The NFL’s playoff races are quickly heating up as December football kicks into high gear.
Yet there’s a flip side to the best teams jockeying for postseason position − quite a few other clubs have been and will continue to be officially eliminated from playoff consideration. Heading into Week 15, nine of the league’s 32 teams already knew their seasons would conclude with their Week 18 games. Others joined their ranks Sunday, as the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs did for the first time since 2014.
Here’s a look at which clubs are already playing out the string, and which ones could soon be doing exactly that:
Which NFL teams have been eliminated from playoff contention?
These are the teams that have already seen their postseason chances for 2025 extinguished:
New York Giants (2-12, eliminated in Week 12)
Arizona Cardinals (3-11, eliminated in Week 13)
New Orleans Saints (4-10, eliminated in Week 13)
Tennessee Titans (2-12, eliminated in Week 13)
Las Vegas Raiders (2-12, eliminated in Week 13)
Washington Commanders (4-10, eliminated in Week 14)
Atlanta Falcons (5-9, eliminated in Week 14)
New York Jets (3-11, eliminated in Week 14)
Cleveland Browns (3-11, eliminated in Week 14)
Cincinnati Bengals (4-10, eliminated in Week 15)
Minnesota Vikings (6-8, eliminated in Week 15)
Kansas City Chiefs (6-8, eliminated in Week 15)
Miami Dolphins (6-8, eliminated in Week 15)
NFL teams outside projected playoff bracket but not yet eliminated going into Week 16
Baltimore Ravens (7-7, 47% chance to make playoffs, per NFL’s Next Gen Stats)
Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1, 1%)
Carolina Panthers (7-7, 23%)
Indianapolis Colts (8-6, 17%)
Detroit Lions (8-6, 41%)