2019 NFL Playoff Projections: Steelers sneak into postseason, Cowboys hold off Eagles for NFC East title

With just three weeks to go in the NFL regular season, there are still a total of nine playoff berths up for grabs. The only three teams that have clinched a playoff spot so far are the Chiefs, Ravens, and Saints.

With so many playoffs spots on the line over the next few weeks, you might be expecting things to get crazy, but I have some bad news for you, our latest projection doesn't envision that happening. As a matter of fact, by the end of Week 15, we could see five of those nine spots get clinched, which won't leave much drama for the rest of the season.

That being said, there will definitely be SOME drama, and that's because there's a good chance we're going to see three playoff spots go down to the wire.

So which three spots are those? Let's get to our weekly projections and find out.

Each week, number-cruncher Stephen Oh of SportsLine.com plugs some numbers into his SportsLine computer, and that computer simulates the rest of the NFL season. Using those numbers, we project the 12-team playoff field and also the postseason chances for every team that's still alive in the playoff race.

Unfortunately, these playoff projections are basically meaningless to some fan bases out there. The Bengals, Chargers, Jets, Jaguars, Buccaneers, Panthers, Dolphins, Lions, Cardinals, Falcons, Redskins and Giants have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, which means fans of those teams will probably have more fun clicking here and reading our latest mock drafts.

For everyone else, let's get to the projections.

Note: Remember, this is a projection based on how we think the rest of the regular season will play out. If you want to see the current playoff standings, click here to see Will Brinson's thorough breakdown of what the playoff race looks like as we head into Week 15. For individual conference breakdowns, click here for a look at the AFC and click here for a look at the NFC.

AFC Playoff Projection

1. (AFC North champion)	Ravens
If you're wondering how much the computer loves the Ravens after watching them reel off nine straight wins, just consider this: Baltimore is being given a 29.07% chance of winning the Super Bowl. That's more than double the next best team in the AFC (the Patriots are at 13.31%) and more than 10 percentage points higher than the best team in the NFC (the 49ers are at 16.16%). Ravens remaining schedule: Jets, at Browns, Steelers.
2. (AFC East champion)	Patriots
Although the Patriots currently have the longest losing streak in the AFC East, the computer is still confident New England is going to end up landing a first-round bye despite their loss to Kansas City on Sunday. According to SportsLine, the Patriots are expected to finish the season with 12 wins, while the Chiefs are only expected to get to 11-5. The reason the computer doesn't see the Patriots dropping is because New England has the third-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL. Patriots remaining schedule: At Bengals, Bills, Dolphins.
3. (AFC West champion)	Chiefs
The computer has been projecting all season that the Chiefs would win the AFC West -- even when Patrick Mahomes got hurt -- and that finally happened in Week 14 when they officially clinched the division title. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, there's not much left for them to do. The computer doesn't think Kansas City can earn a first-round bye, which means they're likely going to be stuck playing on wild-card weekend. Chiefs remaining schedule: Broncos at Bears, Chargers.
4. (AFC South champion)	Texans
Although the computer wasn't impressed with the way the Texans played against the Broncos on Sunday, for some reason, it still likes Houston to win the division. According to SportsLine, the Texans have a 55.2% chance of winning the division, which is more than 10% higher the chances being given to the TItans who currently have the same 8-5 record. If the Texans beat the Titans this week, their chances of winning the division will shoot up to 90%. If the Titans win on Sunday, their chances of winning the division will shoot up to 74%. Texans remaining schedule: At Titans, at Buccaneers, Titans.
5. (Wild Card 1)	Bills
The Bills can actually clinch a playoff berth as soon as this week if they can beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday. More importantly, the computer would like the Bills to know that their division title hopes aren't quite dead yet. According to SportsLine, the Bills have a 2.7% chance of winning the AFC East, and if you want to know what has to happen over the final three weeks for the Bills to win the division title, you should definitely click here. Bills remaining schedule: At Steelers, at Patriots, Jets.
6. (Wild Card 2)	Steelers
The computer expects the race for the final spot in the AFC to come down to the Steelers and Titans, which is interesting because both teams will be facing brutal schedules over the final three weeks of the season. As things currently stand, the Titans have the fourth-toughest strength of schedule to end the year, while the Steelers have the fifth-toughest. Due to the fact that the Steelers have a slightly easier schedule, the computer is projecting Pittsburgh to get the sixth-seed in the AFC. According to SportsLine, the Steelers have a 72.2% of making the playoffs. Steelers remaining schedule: Bills, at Jets, at Ravens.

