Which NFL Teams Are Eliminated From the Playoffs in 2023? Cardinals, Commanders Among Growing Group

The NFL regular season is nearing its conclusion, and clear tiers are forming between the contenders and bottom-feeder teams that will soon be eliminated from the playoff race. Here’s where things stand thus far and which teams are closest to being officially out of postseason contention.

Update: This story was updated Monday, Dec. 25 following the Christmas Day trio of matchups.

NFL Teams Eliminated From Playoffs

Carolina Panthers

Record when eliminated: 1-11

The Panthers have boasted the league’s worst record for much of the season after opening with six straight losses before their first win. They took five more defeats in a row following Week 12’s 21-18 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Carolina is in prime position to finish bottom of the league and was the first team to be officially eliminated from the NFL after falling to the Buccaneers.

The franchise’s prospects for the near future do not look great, either, as they dealt their 2024 first-round pick to the Chicago Bears when they traded up to select QB Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It’s been a rough rookie campaign for Young — one that has not exactly instilled much faith that he is Carolina’s long-term solution at quarterback.

Time will tell on that front, but it’s clear that significant change is needed this season and going forward for the Panthers to work their way out of the NFL’s cellar.

New England Patriots

Record when eliminated: 3-10

The Patriots are not typically a part of such a list this time of year, but they suffered playoff elimination in Week 14 amid a rough run that saw them lose eight of their last 10 games.

New England did what it could to survive by taking a surprising 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, but they did not have complete control of its fate. The Cincinnati Bengals’ 34-14 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday officially knocked the Patriots out of playoff contention.

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That result eliminated New England with four weeks left in the season — their earliest elimination since 2000. It’s a new reality for the franchise under HC Bill Belichick, who has guided it to historic successes. Struggles have mounted recently, however, as the Patriots will now miss the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time under Belichick.

It all fell apart for New England down the stretch, as they lost four straight games by six or fewer points, including three in a row while allowing 10 or fewer points, before that win. Even with the upset of the Denver Broncos, the Pats are still out of the race at 4-11.

New York Jets

Record when eliminated: 5-9

The Jets were officially eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15, putting an end to their ambitions of making the most out of a season that got out to a tough start.

New York has now lost six of its seven games after falling 30-0 to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday — a defeat that ultimately did in the Jets’ playoff hopes, alongside other results.

Not much has gone right for New York this season, starting from its first series of the year when star free agent acquisition QB Aaron Rodgers was sidelined with a torn Achilles tendon. The Jets have since turned to Zach Wilson and other options at quarterback, but no one has quite been able to get the offense rolling at a high enough level to reach the playoffs.

Instead, New York will have to look forward to next year and aim to make improvements while getting Rodgers back in the mix.

Tennessee Titans

Record when eliminated: 5-9

The Titans also saw their playoff hopes come to an end in Week 15, as they took a tough overtime loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Tennessee has experienced plenty of ups and downs on the year behind inconsistent play at quarterback. QB Ryan Tannehill struggled between injuries and poor play, while rookie QB Will Levis has seen plenty of ups and downs of his own after taking over.

The Titans lost five of their seven games leading up to their elimination, including each of their last two defeats coming in overtime to the Indianapolis Colts and Texans — a pair of divisional rivals. Those two defeats, combined with other results not going Tennessee’s way, ultimately will leave them on the outside looking in at this year’s postseason.

The Titans will have to aim for better in 2024 after a disappointing season.

Arizona Cardinals

Record when eliminated: 3-11

Arizona was officially eliminated from the playoffs after their blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15.

The Cardinals had been trending in that direction for a while after opening the season with a 1-8 record, but a couple of recent wins helped keep them afloat for a bit longer.

Ultimately, losing three of their last four games proved too much to overcome and officially put an end to any fleeting hopes they had of making the postseason.

MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor

Not having star QB Kyler Murray for much of the season certainly contributed to Arizona’s issues, but they ultimately succumbed to bigger issues across the board that will need to be addressed this offseason.

The good news for the Cardinals is they are currently in line to earn a top-three selection in the upcoming NFL Draft — a valuable asset to help continue reshaping the team.

Washington Commanders

Record when eliminated: 4-10

The Commanders saw their playoff hopes finally meet an official end in Week 15 after suffering a tough 28-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The loss continued a brutal trend for Washington, which has now lost five games in a row and 10 of its last 12 games overall after getting out to a promising 2-0 start, albeit with those wins coming over the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. Washington has been competitive in some key games but overwhelmed in others on its way to a tough year.

QB Sam Howell has put up a productive campaign, aside from high turnover numbers, and looks to at least be a serviceable option for the position. His cheap contract moving forward could make keeping him around all the more palatable, too.

Washington has plenty of issues to address across the board, though, and will hope to do so with a potential top-four pick in the upcoming draft.

New York Giants

Record when eliminated: 5-10

It’s been a tough 2023 season for the Giants, as well. They had won three straight games before last week’s 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. New York is now 5-10 after falling in its comeback attempt to the Philadelphia Eagles, officially eliminating them from the playoff hunt.

Los Angeles Chargers

Record when eliminated: 5-10

The Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 saw them eliminated officially from the playoffs. After their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15, the Chargers’ hopes hung by a thread, and the bare minimum they needed to achieve was a win against the Bills. Unfortunately, that was not the case, despite a spirited effort. The Chargers’ focus will now turn to the upcoming offseason.

An aging core could make things tough for the next head coach and general manager to right the ship next season, despite the talent the Chargers boast all over the field. All of that puts the franchise in a tough spot moving forward.

Teams Approaching Playoff Elimination

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have gone through plenty of ups and downs in the 2023 season, the latest being the high of rolling to a 63-21 win over the Chargers. Las Vegas is now in a better position to make the postseasons, thanks to both their win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day and a Denver Broncos loss on Christmas Eve.

Chicago Bears

The Bears have gone through plenty of struggles throughout the 2023 campaign, but they have been solid of late with wins in three of their last five games, despite a narrow loss to the Cleveland Browns this week. However, a loss in Week 16 would bring numerous potential elimination scenarios into play for Chicago involving other teams’ results.

Updated Week 16 NFL Standings

AFC

1. Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
2. Miami Dolphins (10-4)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)
5. Cleveland Browns (10-5)
6. Buffalo Bills (9-6)
7. Indianapolis Colts (8-7)
8. Houston Texans (8-7)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)
12. Denver Broncos (7-8)
13. Tennessee Titans (5-9)
14. New York Jets (6-9)
15. Los Angeles Chargers (5-10)
16. New England Patriots (4-11)

NFC

1. San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
2. Detroit Lions (11-4)
3. Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
6. Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
7. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
8. Minnesota Vikings (7-8)
9. New Orleans Saints (7-8)
10. Green Bay Packers (7-8)
11. Atlanta Falcons (6-9)
12. Chicago Bears (6-19)
13. New York Giants (5-10)
14. Washington Commanders (4-11)
15. Arizona Cardinals (3-12)
16. Carolina Panthers (2-13)

Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!