Week 16 is one of the highest-leverage weeks of the 2025 NFL season, and there have already been results with huge playoff implications.
Leading up to Sunday’s action, there was plenty of jockeying, particularly in the NFC. The Seahawks beat the Rams to move atop the division and the NFC on Thursday night, and Saturday’s action saw the Philadelphia Eagles clinch the NFC East with a win over the Commanders, while the Chicago Bears pulled off a comeback for the ages and took control of the NFC North with an overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers.
That was quite the appetizer for the full Sunday slate, which has had its fair share of drama as well. In the early window, the Carolina Panthers notched a key win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move into first place in the NFC South. Meanwhile, in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills escaped with a win in Cleveland to keep their hopes of winning the AFC East alive. As we migrated to the later afternoon slate, the playoff picture continued to get turned on its head. The Jacksonville Jaguars took down the Denver Broncos to keep the door to the No. 1 seed ajar as the Steelers held on against the Lions, dwindling Detroit’s chances of sneaking in.
And there’s still more to go as Monday’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts have plenty of playoff implications. As we continue to monitor the latest movements in the playoff standings, here is an up-to-date look at where things stand heading into