Now, the Patriots head into a two-week stretch that could well decide the AFC East title. The Titans and Chiefs both won Sunday to match New England's record, but the Patriots hold the tiebreaker at the moment because of a superior conference record. The Patriots entered their bye week knowing they would come out of it atop the AFC no matter what happened in between. We'll update after Thursday night's huge matchup between the Chiefs and Chargers. What follows is our weekly snapshot of the NFL playoff picture, incorporating ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) and a bit of our own instincts to give you a sense of short- and long-term stakes, including Week 15 clinching scenarios for six teams.

The biggest losers? The Jaguars, Lions and Jets were all eliminated from contention on Sunday. Although the Colts have a difficult remaining schedule, they are atop five other six-loss teams in the conference. 6 spot thanks to losses by the Steelers, Bills and Bengals. The Colts rose from the depths of the AFC race to the No. The biggest winner of the weekend was a team that didn't even play. Thirteen teams in a playoff spot or within one game of oneįive teams with the same record vying for a wild-card spot

In addition, each conference has:Ī three-way tie for the best record (first time through Week 14 since 1970) Every NFL team has at least three losses through Week 14 for the first time since 2014, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The NFL playoff field hasn't been so unsettled this late in seven years. The Cardinals missed their chance Monday night, losing 30-23 to the Rams, and so we'll shift our focus to Week 15. We've gotten through the first 14 weeks of the NFL season without a single team clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2014.

Week 12 nfl conference standings