The NBA Cup has reached the knockout rounds. This marks the third season of the NBA Cup, formerly known as the In-Season Tournament.

The East quarterfinals take place Tuesday, Dec. 9, when the Miami Heat take on the Orlando Magic (6 p.m. ET tip on Amazon Prime Video) and the New York Knicks travel north to face the Toronto Raptors (8:30 p.m. ET tip on Amazon Prime Video).

These have been four of the top teams in the conference thus far in 2025-26 regular season, as each sits in the top six in the East, through Sunday’s games.

Here’s everything you need to know about the NBA Cup East quarterfinals:

Miami Heat at Orlando Magic

The interesting thing about this matchup is that both squads are tied at 14-10, both play in the same division and both battled less than a week ago. Despite that, these teams will look significantly different from the last time they met up.

For one, the Magic announced Monday, Dec. 8 that forward Franz Wagner will be out indefinitely with a high-ankle sprain. Wagner dropped 32 points in Orlando’s 106-105 victory Friday, Dec. 5 over Miami – a game Heat star guard Tyler Herro missed because of a toe injury.

Herro underwent an MRI that revealed a right, big toe contusion, but Miami is listing him as probable for Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game. That gives the Heat something of an advantage, as Miami has not had Herro for either of its two games against the Magic this season, both losses.

The Heat continue to lead the NBA in pace (105.42 possessions per 48 minutes), but teams have been throwing more zone and full-court pressure to try to slow the Heat down; it has worked.

Miami is averaging just 115.9 points per game over its last seven games, compared to its November average of 122.9. Expect Orlando to do much of the same, as Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff need to develop a counter, if Miami is to remain competitive this season.

This matchup will come down to the offense that cracks through the opposing defense with more efficiency. Orlando and Miami are tied for fifth in the NBA in defensive rating (111.8).

Without Wagner’s offense, the Magic will need Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs to step up. Even if they do, however, the trio of Herro, Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell might be too much to overcome.

∎ Prediction: Heat win, 107-101

Stream the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Amazon Prime Video

New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors

The Knicks appear to be finding their rhythm, especially now that versatile forward OG Anunoby has returned from a left hamstring strain that sidelined him for nine games. New York has won seven of its last eight, including a 116-94 victory Sunday, Nov. 30 over the Raptors.

The Knicks are doing it on offense, and they’ve started to get more contributions from players other than Jalen Brunson.

Anunoby was key with his 21 points and seven rebounds in New York’s most recent win, 106-100 over the Magic on Sunday, Dec. 7. In a loss last week against the Celtics, Mikal Bridges dropped 35 points on 8-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc.

Knicks forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns may be limited, if he plays at all. New York is listing Towns as questionable with left calf tightness, an issue that forced him to miss the team’s last game.

Whereas the Knicks are leading with their offense – they rank third in the NBA with a rating of 121.7 – the Raptors have been one of the big surprises of the season, and it has been their eighth-ranked defense (112.8) that has shined.

Forwards Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes have excelled for Toronto as guard RJ Barrett continues to be out with a right knee sprain. The Raptors said Monday that Barrett was given a platelet-rich plasma injection and that he’s at least a week away from returning to practice.

But Toronto is more than just Ingram and Barnes; the Raptors have embraced efficiency and are spreading the ball. Seven players are averaging double figures in scoring, Toronto is shooting 48.6% from the field (sixth in the NBA) and is tied for third in assists per game (29.5).

The Raptors, though, have regressed to the mean without Barrett. Toronto has lost five of its last six, making an upset against the Knicks seem unlikely.

∎ Prediction: Knicks win, 122-119

NBA cup odds, spread moneyline, over/under for tomorrow’s games

The latest NBA Cup betting info can be found below. Odds provided by FanDuel.

Miami Heat at Orlando Magic

• Spread: Heat -1
• Moneyline: Heat -116; Magic -102
• Total: 232.5

New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors

• Spread: Knicks -4
• Moneyline: Knicks -178; Raptors +150
• Total: 227.5

The Indianapolis Colts are apparently considering drastic measures to salvage their suddenly spiraling 2025 season.

