It was all there in front of them, their first AFC East title since the days of Tom Brady; the chance to be frontrunners for the AFC\u2019s No. 1 seed; and the opportunity to put their rival Buffalo Bills\u2019 playoff hopes in limbo.<\/p>\n
It was all there, and the New England Patriots blew it<\/a>, along with the 21-0 lead they had built over the Bills on Sunday. Perhaps the Patriots can still bounce back and regain all that they may have lost in Sunday\u2019s 35-31 defeat, but it\u2019s hard not to see the collapse as a huge missed opportunity.<\/p>\n That\u2019s especially true because the team they\u2019re competing with for the No. 1 seed, the Denver Broncos, kept on rolling Sunday by knocking off the Green Bay Packers 34-26. With their 11th straight victory, the Broncos, who became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff berth, now sit firmly in the driver\u2019s seat to earn the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, over in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams maintained their perch atop the conference with a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions. The Rams, too, have punched their ticket to the postseason, though they\u2019re still not clear of their NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks, who matched the Rams\u2019 11-3 record with a comeback win over the Colts. The Rams-Seahawks clash coming Thursday night in Seattle will now have massive playoff implications.<\/p>\n But before we get to that game, let\u2019s take a look at what else happened around the NFL in Week 15<\/a>:<\/p>\n Listed odds to make the playoffs, win the division and secure the No. 1 seed are all via The Athletic\u2019s NFL Projection Model, created by Austin Mock. Seven teams from each conference make the playoffs, with the top seed in each conference securing a first-round bye. Go check out our NFL Playoff Simulator<\/a> to play out your favorite team\u2019s path to the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Denver Broncos<\/p>\n The Broncos were the first AFC team to clinch a playoff berth Sunday when they knocked off the Packers<\/a>; they also established a one-game cushion over the Patriots for the No. 1 seed. They still have a tricky road ahead with a pair of playoff opponents (Jaguars, Chargers) over their final three games, but both games are at home, where the Broncos have won 12 in a row. The Broncos also have clinched the tiebreaker over the Patriots, so it\u2019d take a steep stumble to fall from the top seed.<\/p>\n Final three weeks<\/a>: <\/strong>vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers<\/p>\n New England Patriots<\/p>\n The Patriots blew a 21-0 lead against the Bills, coughing up a chance to clinch their first AFC East title since 2019 and giving away a crucial opportunity in the race for the No. 1 seed. They\u2019re still a game clear of the Bills and hold the tiebreaker with a superior division record, so the Patriots can still wrap up the AFC East if they beat the Jets and Dolphins, regardless of what happens next week in Baltimore. For the Patriots to steal the top seed, however, they\u2019ll need to win out with the Broncos dropping two of their final three.<\/p>\n Final three weeks:<\/strong><\/a> at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins<\/p>\n Jacksonville Jaguars<\/p>\n The Jaguars kept pace with the surging Texans in the AFC South by dominating the Jets for their fifth consecutive win. The Jags have averaged 32.9 points per game since Week 9, second to the Rams over that span. It was always going to take at least half a season before quarterback Trevor Lawrence felt comfortable enough in coach Liam Coen\u2019s offense, and it\u2019s evident the evolution is happening. The Jaguars\u2019 upcoming game against the Broncos will have massive implications on the race for the AFC\u2019s top three seeds.<\/p>\n Final three weeks: <\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at Broncos, at Colts, vs. Titans<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Steelers<\/p>\n The Steelers beat the Dolphins on Monday night to stay a game ahead of the Ravens (7-7) in the AFC North. They\u2019ve also got control of the head-to-head tiebreaker, but the Ravens have a chance to even the score in Week 18. As it stands, both the Steelers and Ravens can win the division by running the table, with that Week 18 showdown in Pittsburgh an obvious candidate for the Sunday Night Football season finale. The subsequent tiebreakers get more complicated if the Steelers relinquish control, as both the Steelers and Ravens have remaining games against divisional and common opponents.<\/p>\n Final three weeks<\/strong><\/a>: at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens<\/p>\n Los Angeles Chargers<\/p>\n Short of clinching a division title or playoff berth, the Chargers just claimed one of the most important regular-season victories<\/a> in franchise history by eliminating the Chiefs from playoff contention. They still have serious work ahead of them to get into the postseason, but the Chargers should feel confident about that remaining slate after back-to-back wins against the reigning Super Bowl participants. And since the Chargers allowed an average of 30.7 points per game from Weeks 4-6, they\u2019ve held opponents to 20 or fewer points in six of their last seven, including 15.3 points per tilt over their past three.