South)

Eliminated: Arizona Cardinals (4-10, 3rd NFC West), Los Angeles Rams (4-10, 4th NFC West), Chicago Bears (3-10, 4th NFC North)

NFL Playoff Picture 2022: Who’s in and who’s out in the AFC heading into Week 16?

And here’s a look at the AFC playoff picture. Here’s who’s in. (*=clinched playoff spot)

  • 1. Buffalo Bills* (11-3, 1st AFC East)
  • 2. Kansas City Chiefs* (11-3, 1st AFC West)
  • 3. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4, 1st AFC North)
  • 4. Tennessee Titans (7-7, 1st AFC South)
  • 5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5, 2nd AFC North)
  • 6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6, 2nd AFC West)
  • 7. Miami Dolphins (8-6, 2nd AFC East)

And here’s who’s out.

  • 8. New England Patriots (7-7, 3rd AFC East)
  • 9. New York Jets (7-7, 4th AFC East)
  • 10. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8, 2nd NFC South)
  • 11. Las Vegas Raiders (6-8, 3rd AFC West)
  • 12. Cleveland Browns (6-8, 3rd AFC North)
  • 13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8, 4th AFC North)
  • 14. Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1, 3rd AFC South)

Eliminated: Denver Broncos (4-10, 4th AFC West), Houston Texans (1-11-1, 4th AFC South)

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Senior Writer, Programmer

Luke Norris

Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting.

Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes.

In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke’s work has appeared on  The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.