After losing starting quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury during Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indy brought Philip Rivers in for a workout on Monday night and ‘threw the ball well,’ according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The parties are now evaluating subsequent steps, the Colts’ battered quarterback room − beyond Jones even − serving as a backdrop of the club’s current state of desperation.

Rivers, who turned 44 on Monday, hasn’t played since 2020 − which seemed like the last of his 17 seasons in the league and the only one he spent in Indianapolis after 16 years with the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers. That 2020 campaign, widely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, also marks the last time the Colts reached the postseason.

Rivers, who became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year and is currently a semifinalist, was voted to eight Pro Bowls. His 63,440 career passing yards rank seventh in league history, and his 421 touchdown passes are sixth all-time. He led the Chargers to four AFC West titles and two other playoff appearances, guiding them as far as the AFC title game in 2007, but never to a Super Bowl. Including the postseason, Rivers won 139 of his 252 professional starts, including an 11-6 mark in Indianapolis.

Originally selected fourth overall out of North Carolina State by the New York Giants in the 2004 draft, Rivers’ rights were traded almost immediately to the Chargers in a draft day deal for Eli Manning, whom the Bolts chose No. 1 overall. Manning had no intention of going to San Diego, but the Chargers got Rivers and a package of picks, including a 2005 first-rounder − which would be used on Pro Bowl pass rusher Shawne Merriman − for their trouble. Rivers owns most of the franchise’s significant passing records.

Colts coach Shane Steichen spent nine years as an assistant with the Bolts, including seven on the offensive side of the ball, where he served as Rivers’ interim offensive coordinator in 2019.

Rookie Riley Leonard finished the loss at Jacksonville but is now nursing a knee injury. The team is hoping he’ll be able to go for Week 15’s game at Seattle against the Seahawks, whose 10-3 record is tied for the best in the NFC. Former Colts QB1 Anthony Richardson is on injured reserve with an orbital bone fracture. After a surprising 7-1 start to its season, thanks in large part to revitalized Jones, Indianapolis has lost four of five and fell out of the AFC’s projected playoff field Sunday.

Since retiring after the 2020 season, Rivers has coached football at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. He is the father of 10 children and has a grandchild as well.

Colts depth quarterback chart

Daniel Jones (injured)

Anthony Richardson (injured)

Riley Leonard

Brett Rypien (practice squad)

With five turnovers on ‘Monday Night Football,’ Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts helped sink his team during a 19-16 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers – and he fell short of matching an NFL record.

Well, short.

Sept. 24, 1950 was an excruciating day for Jim Hardy, then quarterback for the Chicago Cardinals. He threw eight interceptions and lost two fumbles in the Cardinals’ 45-7 loss to the Eagles, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Stan Grosshandler, a late sports historian who wrote about Hardy’s calamitous game. A box score published by Pro Football Reference also shows Hardy had eight interceptions.

But others quarterbacks suffered through brutal days, too.

Ty Detmer, former quarterback for the Detroit Lions, threw seven interceptions on Sept. 23, 2001 against the Cleveland Browns in the Lions’ 24-14 loss. He is not alone.

Other quarterbacks who threw seven interceptions in a game include: Steve DeBerg in 1986 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ken Stabler in 1977 with the Oakland Raiders, Tommy Wade in 1965 with the PIttsburgh Steelers and Zeke Bratkowski in 1960 with the Chicago Bears.

The pain of six turnovers was experienced by the likes of Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner. And Hurts almost joined the six-turnover club in excruciating fashion.

Hurts even accomplished the rare feat of fumbling twice on one play. His final turnover, an interception, came off a tipped pass at the 1-yard line and ended the game in overtime.

The final tally: four interceptions, one lost fumble and turnover trauma for a lifetime.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones recently had a five-turnover game in a 27-20 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.

AI-assisted summary
• Quarterback Jalen Hurts had five total turnovers, including a career-worst four interceptions.
• The team’s offense has not scored more than 21 points in a game since October.

INGLEWOOD, CA — Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith sat quietly next to each other in a somber postgame locker room after a 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Philadelphia Eagles hardly resemble the team that won Super Bowl 59 just 10 months ago. A third consecutive loss dropped Philadelphia to 8-5.

