2023 NFL playoff projections: Eagles steal NFC East from Cowboys, Bills and Broncos both sneak into postseason

With eight underdogs winning in Week 14, the NFL playoff picture got flipped upside down. 

So where does that leave us heading into Week 15 and who’s actually going to make the postseason? 

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): Texans (43.9%), Colts (39.3%), Bengals (36.2%), Steelers (28.2%), Raiders (1.2%), Chargers (1.2%), Titans (1.0%), Jets (0.9%), Patriots (ELIMINATED). 

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): Saints (42.3%), Seahawks (31.3%), Rams (29.9%), Falcons (25.3%), Bears (2.4%), Giants (2.1%), Commanders (0.0%) Cardinals (0.0%), Panthers (ELIMINATED). 

Note: Although the Saints are 11th in the NFC standings, their playoff chances are unusually high because they still have a chance to win the NFC South, which is factored into their percentage. On the other hand, teams like the Vikings and Seahawks are basically only playing for a wild-card spot at this point.  

Wild-card round projection

AFC

(7) Broncos at (2) Dolphins
(6) Bills at (3) Chiefs
(5) Browns at (4) Jaguars

Bye:…