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There are still four games left in the regular season for most NFL teams, but a solid chunk of the league- nearly 22%, to be exact- has already been eliminated from postseason contention. That's a whopping seven teams who already know they're not going to the playoffs, and are likely now focused on draft positioning. Remarkably, only one of the seven teams is from the NFC, as the AFC has stratified much more clearly at this point in the season.
Let's start with the simplest angle- the New York Giants are out. That's not a huge shock, as they were viewed before the season as outsiders to make the playoffs, and contenders for the first overall pick. However, there are some much bigger surprises on the AFC side of things.
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The six teams eliminated means that just 10 are still in contention for the conference's seven playoff spots. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have clinched their divisions, so really, there are eight teams vying for five spots, although the 4-8 Cincinnati Bengals are all but certain to join the ranks of the eliminated this week or next.
There are now seven teams eliminated from playoff contention through 14 weeks this season. pic.twitter.com/6Djv7IKaeX
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 9, 2024
The Bengals are just a game and a half ahead of the top eliminated teams- five AFC teams are 3-10. That group is quite the mixed bag- the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans were widely expected to miss the playoffs, while the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and especially Jacksonville Jaguars were projected to be postseason contenders.
The Browns won 11 games despite heavy injuries last year, while the Jets impressed even after quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed essentially the whole season with a torn Achilles tendon, so both teams were believed to be among the conference's best, while the Jaguars looked poised to take advantage of a weak AFC South behind the Houston Texans. Unfortunately for these groups, none of that came to pass.
Below the litany of 3-10 teams in the AFC is a lone squad that owns a 2-11 record, leaving them tied with the Giants. That would be the Las Vegas Raiders, who simply have not been able to compete as the AFC West has emerged as one of the sport's best divisions. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are all but locked into playoff spots, as the Broncos are the seventh seed in the conference but own a two-game cushion over the teams outside of the playoff field, while the Chiefs look ready to contend for another Super Bowl. That leaves the Raiders all on their own at the bottom of the division, 10 games behind Kansas City and six away from even Denver in third place.
With that being said, expect teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins, both clinging to slim playoff odds with 6-7 records, to follow the Bengals to eliminated status in the next week or two. As far as the NFC, plenty of postseason spots are still up for grabs, but the 3-10 Carolina Panthers, 4-9 Chicago Bears, and the five-win Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints will all probably be eliminated before too long as well.