“We have won a lot of football games. Right now, we’ve lost three in a row,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “I’m confident in the coaches that we have, the players that we have, the owner that we have, the front office that we have. We’re built to overcome, and we know how to do that.”

Sirianni confirmed reports that he had taken more of a hands-on approach with the Eagles offense in preparation for Monday night.

Saquon Barkley did top 100 rushing yards for the second time this season, but the offense was once again mostly lethargic. It’s tough to glean confidence from this version of the Eagles’ offense.

The Eagles haven’t scored more than 21 points in a game since October. Philadelphia came into Week 14 with the 23rd-ranked passing attack and 22nd-ranked rushing offense in the league.

Hurts tossed a career-worst four interceptions versus the Chargers and produced a nightmare five total turnovers in the overtime defeat.  

“I have to find ways to lead our team to victories,” Hurts said. “That’s not something that’s foreign to us. We are just not able to do it at the moment. That starts with me and how I play, how I lead and how I go out there and do my job. When I look at it at any point, it’s about how I respond to a test. And what level of resilience and resolve I have to push forward and figure things out.”

The Eagles are slightly in front of the Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1) for the NFC East lead with four regular-season games remaining. The Eagles’ three-game losing streak is reminiscent of the team’s 2023 collapse, during which they lost five of their last six regular-season games and made a quick exit in the postseason.

Yet, the silver lining is this Eagles club, despite some injuries, brought back 10 offensive starters from the Super Bowl-winning squad. Standout tackle Lane Johnson is expected to return this season. Three of their next four opponents have losing records. They control their own destiny.

“You always have to look inward and be honest with yourself, first and foremost. Take accountability and learn to fix it as quickly as possible,” Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said. “That’s what we plan to do. That’s what I plan to do.”

Brown is correct. The Eagles’ offense must “quickly” find a way to turn things around or else the season will expire quickly akin to the 2023 squad.  

“A game like that definitely stings. But we can use this to either start pointing fingers and get upset, or we can make sure that doesn’t break us and we come together and we just keep rolling. And I think we’re going to take that side of it,” Barkley said. “Everything that we want is still in front of us. That’s the beauty of football. That’s the beauty of having success early in the season. And now we got to get things rolling.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

The University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team might have the best goaltender, best defender and best offensive depth in the nation right now. They proved it this weekend, sweeping their series against No. 2 Ohio State.

Princeton was the biggest climber in this week’s NCAA women’s hockey power rankings, finding its way into the top 10 after beating a pair of nationally ranked programs, while Cornell dropped both of its games. 

North America’s top players will head to Edmonton, Alberta, this week for the Canadian leg of the Rivalry Series, while NCAA players from Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Czechia are headed overseas to compete in the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour, their last chance to perform internationally ahead of the 2026 Olympics in February.

Here are the top 10 NCAA women’s hockey programs this week.

Women’s college hockey power rankings

1. University of Wisconsin (WCHA)

After sweeping Ohio State 2-1 and 6-1, Wisconsin entrenched its claim to the top spot in the nation. Ava McNaughton stopped 60 of 62 shots and was perhaps the biggest difference between the teams. Right now, the only thing between Wisconsin and back-to-back titles is their ability to weather the Olympics, where as many as six members of their lineup will be in action. 

2. Ohio State (WCHA)

Ohio State had its chance against No. 1 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes weren’t significantly outshot or outplayed but still got swept. Joy Dunne and Hilda Svensson, November’s WCHA forward and rookie of the month, respectively, were held without a goal. It was Ohio State’s only chance to show it can beat Wisconsin best-on-best, as the next time the teams face off in early February, they will be without their Olympians.

3. University of Minnesota (WCHA)

Whether it was Abbey Murphy, Josefin Bouveng, Sydney Morrow or Jamie Nelson, Minnesota’s seniors made the difference in a pair of conference wins over St. Thomas. Bouveng is tied with Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey for the longest point streak in the nation, hitting the scoresheet in 17 consecutive games, while Murphy set a program record, scoring her 26th career game-winning goal.

