{"id":3405,"date":"2015-12-07T13:00:55","date_gmt":"2015-12-07T18:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=3405"},"modified":"2015-12-07T13:56:37","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T18:56:37","slug":"nfl-playoff-picture-panthers-clinch-patriots-drop-to-3-seed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2015\/12\/07\/nfl-playoff-picture-panthers-clinch-patriots-drop-to-3-seed\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Playoff Picture, Week 13: Panthers Clinch, Patriots Drop To #3 Seed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prior to their come from behind victory over New Orleans, Carolina became the first team to clinch a playoff spot when Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 23-19. The Panthers have won their third straight NFC South title and are a virtual lock for a first round bye. Meanwhile New England’s upset loss to Philadelphia dropped the Patriots to the number three seed in the AFC – though what many are overlooking is that the Pats still control their own destiny for a first round bye since Denver and Cincinnati play each other in Week 16.<\/p>\n

There are three 7-5 and two 6-6 AFC teams battling for two wild card spots. The Chiefs won their sixth straight game to currently control the number five spot, while at the same time crushing division rival Oakland’s playoff hopes with their 34-20 victory over the Raiders. The difference between being the number five seed and number six seed cannot be understated. The #5 seed gets whichever mediocre team wins the pathetic AFC South, while the #6 seed has to go on the road and face one of the 10-2 teams. Meanwhile in the NFC the Packers and Vikings swapped positions as number three and five seeds after Green Bay’s improbable win with no time remaining and the Vike’s loss to Seattle. The Seahawks went on the road and blew Minnesota out 38-7 for a fifth victory in their last six games, with three very winnable games on the horizon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AFC<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Cincinnati Bengals<\/strong><\/span>
\n10-2 [4-0 division, 8-1 conference]
\n3-game division lead over Pittsburgh with 4 to play
\nvs Steelers, at 49ers, at Broncos, vs Ravens<\/em>
\n22% chance for #1 seed; 50% for a bye; 99% for #3 or better<\/p>\n

2. Denver Broncos<\/strong><\/span>
\n10-2 [3-1 division, 6-2 conference]
\n3-game division lead over Kansas City with 4 to play
\nvs Raiders, at Steelers, vs Bengals, at Chargers<\/em>
\n52% chance for #1 seed; 77% for a bye; 99% for #3 or better<\/p>\n

3. New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\n10-2 [4-0 division, 7-1 conference]
\n3-game division lead over New York Jets with 4 to play
\nat Texans, vs Titans, at Jets, at Dolphins<\/em>
\n27% chance for #1 seed; 73% for a bye; 99% for #3 or better<\/p>\n

4. Indianapolis Colts<\/strong><\/span>
\n6-6 [3-0 division, 4-4 conference]
\nTied with Houston, wins tiebreaker based on head-to-head victory
\nat Jaguars, vs Texans, at Dolphins, vs Titans<\/em>
\n65% chance of winning AFCS and #4 seed; 34% chance of missing playoffs<\/p>\n

5. Kansas City Chiefs<\/strong><\/span>
\n7-5 [3-1 division, 6-2 conference]
\nHold tiebreaker over Jets and Steelers based on conference record
\nvs Chargers, at Ravens, vs Browns, vs Raiders<\/em>
\n2% chance of winning AFCW and #3 seed; 79% for #5 seed; 14% for #6<\/p>\n

6. New York Jets<\/strong><\/span>
\n7-5 [2-2 division, 5-4 conference]
\nHold tiebreaker over Steelers based on conference record
\nvs Titans, at Cowboys, vs Patriots, at Bills<\/em>
\n10% chance for #5 seed, 29% for #6 seed, 61% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

7. Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong><\/span>
\n7-5 [1-2 division, 4-4 conference]
\nNext two games will determine own fate, plus top three seeding
\nat Bengals, vs Broncos, at Ravens, at Browns<\/em>
\n1% chance of winning AFCN and #3 seed; 7% for #5 seed; 25% for #6; 67% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

8. Buffalo Bills<\/strong><\/span>
\n6-6 [3-2 division, 6-5 conference]
\nHold tiebreaker over Houston with Sunday’s victory over Texans
\nat Eagles, at Redskins, vs Cowboys, vs Jets<\/em>
\nCannot win AFCE; 2% chance for #5 seed; 27% for #6; 71% chance for no playoffs<\/p>\n

9. Houston Texans<\/strong><\/span>
\n6-6 [2-1 division, 4-4 conference]
\nBlew chance to take division lead with Sunday’s loss at Buffalo
\nvs Patriots, at Colts, at Titans, vs Jaguars<\/em>
\n34% chance of winning AFCS and #4 seed; 2% chance for #6 seed; 64% chance for no playoffs<\/p>\n

10. Oakland Raiders<\/strong><\/span>
\n5-7 [1-2 division, 5-4 conference]
\nSunday’s home loss to Chiefs all but mathematically eliminated Oakland
\nat Broncos, vs Packers, vs Chargers, at Chiefs<\/em>
\n1% chance for the #6 seed; 99% chance for no playoffs<\/p>\n

11. Miami Dolphins<\/strong><\/span>
\n5-7 [0-5 division, 3-6 conference]
\nDespite Sunday’s victory over Baltimore, Miami is toast
\nvs Giants, at Chargers, vs Colts, vs Patriots<\/em>
\nLess than 1% chance of making playoffs as a wild card<\/p>\n

