Week 14 NFL playoff picture: Colts, Steelers, Chiefs, Bears - ESPN

In an NFL season in which so many teams are tightly packed at the top of their respective conferences and divisions, every week of football in December is going to drive massive changes in the league's playoff picture. Thursday's win by the Lions over the Cowboys kept Dan Campbell's team in the race with its divisional rivals for a wild-card spot, while Dallas saw its own push into the postseason derailed. The Cowboys' playoff odds were more than cut in half, per ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI)

There were more significant swings on Sunday, especially in games where teams with realistic playoff aspirations were pitted against one another. With three potential playoff teams on bye and two more still to meet when the Chargers and Eagles play on «Monday Night Football,» there were four matchups between true playoff contenders on Sunday. (Sorry, Bengals.) They were all interesting in their own ways.

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Today, I'll break down the big stories from those four games and what the outcome means for both teams involved. That starts in Jacksonville, where a Colts team saw its chances of making an impact in 2025 and potentially 2026 disappear in a matter of moments. Not only did Indy lose the division matchup, it also lost quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury. A team that had visions of running the AFC playoffs through Indianapolis as the 1-seed might not make it to this season's postseason at all.

Note: All playoff odds throughout are via FPI.

Jump to:
Jaguars over Colts | Steelers over Ravens
Texans over Chiefs | Packers over Bears

Jaguars' playoff odds change: 84.0% to 96.7% (up 12.7%)
Colts' playoff odds change: 72.6% to 51.3% (down 21.3%)

The Colts were already in free fall, having