Week 14 may have been a breaking point in the race to Super Bowl 57. A string of potential contenders had their Lombardi Trophy hopes seriously dented as teams in need of big wins instead had their fatal flaws put on display for the world to see.
Sunday’s action wasn’t a problem for the Buffalo Bills or Philadelphia Eagles, however. Each earned wins — one easy (Philly) and one hard fought (Buffalo) — to maintain their status as the top seed in their respective conferences. With a 14-team playoff field looming, that puts these two Super Bowl favorites in line to secure much-needed byes and earn free passage to the Divisional Round of the 2022 NFL Playoffs.
Who will be joining them? Here’s how the current postseason picture sorts out, along with all the teams with a chance to move into playoff position over the season’s final four weeks.
AFC Division Champions
1. AFC East: Buffalo Bills (10-3). Holds tiebreaker over Kansas City via Week 6 head-to-head win.
2. AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs (10-3)
3. AFC North: Baltimore Ravens (9-4). Holds tiebreaker over Cincinnati via Week 5 head-to-head win.
4. AFC South: Tennessee Titans (7-6)
AFC Wild Cards
5. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4)
6. Miami Dolphins (8-5)
7. New England Patriots (7-6). Holds tiebreaker over New York via two head-to-head wins and tiebreaker over Los Angeles via win percentage in conference games.
In the hunt: New York Jets (7-6), Los Angeles Chargers (7-6)
NFC Division Champions
1. NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles (12-1)
2. NFC North: Minnesota Vikings (10-3)
3. NFC West: San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
4. NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
NFC Wild Cards
5. Dallas Cowboys (10-3)
6. Washington Commanders (7-5-1). Holds tiebreaker over New York due to a better winning percentage in division games.
7. New York Giants (7-5-1)
In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (6-7), Green Bay Packers (5-8), Carolina Panthers (5-8), Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
