NFL

2023 NFL playoff picture: Here are the 14 teams projected to make the postseason heading into Week 12

by
SaC Bot
November 22, 2023

As the NFL season heads into Thanksgiving week, all 32 teams have something to be thankful for right now and that’s the fact that they’re all still alive in the playoff race.

That’s right, as we head into Week 12, every single team is still alive. The 1-9 Panthers could still sneak in if everything goes their way. The 2-8 Patriots could still save Bill Belichick’s job with a miracle run to the playoffs. The New York Football Giants could still WIN the NFC East. Sure, they’d have to win out and the Eagles would have to lose out, but the point here is that it’s still possible.

So what are the chances that any of that actually happens? That’s what we’re going to answer right now in this week’s playoff projection. The projections here are based on data from number-cruncher Stephen Oh of SportsLine.com. Oh plugged some numbers into his SportsLine computer this week and simulated the rest of the 2023 NFL season, and using those numbers, we’re going to let you know the playoff chances for all 32 teams, plus the projected 14-team playoff field.

With that in mind, let’s get to this week’s playoff projections (For more from Stephen Oh and his SportsLine “Inside the Lines” team, you can tune into his YouTube channel daily at 1 p.m. ET by clicking here).

AFC playoff projection

Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other AFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Bills (27.3%), Colts (25.7%), Chargers (14.6%), Broncos (12.8%),Raiders (4.2%), Jets (3.0%), Bengals (2.5%), Titans (0.5%), Patriots (0.1%).

NFC playoff projection

Here’s a list of the playoff chances for all the other NFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Buccaneers (36.7%), Packers (19.6%), Rams (16.2%), Falcons (15.8%), Commanders (0.9%), Bears (0.5%), Giants (0.3%), Panthers (0.0%), Cardinals (0.0%).

Note: The Cardinals and Panthers haven’t technically eliminated from playoff contention yet, but their chances are listed at zero because the computer has seen both teams play and it knows they’re not getting in.