With four weeks remaining in the regular season, half of the league’s fan bases are looking ahead to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the other half are elbow deep in mock drafts and Tankathon to see the draft order following each game’s conclusion.
Four teams have secured playoff spots: The Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) and Buffalo Bills (10-3) have clinched their AFC West and AFC East divisions, respectively. In the NFC, the Detroit Lions (12-1) and Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) have clinched playoff berths.
The Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals will wrap up Week 14 with ‘Monday Night Football,’ the outcome providing more clarity for the playoff picture as we near postseason on the gridiron.
Either your team is fighting to make it or battling to stay healthy enough for when they get there. The NFL season often comes down to a battle of attrition, and some teams, such as the San Francisco 49ers, are losing that fight in 2024. Like the standings, the playoff odds are taking shape. Here’s how the sportsbooks see each team’s chances of playing in the 2024 playoffs.
NFL playoff odds for every team
All odds courtesy of BetMGM and DraftKings, Monday, Dec. 9.
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Arizona Cardinals to make playoffs: Yes +600 (implied chance 14.3%), No -1000 (implied chance 90.9%)
Atlanta Falcons: Yes +150 (40%), No -190 (65.5%)
Baltimore Ravens: Yes -10000 (99%), No +2000 (4.8%)
Buffalo Bills: Clinched AFC East title
Carolina Panthers: Yes +50000 (0.2%)
Chicago Bears: Yes +25000 (0.4%)
Cincinnati Bengals: Yes +1600 (5.9%), No -5000 (98%)
Cleveland Browns: Eliminated
Dallas Cowboys: +3000 (3.2%), No -10000 (99%)
Denver Broncos: Yes -275 (73.3%), No +210 (32.3%)
Detroit Lions: Clinched playoff birth
Green Bay Packers: Yes -10000 (99%), No +2000 (4.8%)
Houston Texans: Yes -10000 (99%), No +1800 (5.3%)
Indianapolis Colts: Yes +210 (32.3%), No -275 (73.3%)
Jacksonville Jaguars: Eliminated
Kansas City Chiefs: Clinched AFC West title
Los Angeles Chargers: Yes -2000 (95.2%), No +900 (10%)
Los Angeles Rams: Yes +150 (40%), No -190 (65.5%)
Las Vegas Raiders: Eliminated
Miami Dolphins: Yes +400 (20%), No -550 (84.6%)
Minnesota Vikings: No +25000 (0.4%)
New England Patriots: Eliminated
New Orleans Saints: Yes +4000 (2.4%)
New York Giants: Eliminated
New York Jets: Eliminated
Philadelphia Eagles: Clinched playoff birth
Pittsburgh Steelers: Yes -3000 (96.8%), No +1200 (7.7%)
San Francisco 49ers: Yes +1000 (9.1%), No -2500 (96.2%)
Seattle Seahawks: Yes -160 (61.5%), No +125 (44.4%)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Yes -350 (77.8%), No +260 (27.8%)
Tennessee Titans: Eliminated
Washington Commanders: Yes -500 (83.3%), No +350 (22.2%)
Noteworthy NFL playoff odds
While four teams have clinched playoff spots, seven teams have been eliminated.
Of the seven playoff spots in each conference, five in the NFC and AFC are waiting to be claimed. The NFC has 13 teams still in contention for those five spots and the AFC has eight.
If you’re looking at the list of teams and wondering which ones are in the best spots to secure a playoff spot, look no further than the Falcons (6-7) in the NFC. Atlanta has spent most of the season as the favorite to win the NFC South, but they have plenty of work to get back into the playoff picture.
The Falcons have lost four in a row after a 6-3 start to the season, but an easier schedule down the stretch could vault them into the final NFC wild-card spot. Atlanta is given (+150) odds or an implied 40% chance to make the playoffs. Their final four games are against the Raiders, Giants, Commanders and Panthers. Washington (8-5) holds the seventh spot in the NFC playoff picture, potentially setting up the Week 17 clash as a clinching scenario. Kirk Cousins has struggled over the past month, and rumors are speculating whether the team will turn to rookie Michael Penix Jr. but the stars could align for Cousins to eliminate the team that drafted him.
The AFC is more compact, with eight teams alive for the final five spots. The Bengals (4-8) are a team to watch, and they check in at +1600 to make the playoffs or an implied 5.9% chance. The Bengals need to win the final five games, and it all starts tonight against the Cowboys on ‘Monday Night Football.’ The Bengals are one of the NFL’s most interesting teams in 2024. Their top-flight offense is firing on all cylinders behind an MVP-caliber season from Joe Burrow, but their defense has been an atrocity. The Bengals have scored the fifth-most points per game (27.9) but have allowed the second-most (28.3). However, their remaining schedule against the Cowboys, Titans, Browns, Broncos and Steelers is appealing. The final AFC playoff spot will likely come down to Week 18 and the Steelers could rest their starters.
The Broncos hold the final AFC spot but face potential problems in the season’s final three weeks with the Chargers, Bengals and Chiefs looming.
Back to the NFC, Tampa is getting healthy with Mike Evans back and is pushing for a fourth consecutive NFC South title. Next week is a date on the road with the Chargers, but they should be favored in their final three games against the Cowboys, Panthers and Saints. The Bucs are in a good position to win the NFC South.
Meanwhile, the NFC West is the most tightly packed division in the league. All four teams are alive and within two games of each other. Seattle leads the division, but the surging Rams, who just took down the Bills, hold the current tiebreaker over the Seahawks. The Rams and 49ers will get to stake their claim as Seattle’s top challengers in Week 15 when the two meet on ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Seattle has matchups with the Packers and Vikings on deck, which could open the door for the NFC West crown if they slip up.
