NFL Playoff scenarios for Week 16: Bengals, Chargers, Ravens look to join field

There are only three weeks left in the NFL regular season, and the playoff races are getting more and more exciting, as are the races for home field advantage during the playoffs and the all-important first round bye for each conference. The AFC and NFC have two teams with a greater than 20 percent chance of usurping the current wild card teams and the AFC South shrinking toward a coin flip, but that’s not all that’s at stake at week 16.

The Philadelphia Eagles are capable of taking No. 1 in the NFC this week, but the availability of Jalen Hurts against Dallas — and possibly for the long haul — is now up for debate. It’s still very likely that the Eagles will see each other, but their odds drop by about 6 percent if they lose to the Cowboys on Saturday. But that’s not the only ripple effect of Hurts’ uncertainty. The Eagles play against the Giants in Week 18, and if Philadelphia doesn’t come bye before the final week of the regular season, Philadelphia would have to play that week to win and potentially shake things up in the NFC wild card race.

As for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Bills are the current favorites at 59.1 percent, followed by the Chiefs at 37.3 percent. The Bengals are the third most likely team at 3.6 percent. It’s likely to be a two-team race, and with the Bills and Chiefs both favored by about double digits this weekend, it’s unlikely we’ll see too much drama. However, if we do, and one of the Bears or Seahawks gets the upper hand, the odds of earning the bye would fluctuate significantly.

Six teams will enter the playoffs going into 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 could take their seats this week, and the Bills and Eagles also have milestones on the line.

• Cincinnati will advance to the playoffs with a victory over New England on Saturday or a loss or tie of Jets vs. Jacksonville on Thursday.

• The Chargers clinch a playoff berth with a win over Indianapolis on Monday and a combination of losses or ties by the Raiders, Patriots, Jets and/or Dolphins.

• The Ravens compete in one of 10 scenarios with wins or ties by them and wins, losses or ties by as many as seven other teams. There’s even a scenario where Baltimore comes in regardless of the result, if the Patriots and Jets lose, the Browns, Raiders, and Titans lose, or tie and the Chargers win.

• The Giants clinch a playoff berth on Saturday, taking a win in Minnesota and losing by two of three to Detroit, Seattle and Washington.

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

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

However, as mentioned above, the Eagles’ injury situation could have ripple effects during the NFC playoff race. The AFC gives us a huge showdown on Thursday Night Football between the Jaguars and Jets, two teams on the outside now looking in, but don’t forget Bengals at Patriots as that game has significant playoffs and implications for AFC North. After scanning the slate, there are 10 games in Week 16 that will move the needle for one or both teams involved. Let’s take a look at the possible swings in playoff odds for each team should they win this week:

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

Falcons at Ravens, Saturday 1 p.m. ET

Lions at Panthers, Saturday 1 p.m. ET

Seahawks at Chiefs, Saturday 1 p.m. ET

Giants at Vikings, Saturday 1pm ET

Bengals at Patriots, Saturday 1 p.m. ET

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

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

Packers at Dolphins, Sunday 1 p.m. ET

Chargers at Colts, Monday 8:15 p.m. ET

(Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)