Week 15 in the 2023 NFL season: situations that will decide who makes the playoffs
The 49ers were the first team within 2023 to clinch a spot in the playoffs on Monday. The 49ers made the playoffs for the third year in a row after beating the Seahawks 28–16 on Sunday and the Packers 24–22 on Saturday.
Four more playoffs spots are up to grabs this coming week. On Wednesday afternoon, the NFL announced the scenarios for Week 15. These scenarios include the Ravens, the Cowboys, the Lions, and the Eagles clinching.
This week, the only way for Baltimore to make the AFC playoffs is to beat the Jaguars in Sunday and for at least two other teams, mostly the Bills or Broncos, to lose.
In the NFC, all Dallas has to do to win is beat Buffalo. If the Cowboys lose this week, they can still make the playoffs in 13 other ways.
Now is the time for Detroit to beat Denver to obtain help to make the playoffs. The most likely outcomes are for the Lions to win, Philadelphia to beat Seattle, and one of Green Bay, the Vikings, or the Rams to lose.
Last but not least, the Eagles can win and clinch with one of eight other possible results.
It would be great for San Francisco to beat or tie the Cardinals and claim the NFC West. The same goes for the Commanders if they beat and tie the Rams.
There is still a chance for 29 teams to win the Lombardi Trophy within February. Only one team has already earned a spot for the playoffs, and only two teams are mathematically out of the running.
At this point in the season, the playoff picture remains as unclear as it can get. However, there may be some clarity this weekend, when Week 15 games start.
This weekend, four teams can finish in the top four and make the playoffs. The San Francisco 49ers can also win the NFC West title. Here is a list of all the possible ways that teams could win the playoffs in Week 15.
This week, there are five games between two teams with good records. This means that the NFL playoff scenario is going to change a lot. Philadelphia is now 10-3, but they just lost badly to the NFC Powers in San Francisco and Dallas.
Nick Sirianni has made it clear that he will not be switching play-callers upon both sides of the game to put some of the blame on himself instead of his team.
Even though they’ve had two bad games, the Eagles still have control of their division as well as can still finish as the No. 1 or 2 spot if they win.
They’ll fly across the country to play an interesting game against an Seahawks team that is also having a tough time.
When they lost to the San Francisco 49ers not quarterback Geno Smith, it was their fourth consecutive loss of the season. The NFL’s regular season ends in just over a month, and it looks like the play-offs will be over very quickly.
Up until Week 15, only the 49ers were sure they would make the playoffs in the NFL. Up to four more teams could join by the end of the week.
This week, the Ravens, Cowboys, Eagles, and Lions are all in the running for the playoffs. That means we might know up to five of the 14 playoff clubs by Monday.
After beating the Giants 48–22 last Sunday, the Eagles are guaranteed to make the playoffs.
There are still a lot of good teams in the NFC, so Philadelphia doesn’t have any ways to lock up the overall No. 1 place in Week 15.
The NFL released the situations that would seal the deals for the AFC and NFC. In Week 15, the Bills, Chiefs, 49ers, Cowboys, as well as Vikings could all lock up playoff spots.
Philly is two games ahead of Minnesota for the top overall place. They will also try to hold off Dallas for first place in the NFC and for the overall playoff top spot.