NFL playoff scenarios for week 16: Bengals, Chargers, Ravens look to join the field

Only three weeks left in the nfl regular season, and playoff races are heating up, as well as home-field advantage races during the playoffs and the all-important first-round bye for each conference. The AFC and NFC have two teams with more than a 20 percent chance of usurping the current wild-card teams and the AFC South is closing in on a coin toss, but that’s not all that’s on the line during Week 16. .

The philadelphia eagles are in position to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC this week, but the Jalen Hurts availability vs. Dallas – and possibly in the long term – now it’s in question. The Eagles are very likely to clinch the bye, but their odds drop 6 percent if they lose to the Cowboys on Saturday. But that’s not the only ripple effect of Hurts’ uncertainty. The Eagles play the giants in Week 18, and not getting the bye before the final week of the regular season could leave Philadelphia having to play to win that week and potentially turn the tables in the NFC wild-card race.

As for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Invoices are the current favorites with 59.1 percent, followed by the bosses to 37.3 percent. The bengalis they are the third most likely team to clinch 3.6 percent. It’s likely to be a two-team race, and with the Bills and Chiefs favored by around double digits this weekend, it’s unlikely we’ll see much drama. If we do, however, and one of the Bears either Seahawks pull out the surprise, the odds of winning the bye would change significantly.

Six teams are in the playoffs entering Week 16: the Bills and Chiefs in the AFC and the Eagles, vikings, 49ers and Cowboys in the NFC. Three more AFC teams and one more NFC team can clinch a spot this week, and the Bills and Eagles also have milestones on the line.

• Cincinnati clinches a playoff spot with a win at New England on Saturday or a Jets loss or draw vs. Jacksonville Thursday.

• The Chargers clinch a playoff spot with a win at Indianapolis on Monday and a mix of losses or ties from the raiders, patriotsjets and/or dolphins.

• The ravens they are in any of 10 scenarios involving wins or ties by them and wins, losses or ties by up to seven other teams. There’s even a scenario that puts Baltimore in regardless of their outcome if the Patriots and Jets lose, the brownsmuggers and titans they lose or tie, and the Chargers win.

• The Giants clinch a playoff spot with a win at Minnesota on Saturday and losses by two of three in detroitSeattle and Washington.

• The Bills clinch the AFC East with a win at Chicago on Saturday or a loss to the Dolphins on packers on Sunday.

• The Eagles clinch the NFC East title with a win or tie at Dallas on Saturday and earn NFC home-field advantage and a first-round bye with a win or tie and a loss or tie by the Vikings .

However, as mentioned above, the Eagles’ injury situation could have a ripple effect throughout the NFC playoff race. The AFC gives us a great Thursday Night Football matchup between the Jaguars and Jets, two teams on the outside looking in at the moment, but don’t overlook the Bengals on the Patriots, as that game has significant implications. in the playoffs and the AFC North. After scanning the board, there are 10 games during Week 16 that will move the needle for one or both teams involved. Let’s take a look at the possible changes to the playoff odds for each team if they won this week:

Jaguars at Jets, Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET

hawks in Ravens, 1 p.m. ET on Saturday

Lions at Panthers, Saturday at 1 p.m. ET

Seahawks at Chiefs, 1 p.m. ET Saturday

Giants vs. Vikings, Saturday at 1 p.m. ET

Bengals at Patriots, Saturday at 1 p.m. ET

Majors at 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET Saturday

Eagles vs Cowboys, Saturday at 4:25 p.m. ET

Packers at Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Chargers at Colts, 8:15 pm ET Monday

(Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)