[ad_1]
We’re through Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season, and with only seven weeks left in the regular season, the playoff picture and the road to Super Bowl LX are starting to come into view. Good teams have become great, bad teams keep finding ways to surprise us and the race for wild-card spots is only getting wilder. Which teams have the best chances to make the 14-team playoff field? Which still have work to do to ultimately get in?
We used ESPN’s Football Power Index to project the rest of the season, looking at the playoff picture for both conferences. We included updated odds for every team to make the postseason, clinch its division and even make the Super Bowl.
Here’s everything you need right now.
Last update: Nov. 18 at 1:30 p.m. ET
Jump to:
AFC picture | NFC picture
Projecting the AFC playoff field
Defense wins championships … or at least the AFC West. The Broncos‘ defense held it down to defeat the Chiefs on Sunday night, and Denver has held opposing quarterbacks to a 46.8 QBR, the lowest in the league. That was apparent as Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes posted a 56.4 QBR, significantly lower than his season average of 72.8. Bo Nix has been uneven for the Broncos (43.2 QBR and 64.9% completion rate), but the defense’s ability to keep the offense in games while Nix gets into a rhythm has been a winning strategy for Denver.
As for the rest of the conference, the Patriots kept their winning streak alive with a win over the Jets, while the Bills got a win against the Buccaneers behind 317 passing yards and three touchdown passes in a return-to-form performance from Josh Allen. The Ravens are putting together a strong end to the season despite a subpar showing from Lamar Jackson, who threw two interceptions Sunday after having just one all year.
Projecting the NFC playoff field
The Rams and Eagles strengthened their grips on the NFC with two big wins on Sunday. Los Angeles took hold of the NFC West with a win over the Seahawks (and took advantage of a four-interception performance from Sam Darnold) and Philadelphia defeated the Lions in a battle of NFC heavyweights.
The NFC North also got a big shakeup with Detroit’s loss, as the Bears now hold the best record in the division with a win over the Vikings on Sunday. Chicago still has a game left against the Lions and plays the Packers twice, so it’s possible the leader of this division will shift multiple times by the end of the season. Interestingly, the last-place Vikings have the most division wins (2).
NFL playoff schedule
Jan. 10-12, 2026: Wild-card round
Jan. 17-18: Divisional round
Jan. 25: AFC and NFC Championship Games
Feb. 8: Super Bowl LX (in Santa Clara, California)
[ad_2]
ESPN staff
Source link