As Week 16 rolls in, the NFL playoff picture is starting to come into focus-and for the first time in a long time, it’s doing so without the Kansas City Chiefs in the mix. That’s not a typo.
The team that’s been the heartbeat of the AFC for most of the 2020s is officially out of the postseason race. Sunday’s loss to the Chargers was the final blow, but the real gut-punch came with Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL.
Just like that, Kansas City’s run of playoff appearances dating back to 2015 is over. And for the first time since 2017, the AFC Championship Game won’t be played at Arrowhead Stadium.
With the Chiefs out, the door is wide open-and right now, it’s the Denver Broncos who are walking through it. Denver’s in prime position to grab the AFC’s top seed and the coveted first-round bye.
Meanwhile, the AFC East is still a two-horse race between the Patriots and Bills. Buffalo kept their hopes alive with a dramatic comeback win in New England, setting up a high-stakes finish in the division.
And the AFC wild card? Still a mess.
There’s a logjam of teams fighting for those final spots, and Week 16 could bring some much-needed clarity-or more chaos.
Over in the NFC, Thursday night’s showdown between the Rams and Seahawks is one of the biggest games of the week, and not just because it kicks things off early. Both teams sit at 11-3, but the Rams hold the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a win earlier this season.
If they sweep the season series, they’ll be in the driver’s seat for the NFC West title and a first-round bye. But if Seattle evens the score, things get murky.
With two weeks left after this one, a Seahawks win would throw the division-and possibly the entire NFC playoff seeding-into flux.
There’s also a high-stakes battle brewing in Carolina, where the Buccaneers and Panthers face off in a game that could decide the NFC South. Both teams enter Sunday at 7-7, and they’ll play each other twice in the final three weeks.
That makes this matchup critical. Whoever wins on Sunday takes a major step toward locking up the division title-likely the only ticket either team has to the postseason given how competitive the NFC wild card race is.
But neither Tampa Bay nor Carolina is coming in hot. The Bucs have dropped two straight in brutal fashion, while the Panthers let a golden opportunity slip away last week against the Saints.
Someone has to turn things around, and fast. If either team wants to be taken seriously in January, Sunday needs to be a turning point.
Looking at the broader Week 16 schedule, fans will notice a bit of a twist: two Saturday games as part of Fox’s special package. But Sunday remains the main event, with the usual slate of early and late afternoon games split between CBS and Fox.
Every local market will get their hometown team’s game, as always, but the rest of the country will be divvied up based on network assignments. That’s where the coverage maps come in-they show which games will be broadcast in which regions when the local team isn’t playing.
Here’s a quick rundown of the key broadcast matchups:
Fox Late Window (4:05 p.m. ET):
- Jaguars at Broncos
- Falcons at Cardinals
CBS Early Window (1:00 p.m. ET):
- Full coverage with Charles Davis and Jason McCourty on the call for the featured matchup
Of course, the real headline games this week are the ones with playoff implications. Rams vs.
Seahawks might be the most consequential Thursday night game of the season, with division supremacy and a first-round bye on the line. And Bucs vs.
Panthers? That’s a win-or-go-home type of clash, even if it’s not officially labeled that way yet.
So buckle up. Week 16 is shaping up to be a pivotal chapter in this season’s playoff story. There’s still plenty to sort out, and as always, the NFL is delivering the drama right on schedule.