4-8 Jaguars, 4-8 Ravens, 3-9 Titans, 3-9 Titans<\/span>
\nAll virtually (but not technically) eliminated
\n2-10 Cleveland Browns<\/span> are first and only team to be eliminated thus far<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NFC<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Carolina Panthers<\/strong><\/span>
\n12-0 [3-0 division, 8-0 conference]
\nClinched NFC South; magic number of one for a bye, three for home field throughout playoffs
\nvs Falcons, at Giants, at Falcons, vs Giants<\/em>
\n97% chance for #1 seed; less than 1% chance of not getting a bye<\/p>\n

2. Arizona Cardinals<\/strong><\/span>
\n10-2 [4-1 division, 7-1 conference]
\n3-game division lead over Seattle with four to play
\nvs Vikings, at Eagles, vs Packers, vs Seahawks<\/em>
\n3% chance for #1 seed; 81% for a bye; 97% for #3 or better<\/p>\n

3. Green Bay Packers<\/strong><\/span>
\n8-4 [3-2 division, 6-3 conference]
\nHold tiebreaker over Vikings based on Week 11 win at Minnesota
\nvs Cowboys, at Raiders, at Cardinals, vs Vikings<\/em>
\n11% chance for #2 seed; 48% for #3; 35% for wild card; 4% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

4. Washington Redskins<\/strong><\/span>
\n5-6 [2-1 division, 5-3 conference]
\nHead-to-head: 1-0 vs Eagles, 1-1 vs Giants
\nvs Cowboys, at Bears, vs Bills, at Eagles, at Cowboys<\/em>
\n59% chance of winning NFCE; 40% chance of missing playoffs<\/p>\n

5. Minnesota Vikings<\/strong><\/span>
\n8-4 [3-1 division, 5-3 conference]
\nSimilar to AFC situation, the #5 seed has a much easier game (vs NFC East winner) than #6 seed
\nat Cardinals, vs Bears, vs Giants, at Packers<\/em>
\n7% chance for #2 seed; 31% for #3; 20% for #5; 29% for #6; 11% for no playoffs<\/li>\n

6. Seattle Seahawks<\/strong><\/span>
\n7-5 [2-2 division, 6-4 conference]
\nSeahawks would take tiebreaker over Vikings based on Sunday’s victory at Minnesota
\nat Ravens, vs Browns, vs Rams, at Cardinals<\/em>
\n3% chance of winning NFCW and #3 seed; 48% for #5; 34% for #6; 15% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/strong><\/span>
\n6-6 [3-1 division, 5-3 conference]
\nBucs win tiebreaker over Falcons based on season series sweep
\nvs Saints, at Rams, vs Bears, at Panthers<\/em>
\n6% chance for #5 seed; 14% for #6; 80% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

8. Atlanta Falcons<\/strong><\/span>
\n6-6 [0-3 division, 4-5 conference]
\nFalcons have lost five straight after a 5-0 start to season
\nat Panthers, at Jaguars, vs Panthers, vs Saints<\/em>
\n2% chance of being a wild card; 98% chance of no playoffs<\/p>\n

9. Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong><\/span>
\n5-7 [2-2 division, 3-6 conference]
\nHead-to-head: 0-1 vs Skins, 1-0 vs Giants, 1-1 vs Cowboys
\nvs Bills, vs Cardinals, vs Redskins, at Giants<\/em>
\n31% chance of winning NFCE and #4 seed; 69% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

10. New York Giants<\/strong><\/span>
\n5-7 [2-3 division, 4-5 conference]
\nBlown opportunity with loss to Jets; 1-1 vs Skins, 0-1 vs Philly, 1-1 vs Dallas
\nat Dolphins, vs Panthers, at Vikings, vs Eagles<\/em>
\n7% chance of winning NFCE and #4 seed; 92% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

11. Chicago Bears<\/strong><\/span>
\n5-7 [1-3 division, 2-6 conference]
\nA home loss to SF? Stick a fork in these Bears, they are done
\nvs Skins, at Vikings, at Bucs, vs Lions<\/em>
\n4% chance of being the #6 seed; 95% for no playoffs<\/p>\n

4-8 Saints, 4-8 Rams, 4-8 Lions, 4-8 49ers<\/span>
\nAll virtually (but not technically) eliminated
\n3-8 Cowboys<\/span> could move to within two games back in NFCE with a win Monday night<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prior to their come from behind victory over New Orleans, Carolina became the first team to clinch a playoff spot when Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 23-19. The Panthers have won their third straight NFC South title and are a virtual lock for a first round bye. Meanwhile New England’s upset loss to Philadelphia dropped the Patriots to the number three seed in the AFC – though what many are overlooking is that the Pats still control their own destiny for a first round bye since Denver and Cincinnati play each other in Week 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[185,464,555,253,655,155,324,277,478,278,141,276,656,44,47,470,176,201,374],"class_list":["post-3405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","category-uncategorized","tag-2015-nfl-season","tag-2015-patriots-season","tag-2015-playoff-picture","tag-afc","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-denver-broncos","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-houston-texans","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfc","tag-nfc-east","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-seattle-seahawks"],"yoast_head":"\nNFL Playoff Picture, Week 13: Panthers Clinch, Patriots Drop To #3 Seed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Carolina Panthers became the first NFL team to clinch a playoff spot, while the Patriots dropped to #3. 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