4. University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)

Eve Gascon stopped 50 of 51 shots she faced for the Bulldogs, which beat Bemidji State 4-1 and 4-0. Gascon’s 20-save shutout was her fourth of the season. She had something to prove after being left off Canada’s Rivalry Series roster for December. Offensively, Minnesota-Duluth has work to do after being outshot by Bemidji State in the first game of their series, but they looked much stronger in the second.

5. Penn State (Atlantic Hockey America)

Penn State doesn’t play again until Dec. 30, but their next three games will define their season, playing Cornell and a series against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions don’t face the same skill level in Atlantic Hockey America, so these upcoming games will be an important test ahead of the national tournament, which they’ll host at Pegula Ice Arena from March 20 to 22.

6. Northeastern (Hockey East)

It was an emotional weekend as Northeastern played its final game at the historic Matthews Arena. Captain Lily Shannon was Hockey East’s player of the month in November. Jules Constantinople was the top defender and forward Stryker Zablocki was the top rookie in November as well. They carried a hot streak over into this weekend’s series sweep of Boston College, helping lead the way for the Huskies.

7. Quinnipiac (ECAC)

After shutting out Cornell 3-0, the Bobcats lost 2-1 in overtime to Colgate in an upset. The Bobcats can find their way out of the ECAC logjam if they can consistently produce secondary offense. The team relies too heavily on Kahlen Lamarche as the primary goal-scorer. Right now, their best threats behind Lamarche are often defenders Makayla Watson and Zoe Uens. 

8. Cornell (ECAC)

Cornell fell 3-0 to Quinnipiac and 3-2 to Princeton. Annelies Bergmann looked human in net, allowing three goals on 18 shots in both games. Cornell entered the weekend second in the nation in goals-against average at 1.64. That number rose this weekend, and after Cornell losses to Vermont, Syracuse and Union last month, teams believe they can beat the Big Red on any given night.

9. Connecticut (Hockey East)

UConn continues to quietly put together wins, including going 1-for-2 against Boston University this past weekend. They tied the first game but lost in a shootout. Scoring continues to be their challenge as some of their top players, including Claire Murdoch and Julia Pellerin, have yet to find their way this season. Tia Chan remains Connecticut’s biggest asset in net.

10. Princeton (ECAC)

Beating Colgate and Cornell this week, Princeton’s leaders were Mackenzie Alexander and 2026 PWHL Draft prospect Issy Wunder. It often takes Ivy League schools longer to hit their stride in NCAA women’s hockey as they start their season a month later than the rest of the nation. Princeton may still be scratching the surface of its potential this season.

Please send your application to join the next College Football Playoff selection committee to Grapevine, Texas. Good help needed.

As final ballots are being submitted for the Heisman Trophy, as Notre Dame’s grievances intensify, and as we all brace for first-round blowouts, here are three lingering thoughts, following conference championship weekend and CFP selection:

CFP committee charade leaves bad taste

When the first CFP rankings came out on Nov. 4, Notre Dame checked in at No. 10, and Miami was No. 18.

Those initial rankings came directly on the heels of Miami’s loss to SMU and likely suffered from recency bias. Still, they came off obnoxiously ignorant of the reality that Miami and Notre Dame possessed identical records, and Miami owned a win against the Irish.

In Notre Dame’s four games since those initial rankings, the Irish outscored opponents that ranged in quality from bad to average by a combined score of 205-52.

Their prize? The Irish dropped to No. 11 in the final rankings.

In Miami’s four games since the initial rankings, the Hurricanes outscored opponents that ranged in quality from bad to average by a combined score of 151-41.

Along the way, Miami catapulted from No. 18 to No. 10.

See the issue? It’s not that Miami finished one spot ahead of Notre Dame in the final rankings and seized the final at-large playoff bid. Miami getting the spot is appropriate, but the process came off as a sham.

One month ago, the committee allegedly considered Notre Dame a markedly better team than Miami. All that’s happened since then is that each team blew out their remaining opponents.

The committee sank Notre Dame in the rankings and kept moving up Miami as teams ahead of it lost.

