Five teams with most to play for in NFL Week 16

We have already seen three of the playoff spots in the NFL get secured. More can get clinched this weekend. But perhaps even more important than the actual clinching scenarios are the teams that might be playing for their season and playoff hopes this week.

Let's talk about five teams that have the most to play for this week and could be getting close to must-win territory. 

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers had a great opportunity to take control of the NFC South a week ago and then gave it away by losing to the New Orleans Saints for the second time this season. 

Are the Panthers improved? Definitely. Are they ready for the bright lights and prime time? Maybe not.

They have a chance to prove that they are on Sunday when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game that will determine first place in the division. Both teams are entering with 7-7 records. A win would give the Panthers a 45% chance of making the playoffs. A loss would send them to only a 6% chance. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

On the other side of that game is the Buccaneers. A win for Tampa Bay would push their playoff probability to a whopping 94%, while a loss would only take them to 55%. That Panthers' loss to the Saints a week ago really changed the entire dynamic of that division. 

Detroit Lions

What a difference a year makes. In 2024, the Lions looked like one of the best teams in the NFL and like they were positioned to be a Super Bowl contender in the NFC for the foreseeable future. They still might be, and if they get in the playoffs this season, they will probably be a team nobody actually wants to see. 

They still have to actually get there, and that is going to be easier said than done at this point.

They enter their Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the outside of the playoff picture, and there is even one scenario that could see them mathematically eliminated this week. A Lions loss, combined with a tie by the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, would knock the Lions out of playoff contention. 

But while the Green Bay-Chicago tie seems unlikely, a loss would still send the Lions to the brink of elimination. A win would improve their playoff probabilities to 55% in the NFC. 

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens' only logical path to the playoffs is simply winning the AFC North, but even that will be a challenge. They enter the week one full game behind the Steelers, and currently do not hold the tiebreaker due to their Week 14 loss to the Steelers. The two teams do meet again in Week 18 for a game that could decide the division. That is not a given, however, and there is even a small chance the Steelers could clinch it before then.

The Ravens can not, and pretty much just need to keep winning.

That is going to be a challenge with back-to-back games against the New England Patriots (Sunday night) and at Green Bay in Week 17. 

A Ravens win on Sunday night against New England would push their playoff probability to only 47%. If they lose, that number goes to only 26% in the AFC. 

Indianapolis Colts

When the Colts started the season 7-1, they were thought to be in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They have gone just 1-5 since, are now on the outside of the playoff picture and facing a daunting climb to get back in. Especially given their schedule. A loss on Monday night to the San Francisco 49ers would drop their playoff probability to only 10%. A win would only improve it to 36%. 

The Philip Rivers comeback story is fascinating to watch, but it might not be enough to get them back into a playoff position. It is just a stunning 180 from the way the season began.