Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown talks about Detroit Lions making the playoffs
Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown talks about his playoff hopes and Little Caesars pizza showdown experience.
USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates on the NFL’s evolving playoff picture each week during the 2025 regular season. It usually starts on a Sunday afternoon and continues through the rest of the week (Monday and Thursday games, if applicable, or Saturday games, and I plan to watch them once the holidays are over).
What the hell happened? What does that mean? As the seven-team brackets for each conference begin to take shape, what will be the relevant factors (and perhaps the tiebreakers)? Everything will be explained and analyzed leading up to the postseason berths being decided on Sunday, January 4th.
Here’s how things stood as week 16 was completed.
NFC Playoffs Photos
x − 1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3), NFC West Leaders: Splitting the season series against the Rams in Thursday night’s Classic means the No. 1 seed is up for grabs if they win their remaining two games. remaining schedule: Panthers, 49ers
x − 2. Chicago Bears (11-4), NFC North leader: Saturday night’s overtime victory over Green Bay helped secure a playoff berth, which was sealed with Sunday’s loss to Detroit. Chicago is also still playing as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. remaining schedule: 49ers vs. Lions
y – 3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5), NFC East Champions: By defeating Washington on Saturday, they became the first team to finish Division I this season, and the first team to earn a win. this Since splitting 21 years ago, the company has split several years in a row. Philadelphia’s victory also officially eliminated the hated Cowboys from playoff contention. remaining schedule: Game against Bills, vs. Commanders
4. Carolina Panthers (8-7) NFC South Leader: They moved into first place after defeating the Bucks on Sunday. They can win the division with a 1-1 loss against Tampa Bay next week. A loss to the Buccaneers in Week 18 would be effective regardless of the situation. remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks, Buccaneers
x − 5. San Francisco 49ers (11-4), second wild card: A win would give the Niners a sweep over Seattle on the final weekend of the regular season and clinch the No. 1 seed. With Sunday’s loss, Detroit clinched a spot in the postseason. They are ahead of the Rams in NFC West play with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss. remaining schedule: vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks
x − 6. Los Angeles Rams (11-4), Wildcard #1: They became the first team to qualify for the playoffs, but were unable to sweep Seattle, losing the inside track to gain home-field advantage and receiving a bye in the first round. remaining schedule: Falcons vs. Cardinals
7. green bay packers (9-5-1), Wildcard #3:They were understaffed into Saturday night, but things got even worse after that. However, the Pack should have been able to escape Chicago with a victory. At least the Detroit loss allowed Green Bay to maintain a 1.5-game lead over the Lions in the wild-card standings. Also, if the Packers win or the Lions lose, Green Bay will be in the game. remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, Vikings
8. Detroit Lions (8-7), on the hunt: Sunday’s loss not only kept two of the contending teams (Chicago and San Francisco) out of the game, but also left the Lions on life support. Detroit needs to win its remaining two games and hopes the Pack loses to qualify. remaining schedule: Vikings, Bears
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8); in the hunt: Sunday’s loss to Charlotte was Tampa Bay’s sixth loss in its last seven games. However, if they win their final two games, the Bucks will retain the NFC South title with a one-game difference in the common-game tiebreaker against Carolina (assuming the Panthers also finish 9-8). remaining schedule: Dolphins vs. Panthers
x − 1. Denver Broncos (12-3), first in AFC West: They entered the day with home-field advantage and a chance to clinch a first-round bye. A decisive loss against Jacksonville reopened the door to New England. If they still win, Denver will take the top seed. remaining schedule: Chiefs vs. Chargers
x − 2. New England Patriots (12-3), AFC East leaders: Officially headed to the playoffs, the Pats are still in the driver’s seat to win the AFC East, and it’s just the tiebreaker for the top spot in the conference. remaining schedule: Jets vs. Dolphins.
x − 3. Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4), AFC South leader: They snapped a seven-game winning streak Sunday with an impressive win over Denver. Monday’s loss to the Colts sealed the Jags’ playoff invitation. remaining schedule: vs. Colts, Titans
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6); AFC North Leader: Sunday’s victory at Motown clinched the NFC berths for the Bears and 49ers. No matter what else happens in the next two games, they will dominate the Ravens and Pittsburgh will secure the division. A win against Cleveland next week will clinch the division. remaining schedule: Browns vs. Ravens
x − 5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4), Wild Card No. 1: The Bolts have now won seven of eight games, and with Indy’s loss Monday night, they will be in the playoffs for the second straight year. A half-game advantage (8-2) in AFC play keeps them ahead of Buffalo. If they win, the Chargers will win the AFC West…and maybe even more. remaining schedule: vs. Texans, Broncos
x − 6. Buffalo Bills (11-4), Wild Card No. 1: The Bills, who are still in the running for their sixth straight AFC East title, were guaranteed at least a playoff berth with Monday’s loss to the Colts. remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, vs. Jets
7. Houston Texans (10-5), third wild card: They have won eight of nine, including seven in a row, but have yet to overtake Jacksonville, who is also on the rise, for first place in the AFC South. Houston’s victory prevented the Bills, Chargers and Jags from qualifying for the playoffs on Sunday. remaining schedule: Chargers vs. Colts
8. Indianapolis Colts (8-7) In the hunt: Their 7-1 start seems like ancient history now that it’s in the hands of 44-year-old QB Philip Rivers, who was unable to pull off a win despite two valiant attempts. One more loss or Houston wins and Indy will be eliminated. remaining schedule: vs. Jaguars, vs. Texans
9. Baltimore Ravens (7-8) In the hunt: Sunday night’s loss to New England cost them control of their path to the playoffs, and a win against Pittsburgh next weekend could see them eliminated. remaining schedule: vs. Patriots, Packers, Steelers
Pittsburgh won the AFC North with the following results:
- win or
- Ravens lose
Carolina wins NFC South:
▶ Victory + Buccaneers loss
Green Bay qualifies for the playoffs with:
- win or
- Lions lose
NFL teams will be eliminated from playoff contention in 2025
▶ New York Giants
▶ Arizona Cardinals
▶ New Orleans Saints
▶ Tennessee Titans
▶ Las Vegas Raiders
▶ Commander Washington
▶ Atlanta Falcons
▶ New York Jets
▶ Cleveland Browns
▶ Cincinnati Bengals
▶ Kansas City Chiefs
▶ Minnesota Vikings
▶ Miami Dolphins
▶ Dallas Cowboys
× – qualify for the playoffs
yes – clinched division
z- Secure home field advantage and win a 1st round bye
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