Week 15 of the NFL 2023 season: Eagles and Cowboys lock up playoff spots; Bengals and Colts join AFC picture
As of the Sunday, 1 p.m. games to Week 15, the NFL playoff contests are still very close and hard to understand. This is likely to be a memorable last few games of the season.
As of the weekend, 11 teams in the AFC had winning records and 6 teams had 7-6 records. This was the most teams in a single conference via Week 14 since 1970. Take a look at the current results and what every team is up against as Week 15 goes on.
Because of how crazy the playoff rankings are, we’ll no longer use divisions but instead use conferences from now on. We’ll talk about the ways that each team broke ties below.
There are only four weeks left in the 2023 NFL season, but things are getting really heated in the race for the playoffs. At the end of the regular season, the AFC along with NFC playoff races should be very close.
Around 11 AFC teams with 7-6 records were just one game away from making the playoffs going into Week 15. In the NFC, too, 11 teams enjoyed records in at least 6-7 and were only one game away from making the playoffs.
Because the field is so deep, it will be hard to say for sure which teams will make the playoffs for every conference.
Along with that, over the course of the coming month, several teams are going to have chances to clinch the playoff spot, whereas one place is currently secured.
There has been no way the Packers could beat the 49ers since Week 14, when they lost on “Monday Night Football” to the Giants. Now, they are competing for a spot in the NFC playoffs and have a good chance of getting the top seed.
On Sunday, the 49ers were the sole squad that was sure they would make the playoffs. They did this after beating the Seattle Seahawks within Week 14 and observing the Giants beat the Packers in “Monday Night Football.”
After the Panthers beat the Falcons 9–7, the Cowboys became another contender to be sure to make the playoffs. But by beating the Cardinals, they additionally won the NFC West and became the first team in NFL history to do so in 2023.
With a month left to the 2023 season, the Cowboys are still in the running for the NFC East title and the top spot in the conference. However, they have already made the playoffs.
The Eagles also got into the playoffs in a roundabout way. They were able to do that because the Falcons lost to the Panthers or the 49ers beat the Cardinals.
They can now focus on beating the Ravens on Monday night to take over the NFC East after the Cowboys lost their game against the Bills.
USA TODAY Sports will be providing real-time updates on the NFL’s changing playoff picture every week during the 2023 regular season. The updates will begin after Sunday’s late games and continue through the rest of the schedule.
The Dallas Cowboys locked up a playoff spot a little over thirty minutes prior to their game against the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo on Sunday. After about three hours, that didn’t matter as much to them anymore.
After losing 31–10 to the Bills, the Cowboys fell to 10–4. To get to Super Bowl LVIII, they might need to win three playoff games on the road, assuming that the Philadelphia Eagles as well as San Francisco 49ers both lose in the last few weeks.
“That didn’t bother me. “To be honest, I don’t care” when asked about making the playoffs, QB Dak Prescott said.
“That was one of the goals when we started this thing during the beginning in the year, but by the end of the season, we knew it was only a matter of time.”
“We can cross that off the list, but we have to get to other things first.” Again, I’ve told you guys several times which this is regarding us putting out our best efforts every week, and tonight we just didn’t do that.
This is more important than making the playoffs right now. This is what we’re worried about.
They can still win the NFC East, but the Eagles (10-3) have to lose two of their last four games and not lose one of their own. The Eagles play the Seahawks on Monday (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN).
Should both the Cowboys and the Eagles finish with a comparable record, the Eagles would have the better conference record and would be able to host at least one playoff game.
Dallas needs San Francisco to lose two of their last three games in order to get home field advantage for the playoffs. This is because the Cowboys lost to the 49ers in Week 5.
At AT&T Stadium this season, the Cowboys are 7-0 and score 39.9 points and gain 431.7 yards per game. On the road, they’re 3-4 and score 21.7 points and gain 304.6 yards per game.
They have 171 points more than their opponents at home and -4 points less on the road. It’s plus-10 when they’re at home and -1 when they’re away.
Coach Mike McCarthy said, “It’s a gap.” “That proved part of what I said.” We’ve played well at home, but the gap between us and them on the road is too big. We are aware of it.”
Micah Parsons said, “Honestly, this is just not acceptable at this point.” That’s not an excuse. This is unbelievable. I don’t know why we’re not collaborating well or getting along on the road.
She said, “I think there’s usually a gap.” ““I know where I was last—Green Bay—and I think the record would show that.
But it’s about how well you do. To do well in these games, you need to push yourself to your limits.
That’s why I proceed back to the plan. We have games against Philadelphia, Buffalo, and Miami. This is a great time for us to get ready for the playoffs, but we need to play better.