Just missed: Titans (53.7% chance of getting into the playoffs)

Here's a list of all the other AFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Browns (1.8%), Colts (0.4%), Raiders (0.2%), Jaguars (0.2%), Broncos (0.1%), Chargers (0.0%), Jets (0.0%), Dolphins (0.0%), Bengals (0.0%).

NFC Playoff Projection

1. (NFC West champion)	49ers
Although the 49ers are currently locked into the top overall seed in the NFC, there's actually still a small chance they could miss the postseason. It would take three straight losses and a few other things would have to fall into place for the nightmare scenario to play out, but it could happen. Fortunately for 49ers fans, the computer doesn't think it's going to happen. According to SportsLine, the 49ers have a 99.7% chance of getting in the playoffs and a 64.8% chance of winning the division. 49ers remaining schedule: Falcons, Rams, at Seahawks.
2. (NFC South champion)	Saints
For the first time all season, the Saints aren't being given the best chance to win the Super Bowl out of the NFC. According to SportsLine, the Saints have a 16.02% chance of taking home the Lombardi Trophy, which is just a smidge behind the 49ers, who are being given a 16.16% chance of winning it all. Although the Saints are the third seed in the NFC heading into Week 15, the computer is expecting them to jump back into the second spot that's currently held by the Packers. Saints remaining schedule: Colts, at Titans, at Panthers.
3. (NFC North champion)	Packers
It's pretty clear which team in the NFC North the computer likes the most, and that team is the Green Bay Packers. Although the Packers have just a one-game lead on the Vikings heading into Week 15, the computer really likes their chances of winning the division. According to SportsLine, Green Bay has a 63% chance of taking home the division title while the Vikings have just a 33% chance. And since you're probably wondering, the computer is giving the Bears a zero percent chance. Packers remaining schedule: Bears, at Vikings, at Lions.
4. (NFC East champion)	Cowboys
Besides the AFC South and the second wild-card spot in the AFC, this is the only other playoff spot that the computer feels is truly up for grabs. Although the Cowboys have lost three games in a row, the computer still views them as the slight favorite to win the division. According to SportsLine, the Cowboys have a 55.4% chance of winning the NFC East while the Eagles have a 45.6% chance. If the Eagles do have one advantage, it's probably the fact that they have the easiest strength of schedule out of any team in the NFL over the final three weeks of the season. Cowboys remaining schedule: Rams, at Eagles, Redskins.
5. (Wild Card 1)	Seahawks
The Seahawks could throw a wrench into the computer's projections this year, and that's because they could still end up getting nearly any seed in the NFC playoffs. By the time the year is over, the Seahawks could end up anywhere from the sixth seed to the first seed to completely out of the playoffs. Fortunately for Seahawks fans, the computer doesn't see that last thing happening. According to SportsLine, the Seahawks have a 95.9% chance of getting in the playoffs and the computer views their most likely spot as the fifth seed. The Seahawks also have a 35% chance of winning the division. Seahawks remaining schedule: At Panthers, Cardinals, 49ers.
6. (Wild Card 2)	Vikings
Although the computer likes the Vikings 9-4 record, it's not completely ruling the Rams out of the NFC playoff race. According to SportsLine, the Vikings have a 76.3% chance of making the playoffs, which is more than double the chance that the Rams currently have (37.9%). Although the Rams are still alive, one team that the computer views as dead is the Chicago Bears, who have just a 0.3% chance of getting into the postseason. Vikings remaining schedule: At Chargers, Packers, Bears.

Just missed: Eagles (45.4% of making the playoffs), Rams (37.9%)

Here's a list of all the other NFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Bears (3.0%), Redskins (0.0%), Buccaneers (0.0%), Panthers (0.0%), Lions (0.0%), Cardinals (0.0%), Falcons (0.0%), Giants (0.0%).