Admitting Miami and not Notre Dame is a just decision, but the process of reaching that decision became an unnecessary stunt that damaged the committee’s credibility.

That’s not all. The committee ranked Alabama at No. 10 on Nov. 25.

In Alabama’s two data points since that ranking, it held on for a white-knuckle road win against sub-.500 Auburn, and it got trampled by Georgia in the SEC Championship.

The committee absorbed those two data points and moved the Tide up from No. 10 to No. 9.

I asked CFP committee chairman Hunter Yurachek to explain this.

How, based on those two additional data points, would the committee justify moving Alabama up one spot to No. 9 in the final two rankings?

Yurachek explained the committee considered the Tide’s performance and victory in the Iron Bowl “a feather in their cap.”

If the CFP expects anyone to buy this charade, it needs better actors.

Pick the 12 best teams? That idea has merit

The playoff’s current construction does not attempt to compile the 12 teams that could best contend for a national championship. If it did, Notre Dame would still be playing instead of complaining and Texas would not be headed to the Citrus Bowl.

Playoff rules insist five conference champions be invited. So, the bracket includes Tulane and James Madison, a pair of teams that would be double-digit underdogs against either the Irish or Longhorns.

The CFP continues to be a vastly inferior product to the regular season. Part of the reason is the playoff does not attempt to gather all of the nation’s best teams and pit them against one another.

A first round that featured Texas-Oregon, Notre Dame-Mississippi, Alabama-Texas A&M and Miami-Oklahoma would strengthen the bracket and improve the product.

With the playoff constructed as it is, college football’s season crescendos in November. These first-round games, in particular, amount to a tremendous whimper.

I’m against playoff ideas that would cheapen November, but I’m up for ideas that improve December.

The brigade shouting, ‘Pick the 12 best teams” might have it right. That would still leave room for a Group of Five team like 2024 Boise State, which earned its way into a 12-team playoff under any framework. But, it would prevent a situation where red-hot Notre Dame sits, while Tulane gets a rematch with Ole Miss, a team it lost to by 35 points in September.

Bowl bonanza!

Anyone care about bowl games anymore? Not Bahamians, apparently.

As I always say, bowl game programming provides an outlet to avoid otherwise watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, when trapped in a room with your odd uncle during the holidays.

Five bowl games that’ll gain my gaze, as I tune to football instead of Lacey Chabert’s latest holiday love story:

• Brigham Young vs. Georgia Tech (Pop-Tarts), Dec. 27
• Virginia vs. Missouri (Gator), Dec. 27
• Tennessee vs. Illinois (Music City), Dec. 30
• Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (ReliaQuest), Dec. 31
• Michigan vs. Texas (Citrus), Dec. 31

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Every week for the duration of the 2025 regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the NFL’s ever-evolving playoff picture − typically starting Sunday afternoon and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too).

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Here’s where things stand with Week 14 now complete:

AFC playoff picture

1. Denver Broncos (11-2), AFC West leaders: They beat the Raiders on Sunday, winning their 10th in a row, matching New England’s victory total and overtaking the Patriots for possession of the top seed by virtue of a conference record (7-2) that is a half-game better. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

2. New England Patriots (11-2), AFC East leaders: The first team in the league to reach 11 wins thanks to Week 13’s rollover of the Giants, the Pats remain in a very tight race with Denver, the teams’ airtight tiebreakers now in effect with the Broncos playing their 13th game Sunday. New England will officially wrap up its division by sweeping the Bills on Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4), AFC South leaders: They claimed first place outright by smashing the depleted Colts on Sunday in Duval County. The Texans now lose as the bona fide threat. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Titans

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), AFC North leaders: They jumped up nine spots, from out of the field back into the division lead by winning at Baltimore on Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens

5. Los Angeles Chargers (9-4), wild card No. 1: They’ve won five of six after surviving the Eagles on Monday night. A one-win advantage in AFC games (7-2) moves them ahead of Buffalo. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos

6. Buffalo Bills (9-4), wild card No. 1: Massive win over Cincinnati solidifies their playoff standing heading into a notable showdown at Foxborough in Week 15 to face the AFC East-leading Pats. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets

