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There are 5 weeks (and one sport) left within the 2023 NFL common season, however we’re already seeking to January and the way the 14-team playoff image might look on the highway to Tremendous Bowl LVIII.
After the Philadelphia Eagles have been blown out by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, the race for the 1-seed within the NFC tightened up. Within the AFC, the battle for the highest spot is shut as effectively, with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars all having an opportunity to get a first-round bye.
Which groups might sneak into the wild-card spherical? And which groups’ hopes are all however over? We used ESPN’s Soccer Energy Index to undertaking the remainder of the season, wanting on the playoff image for each conferences, together with odds for the favorites to make the postseason, clinch the division and even make the Tremendous Bowl.
We even have seeding projections for the AFC and NFC, so you may see the most probably matchups in every convention, and an early take a look at the groups combating for the No. 1 decide in subsequent 12 months’s draft.
This is all the things you want as we get nearer to the NFL playoffs (up to date Monday, Dec. 4):
Soar to a piece:
AFC: Full projections | Seeding
NFC: Full projections | Seeding
Matchup of the week
Race for the 2024 No. 1 decide
Projecting the AFC playoff area
FPI sees clear favorites in all 4 divisions within the AFC.
After the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs misplaced in Week 13, their hopes for the 1-seed, which comes with a bye till the divisional spherical, dropped significantly. Within the opening wild-card spherical, the 2-seed hosts the 7-seed, the 3-seed hosts the 6-seed and the 4-seed hosts the 5-seed.
Projecting the NFC playoff area
And here is the place issues stand within the NFC, which has three divisions all however locked up. The Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, however the NFC South race is tight.
The Inexperienced Bay Packers, who’ve gained three video games in a row, simply hold rising.
The Philadelphia Eagles have the within monitor to get to the 1-seed, which comes with a bye till the divisional spherical, however they now have some firm. Within the opening wild-card spherical, the 2-seed hosts the 7-seed, the 3-seed hosts the 6-seed and the 4-seed hosts the 5-seed.
The wild-card race within the NFC is extensive open, as seed Nos. 6 and seven might come from a bunch of groups. The 5-seed, although, seems more likely to be the Dallas Cowboys, who solely have an outdoor shot to catch the Eagles within the East.
The race for the No. 1 decide in 2024
The 2024 NFL draft seemingly will characteristic two quarterbacks combating for the No. 1 spot, as Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (North Carolina) are ESPN’s top-ranked prospects. Which groups might take them? After Week 13’s outcomes, the image has turn out to be clearer.
The 4-8 Chicago Bears personal the 1-11 Carolina Panthers‘ first-round decide (by way of final 12 months’s pre-draft commerce), and that choice has a 76% probability to land at No. 1, in response to FPI. The two-10 New England Patriots now have the second greatest odds to snag the highest decide.
The three-10 Arizona Cardinals even have two first-round picks, with FPI projecting their authentic choice at No. 3 and the 6-5 Houston Texans‘ decide — which was acquired within the transfer up final April — at No. 23.
NFL playoff schedule
Week 18 video games are on Jan. 7, then it is on to the postseason. This is when every spherical of video games might be performed:
Jan. 13-15: Wild-card spherical
Jan. 20-21: Divisional spherical
Jan. 28: AFC and NFC Championship Video games
Feb. 11: Tremendous Bowl LVIII (in Las Vegas)