<\/p>\n Final three weeks:<\/strong><\/a> at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos<\/p>\n Buffalo Bills<\/p>\n The Bills responded to a 21-0 deficit to the Patriots with a \u2026 28-3 run? Quarterback Josh Allen didn\u2019t just suck the life<\/a> out of a bloodthirsty Gillette Stadium \u2014 he might also have taken the MVP award from Drake Maye. Allen led the Bills on five consecutive touchdown drives to pull off a 35-31 victory and resuscitate their hopes for a sixth consecutive AFC East title. Meanwhile, the Patriots had two possessions to retake the lead in the final seven minutes, and they couldn\u2019t even muster a first down, with five of their last seven plays failing to gain a yard.<\/p>\n Final three weeks: <\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets<\/p>\n Houston Texans<\/p>\n After a breakneck stretch against the Bills, Colts and Chiefs, the Texans downshifted Sunday and still blew out the Cardinals, 40-20. The Texans are also a full game ahead of the Colts, who have lost four in a row and just turned to a 44-year-old high school coach to play quarterback. Meanwhile, the Texans are riding a six-game winning streak that features two victories (Jaguars, Bills) against teams in the playoff field.<\/p>\n Final three weeks<\/a>: <\/strong>vs. Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Colts<\/p>\n In the hunt<\/p>\n Eliminated<\/p>\n Los Angeles Rams<\/p>\n The Rams held off a desperate Lions team Sunday and pushed a recent NFC power to the brink of elimination, dialing up a small dose of revenge after the Lions bounced them from the playoffs a couple of years ago. Now, the Rams have a far more important task Thursday in Seattle, where they\u2019ll attempt to sweep the series with the Seahawks \u2014 the Rams\u2019 last opponent with a winning record. If the Rams survive the Seahawks, they\u2019ll essentially be duking it out with the Bears for the NFC\u2019s No. 1 seed. The Rams have a one-game edge, but a loss in their last two games would leave them vulnerable to the Bears in the NFC opponents tiebreaker, if such a tiebreaker became necessary.<\/p>\n Final three weeks:<\/strong><\/a> at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals<\/p>\n Chicago Bears<\/p>\n The Bears felt like they left some meat on the bone in Week 14 when they dropped a 28-21 decision in Green Bay, but they have a chance to split the series this week at home. Remember, the Packers knocked the Bears out of the top seed last week, and the Bears are now trying to defend the No. 2 seed. Let\u2019s see how this physically imposing Chicago front handles a Packers front seven that lost linebacker Micah Parsons to a knee injury.<\/p>\n Final three weeks:<\/strong><\/a> vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions<\/p>\n Philadelphia Eagles<\/p>\n The Eagles snapped their three-game losing streak with a 31-0 destruction of the Raiders<\/a>, and they appear safely tucked into the No. 3 seed. While they could theoretically leapfrog the Bears or Packers, it would likely require their third four-game winning streak of the season, and the Eagles\u2019 recent bouts of inconsistency haven\u2019t inspired the same level of confidence the team has earned in past seasons.<\/p>\n Final three weeks:<\/a> <\/strong>at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/p>\n This is shaping up to be like 2014 (Panthers) or 2022 (Bucs), when the NFC South champion had a losing record. The Bucs have lost five of six<\/a>, including two in a row against sub-.500 teams, and they blew a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead to the Falcons on Thursday night. Alas, the Panthers held serve Sunday by giving away a 17-7 third-quarter lead to the Saints, and they fell behind the Bucs based on record against common opponents. Now, the Bucs and Panthers can really decide the division on the field when they meet twice over the final three weeks.<\/p>\n Final three weeks:<\/strong><\/a> at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers<\/p>\n Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n The Seahawks survived a lethargic offensive showing<\/a> Sunday with an 18-16 victory against the Colts, but they won\u2019t get away with a similar performance Thursday in their biggest game of the season, against the Rams. And they know from experience. The Seahawks have won eight of nine, with the 21-19 loss to the Rams in Week 11 as the lone blemish. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw four interceptions in that game \u2014 as many as he\u2019s thrown in the eight wins over that stretch \u2014 and the Seahawks don\u2019t want to be thinking \u201cwhat if\u201d yet again. If the Seahawks beat the Rams, they\u2019ll take a huge step toward their first NFC West title since 2020 and the No. 1 seed. But if they falter, they\u2019d need to win out and have the Rams lose out to claim the division.<\/p>\n Final three weeks:<\/strong><\/a> vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers<\/p>\n San Francisco 49ers<\/p>\n The 49ers feel like the most overlooked 10-win team<\/a> in the league, but so it goes for a team stuck looking up at the Rams and Seahawks in the NFC West. The Niners have a chance to pull into a tie with the loser of this week\u2019s Rams-Seahawks showdown, and they\u2019ve split their series with the Rams and can sweep the Seahawks in Week 18. The 49ers\u2019 closing pair against the Bears and Seahawks will show who they are at this point. Since their 4-1 start, they\u2019re 0-3 against teams in the current playoff field and 6-0 against everyone else.<\/p>\n\n
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