7. Houston Texans (8-5), wild card No. 3: They’ve won six of seven, including five in a row. Beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead moved Houston into a wild-card slot by virtue of their Week 13 defeat of Indianapolis. Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Colts

8. Indianapolis Colts (8-5), in the hunt: They’ve dropped four of their past five and lost QB Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury Sunday in Jacksonville. Houston’s win Sunday night dropped Indy from the projected field entirely. And the schedule doesn’t let up the rest of the way. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans

9. Baltimore Ravens (6-7), in the hunt: Consecutive losses − and to AFC North foes (Bengals, Steelers) − has them on the outside looking in. A 4-5 record in AFC games places them ahead of K.C. and Miami. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Patriots, at Packers, at Steelers

10. Kansas City Chiefs (6-7), in the hunt: Their chances to win a 10th straight AFC West title are officially null and void. And Sunday night’s loss to Houston means they’ll likely miss the postseason for the first time since 2014 − Andy Reid’s second year in K.C. And don’t forget they’ve lost to the Broncos, Chargers, Bills, Texans and Jags, who are all ahead of them. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Titans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders

11. Miami Dolphins (6-7), in the hunt: They probably need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification but notched another one Sunday in New York. Remaining schedule: at Steelers, vs. Bengals, vs. Buccaneers, at Patriots

12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-9), in the hunt: They basically need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification … though they probably have a better one than Miami by virtue of living in this year’s surprisingly subpar AFC North. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, at Dolphins, vs. Cardinals, vs. Browns

NFC playoff picture

1. Los Angeles Rams (10-3), NFC West leaders: They regained the inside track for home-field advantage and a first-round bye by demolishing the Cardinals and benefiting from Chicago’s loss to Green Bay. The Rams’ Week 11 defeat of Seattle remains pivotal. Remaining schedule: vs. Lions, at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals

2. Green Bay Packers (9-3-1), NFC North leaders: They got the best of the archrival Bears, a consequential win that put the Pack back on top of the division and just a half-game off the conference pace. Remaining schedule: at Broncos, at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings

3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-5), NFC East leaders: Three losses in a row not only mean a lot more scrutiny but − beware − a team that could still fall into the Cowboys’ clutches in the division if it’s not careful. Remaining schedule: vs. Raiders, at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6), NFC South leaders: They remain in first place despite a damaging loss to New Orleans. The Bucs currently have a one-game lead over Carolina in the common-games tiebreaker department. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers

5. Seattle Seahawks (10-3), wild card No. 1: Sunday’s rout of Falcons moved them atop the conference … for a few hours. But the Rams’ win at Arizona pushed Seattle back to the wild-card echelon. All three of the ‘Hawks’ losses are against NFC opponents, including two in the division − defeats that don’t serve them well in tiebreaker scenarios. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers

6. San Francisco 49ers (9-4), wild card No. 2: They’re in a precarious spot given their pursuers, yet are just behind the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC West lead as well. Off last weekend, the Niners were in no danger of vacating the field. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks

7. Chicago Bears (9-4), wild card No. 3: How tightly packed is the NFC? One narrow loss dropped the Bears from first place in the conference to seventh, just a game ahead of the division rival Lions. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions

8. Detroit Lions (8-5), in the hunt: Huge win over Dallas on Thursday night. It brought the Lions within a game of the NFC’s final wild card and helped them in the division standings given Chicago’s Sunday reversal. Remaining schedule: at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears

9. Carolina Panthers (7-6), in the hunt: Though Carolina is off this week, the Panthers basically pulled even atop the NFC South. Remaining schedule: at Saints, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Seahawks, at Buccaneers

10. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1), in the hunt: Crippling loss Thursday in Motown. Dallas’ best bet now is probably to hope the Eagles continue to struggle and leave the NFC East in play, the Cowboys’ chances to qualify creeping up to 10% on Monday, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, vs. Chargers, at Commanders, at Giants

NFL playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 15 (incomplete)

New England clinches AFC East with:

1. Win

NFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2025