2023 NFL playoff projections: Packers and Texans sneak into postseason, AFC North gets three teams in

Through the first 12 weeks of the NFL season, we still haven’t seen a single team clinch a playoff berth yet or get eliminated, but both of those things could change this week. 

In news that probably won’t surprise anyone, the Panthers could become the first team eliminated from playoff contention and that could happen as soon as Sunday. If Carolina loses to Tampa Bay, then the Panthers’ playoff hopes will be extinguished. The Patriots and Cardinals could also be eliminated this week, but a lot of things would have to go wrong for that to happen. 

On the flip side, the Eagles could become the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. The simplest way for that to happen would be an Eagles win over the 49ers combined with a loss or tie by the Rams, who will be playing the Browns (You can read about all the clinching scenarios here).

At this point, the Eagles feel like a lock for the playoff. So who’s going to join them in 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): Colts (39.7%), Broncos (26.8%), Bills (18.8%), Chargers (6.3%), Raiders (2.1%), Bengals (1.6%), Titans (1.3%), Jets (0.9%), Patriots (0.0%).

NFC playoff…

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