NFL Playoff Picture - Week 15: Postseason seeds, projected draft order

NFL Playoff Picture is a weekly look at the teams jockeying to secure their shot to make it to Super Bowl LVI.

AFC

x = clinched playoff berth
y = clinched division title
z = clinched first-round bye

Chaos has enveloped the AFC for much of the season, but after 15 weeks, the reigning conference champions have worked their way back on top. Seven straight wins have erased the Chiefs' early season doubts. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans both lost, failing to keep pace with the AFC West club. They both now face an uphill battle to secure the lone bye spot.

The Indianapolis Colts solidified their postseason position with a vital win over New England, though their chances of pushing the Titans for the division remain slim after being swept by their rivals. The Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers both have favorable schedules to end the year and should be hard to displace.

In the hunt

The AFC North race is likely to come down to the wire after the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens fell to the Green Bay Packers, while the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers both won close games. The undermanned Cleveland Browns can make the fight even spicier if they beat the Las Vegas Raiders in the rescheduled Monday game.

Elsewhere, the Miami Dolphins won their sixth straight game to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Denver Broncos saw their chances fall significantly after losing to the Bengals. Both teams will need to win out and get some help in order to crack the logjammed AFC wild-card race.

NFC

x = clinched playoff berth
y = clinched division title
z = clinched first-round bye

The Packers are in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the NFC after taking down the Ravens and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers laying an egg on Sunday night. Green Bay was also the first team to clinch a playoff spot after locking down the NFC North title.

The once red-hot Arizona Cardinals now find themselves in the No. 4 seed after losing four of their last seven games. The Dallas Cowboys leapfrogged both the Cardinals and Buccaneers thanks to a superior conference record after earning their 10th win of the season. It's only a matter of time before they earn their first division title since 2018.

In the hunt

Only one NFC wild-card spot is up for grabs over the last three weeks of the season, with the NFC West set to take up two of the three spots. The New Orleans Saints reinvigorated their postseason chances with a stunning prime-time win over their division rivals. The Saints, who jumped four spots to the No. 7 seed, also don't face a team with a winning record for the rest of the season.

The Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Football Team matchup Tuesday will be a massive swing game. The winner will essentially have a 50-50 chance of making the postseason, while the loser will drop to below 10%, per FiveThirtyEight.

Projected NFL draft order