2023 NFL playoff picture: Here are the 14 teams projected to make the postseason, with Bills-Chiefs in Round 1

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Heading into Week 15, only one team (49ers) had clinched a playoff berth, but that number shot up over the past few days with three more teams now joining San Francisco in the playoffs.

In the NFC, the Eagles and Cowboys have both punched their ticket for the season. That's right, both teams were somehow able to clinch a playoff berth in Week 15 even though they both lost. As for the AFC, only one team has clinched a spot so far and that's the Ravens.

With four spots now clinched, that means there are 10 spots still up in the air. So who's going to land those coveted positions?

That's what we're going to answer right now in this week's playoff projection. The projections here are based on data from number-cruncher Stephen Oh of SportsLine.com. Oh plugged some numbers into his SportsLine computer this week and simulated the rest of the 2023 NFL season, and using those numbers, we're going to let you know the playoff chances for all 32 teams, plus the projected 14-team playoff field.

With that in mind, let's get to this week's playoff projections (For more from Stephen Oh and his SportsLine "Inside the Lines" team, you can tune into his YouTube channel daily at 1 p.m. ET by clicking here).

AFC playoff projection

1. (AFC North Champion)	Ravens
At this point, the computer is feeling pretty confident that the Ravens (11-3) are going to end up with the top seed in the AFC. Even if they lose to the 49ers on Christmas, they can go a long way toward wrapping up the No. 1 seed by beating the Dolphins in Week 17. Remaining schedule: at 49ers, Dolphins, Steelers.
2. (AFC East Champion)	Dolphins
The Dolphins (10-4) have yet to beat a team with a winning record, which could make things interesting over the final three weeks because they'll be playing three teams that currently have a winning record. Despite that fact, the computer still loves the Dolphins' chances of winning the AFC East. According to our projection, Miami has a 73.8% chance of winning the division while Buffalo's chances are sitting at just 26.2%. Remaining schedule: Cowboys, at Ravens, Bills.
3. (AFC West Champion)	Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes has never had to play a road playoff game in his career, but that could change if the computer's projection holds up here. If the Chiefs (9-5) get the three-seed, they'll host a wild-card game, and if they win that, there's a very real chance they'll he hitting the road for the divisional round. Remaining schedule: Raiders, Bengals, at Chargers.
4. (AFC South Champion)	Jaguars
The AFC South is a dogfight with the Jags, Colts and Texans all tied at 8-6. Right now, the computer is expecting the Jaguars to come out on top and that's mostly because they'll likely own all the big tiebreakers at the end of the season. Not only did they sweep the Colts, but they're guaranteed to finish with a better division record than the Texans if they can beat the Titans in Week 18. Remaining schedule: at Buccaneers, Panthers, at Titans.
5. Wild Card 1	Browns
It looks like the computer might have a crush on Joe Flacco. Following the Browns' (9-5) win over the Bears, the computer sees Cleveland as a virtual lock to make the playoffs. According to our projection, the Browns have an 88.9% chance of getting in. They can actually clinch a spot as soon as this weekend, but it will take a win over the Texans, along with a lot of help. Remaining schedule: at Texans, Jets, at Bengals.
6. Wild Card 2	Bills
The computer has decided to spice things up this week. Not only is it projecting that the Bills (8-6) will finish with the sixth-seed in the AFC, but it's also projecting that Buffalo will play THE CHIEFS in the wild-card round. We should now all cross our fingers and hope that this happens. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, Patriots, at Dolphins.
7. Wild Card 3	Texans
The computer almost malfunctioned trying to figure out who's going to get the final playoff spot in the AFC between the Colts, Texans and Bengals (8-6). In the end, the Texans got the nod. The computer is giving them a 59.1% chance of making the playoffs, compared to a 58.7% chance for Indy and a 43.5% chance for the Bengas. However, the Texans could be in some trouble this weekend with C.J. Stroud expected to miss another game. A loss by Houston would open the door for Indy or Cincinnati to steal the AFC's final playoff spot. Remaining schedule: Browns, Titans, at Colts.

Here's a list of the playoff chances for all the other AFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Colts (58.7%), Bengals (43.5%), Broncos (17.6%), Steelers (4.8%), Raiders (1.5%), Chargers (0%), Titans ((ELIMINATED) Jets (ELIMINATED), Patriots (ELIMINATED).

NFC playoff projection

1. (NFC West Champion)	49ers
The 49ers (11-3) aren't just projected to finish as the top seed in the NFC, they're also a HEAVY favorite to win the Super Bowl in the eyes of the computer. According to our projection, the 49ers have a 33.18% chance of winning it all, which is almost higher than the next THREE teams combined (the Ravens, Chiefs and Dolphins have a combined 35.55% chance of winning it all). Remaining schedule: Ravens, at Commanders, Rams.
2. (NFC East Champion)	Eagles
Despite their shocking loss on Monday, the computer is still expecting the Eagles (10-4) to win the NFC East. The reason for that is because the tiebreakers will almost certainly work to Philly's advantage if the Eagles and Cowboys both win out. If both teams finish 13-4, the Eagles would likely win the division on the rarely used strength of victory tiebreaker. Remaining schedule: Giants, Cardinals, at Giants.
3. (NFC North Champion)	Lions
With the Eagles in the middle of a December collapse, it wouldn't be crazy to see the Lions (10-4) make the move up to the No. 2 seed, but the unfortunately for fans in Detroit, the computer doesn't see that happening. The computer has Detroit winning the NFC North and earning the three-seed. Remaining schedule: at Vikings, at Cowboys, Vikings.
4. (NFC South Champion)	Buccaneers
The computer has been on the Buccaneers bandwagon for two weeks now and that won't be changing after Tampa Bay's big win over the Packers. As a matter of fact, thanks to that win, the Bucs are now being given a 62.4% chance of winning the NFC South, which is way ahead of the Saints (35.1%) and Falcons (2.8%). Remaining schedule: Jaguars, Saints, at Panthers.
5. Wild Card 1	Cowboys
We said this last week and we'll say it again this week: If there is one thing the computer has been consistent with all year, it's that the Cowboys (10-4) are going to get the fifth-seed in the NFC. They've been projected to finish here in EVERY single one of our projections and nothing has changed even after they got destroyed by the Bills on Sunday. Remaining schedule: at Dolphins, Lions, at Commanders.
6. Wild Card 2	Seahawks
The biggest winner of Week 15 was the Seahawks (7-7). Last week, they weren't projected to make the playoffs, but after upsetting the Eagles on Monday night, the computer now has Seattle finishing 10-7 and earning the sixth-seed in the NFC. Remaining schedule: at Titans, Steelers at Cardinals.
7. Wild Card 3	Rams
According to the computer, the battle for the final wild-card spot is going to come down to the Saints, Vikings and Rams with L.A. getting the nod. The Rams have a huge game on Thursday against the Saints and if they don't win that that, then this projection will look very different next week. Remaining schedule: Saints, at Giants, 49ers.

Here's a list of the playoff chances for all the other NFC teams (their percentage chances of getting into the playoffs is listed next to them in parentheses): Vikings (59.5%), Saints (45.8%), Packers (17.3%), Falcons (4.2%), Bears (0.4%), Giants (0.2%), Commanders (ELIMINATED), Cardinals (ELIMINATED), Panthers (ELIMINATED).