NFL Week 15 picks: Consider Seahawks, Chargers and Texans
Lorenzo Reyes suggests picking against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 Locks.
Every week for the duration of the 2025 regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the NFL’s ever-evolving playoff picture − typically starting Sunday afternoon and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too).
What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Here’s where things stand with Week 15 nearly complete:
x − 1. Los Angeles Rams (11-3), NFC West leaders: They became the first team to clinch a playoff spot, barely evading the Lions on Sunday. LA has the inside track for home-field advantage and a first-round bye, largely because the Rams’ Week 11 defeat of Seattle currently remains pivotal. But the rematch comes Thursday night. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals
2. Chicago Bears (10-4), NFC North leaders: How tightly packed is the NFC? One narrow Week 14 loss dropped the Bears from first place in the conference to seventh. Sunday’s win, in conjunction with Green Bay’s loss, put Da Bears back up to second overall. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions
3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-5), NFC East leaders: Get-right win vs. Raiders gives them some needed breathing room. Remaining schedule: at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7), NFC South leaders: Hopefully coach Todd Bowles’ charges care (expletive) enough this week. A fifth loss in their past six games dropped them to .500 on Thursday night, but Carolina’s loss Sunday put the Bucs back in first place. The Bucs’ one-game advantage in the common-games tiebreaker is currently the difference with the Panthers. Beat Carolina twice, and the Bucs will still win the NFC South. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers
5. Seattle Seahawks (11-3), wild card No. 1: They barely escaped Colts QB Philip Rivers’ return to the NFL after five years but notched a two-point win. All three of the ‘Hawks’ losses are against NFC opponents, including two in the division − defeats that don’t serve them well in tiebreaker scenarios. Splitting their season series with the Rams on Thursday would be a help. Remaining schedule: vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers
6. San Francisco 49ers (10-4), wild card No. 2: They’re just behind the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC West lead. A better record in NFC games (8-2) lifts the Niners ahead of Chicago. Remaining schedule: at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks
7. Green Bay Packers (9-4-1), wild card No. 3: DE Micah Parsons got hurt Sunday, and so did the Pack’s positioning − down from the No. 2 seed to seventh due to their loss at Denver. Remaining schedule: at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings
8. Detroit Lions (8-6), in the hunt: Tough loss to the Rams drops them 1½ games behind the projected playoff field. Yet Detroit remains within striking range of a wild-card berth and maybe the NFC North crown. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears
9. Carolina Panthers (7-7), in the hunt: Had they beaten the Saints on Sunday, they simply would have needed one win over Tampa Bay to win the NFC South. But the Panthers came up light in New Orleans. Carolina and the Buccaneers will decide this on the field with two meetings between Weeks 16 and 18. Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, vs. Seahawks, at Buccaneers
10. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1), in the hunt: Dallas’ best bet now is probably hoping that the Eagles continue to struggle and leave the NFC East in play. Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, vs. Chargers, at Commanders, at Giants
x − 1. Denver Broncos (12-2), AFC West leaders: Quite a Sunday, the first team in the league to 12 wins and first AFC squad to clinch a playoff berth. New England’s loss also boosts the Broncos’ odds of winding up with the No. 1 seed. Remaining schedule: vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers
2. New England Patriots (11-3), AFC East leaders: Their 10-game heater snapped, they failed to clinch the division Sunday and lose valuable ground in their bid for the No.1 seed. But the Pats are still in driver’s seat to win AFC East. Remaining schedule: at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4), AFC South leaders: Win keeps them ahead of surging Houston. Remaining schedule: at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Titans
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), AFC North leaders: They jumped up five spots, from out of the field back into the division lead by winning at Baltimore last weekend. Sweep the Ravens and notch one other win, and Pittsburgh secures the division. Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens
5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-4), wild card No. 1: They completed a season sweep of the Chiefs on Sunday, officially eliminating the three-time-defending AFC champions from playoff consideration. The Bolts have now won six of seven. A one-win advantage in AFC games (8-2) keeps them ahead of . Buffalo. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos
6. Buffalo Bills (10-4), wild card No. 1: Still alive to win their sixth straight AFC East crown. Remaining schedule: at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets
7. Houston Texans (9-5), wild card No. 3: They’ve won seven of eight, including six in a row. Remaining schedule: vs. Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Colts
8. Indianapolis Colts (8-6), in the hunt: Now in the hands of 44-year-old Rivers, they face a steep climb back to relevance − their 7-1 start already starting to seem like ancient history. Rivers gave a valiant effort Sunday in his first NFL action in nearly five years but came up just short. And the Colts’ schedule doesn’t let up the rest of the way. Remaining schedule: vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans
9. Baltimore Ravens (7-7), in the hunt: Sunday’s shutout at Cincinnati could be key in race for AFC North. Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots, at Packers, at Steelers
10. Miami Dolphins (6-7), in the hunt: They probably need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification. Remaining schedule: at Steelers, vs. Bengals, vs. Buccaneers, at Patriots
▶ New York Giants
▶ Arizona Cardinals
▶ New Orleans Saints
▶ Tennessee Titans
▶ Las Vegas Raiders
▶ Washington Commanders
▶ Atlanta Falcons
▶ New York Jets
▶ Cleveland Browns
▶ Cincinnati Bengals
▶ Kansas City Chiefs
▶ Minnesota Vikings
x – clinched playoff berth
y – clinched division
z – clinched home-field advantage, first-round bye
All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.
