As the season continues to move along, the playoff picture begins to solidify. With the NFL standings becoming more definitive, teams will slowly start to see themselves from the outside looking in.
Here are the NFL teams eliminated from the playoffs at this point in the season, as of Jan. 1, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NFL Teams Eliminated From Playoffs in 2022
Houston Texans
Record When Eliminated: 1-10-1
The Houston Texans were the first NFL team to be eliminated from playoff contention in 2022. Expectations were not very high for this Texans team when the season started. Before Davis Mills could even take his first snap under center this year, oddsmakers gave Houston the lowest win total on the board at 4.5 in most places. With only one win on the year so far, their chances of going over that number are nearly nonexistent.
Although most people had little faith in this team, they did try to prove everyone wrong with a competitive start. They managed to finish their first game with a tie against the Indianapolis Colts, 20-20. They remained competitive in their next three games, although they all ended in losses. Then, in Week 5, they finally managed to get their first win by defeating their NFC South rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Unfortunately for Texans fans, they lost every game after that Jaguars win.
MORE: Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft
Before we look at what went wrong, let’s look at some of the positives from this year. The emergence of rookie running back Dameon Pierce is the obvious high point for the Texans. After being selected in the fourth round (107th overall), Pierce fell into the best possible situation with little competition surrounding him. He made the most of his opportunity and is on pace to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in his first NFL season.
Now, let’s look at some of the bad. Davis Mills is clearly not the answer for this team at QB. He has regressed immensely compared to last year, and Houston benched him against the Browns for backup Kyle Allen. With Mills under center, the Texans were last in the league in yards gained, averaging less than 200 yards and 15.8 points per game.
Now that they have mathematically been eliminated from the playoffs, they can get an early start on the 2023 NFL Draft.
Chicago Bears
Record When Eliminated: 3-10
Another team coming into the year with very few expectations was the Chicago Bears. With a new head coach and regime installed, this year was widely regarded as a “let’s see what we have” opportunity. QB Justin Fields had shown flashes the season before, but there were still a ton of questions surrounding the young signal-caller.
As the season progressed, it was obvious that the Bears were already looking ahead to next year. They sold off some pieces ahead of the deadline, including Roquan Smith, who was an integral part of the defense. However, on the bright side, they do seem to have figured out the QB situation for the future.
MORE: PFN’s 2023 NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Although Fields struggled to start the season, he has gotten significantly better as the weeks progressed. He has shown that he can be a threat with both his arm and legs. Fields has rushed for over 75 yards five times this year, including two games with over 150 yards.
And although their record might not indicate it, Fields has kept this team competitive. Unfortunately, at 3-10, their playoff chances are officially no more. Yes, they were already on life support, but their Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers 28-19 was their final nail in the coffin.
It is a tough loss for Bears fans. Not only did Aaron Rodgers continue his infamous “dominance” over this Chicago squad, but the Packers actually overtook the Bears as the winningest NFL team of all time. The Packers now have 787 wins in franchise history, while the Bears have 786. As recently as 1991, Chicago had 85 more wins than Green Bay.
Denver Broncos
Record When Eliminated: 3-10
Well, the first year of Russell Wilson in Denver ended with a whimper this week. It took only until Week 14 for this Broncos team to mathematically be eliminated from the NFL playoffs.
It was a disappointing first season for Wilson, with the team averaging under 14 points per game. That was in large part thanks to Wilson’s inability to move the ball downfield, combined with his struggles in the red zone. Needless to say, this was not necessarily what the organization hoped for when they basically mortgaged their future to acquire the QB during the offseason.
On the plus side, Denver’s defense has been elite this year and should give hope to their fans for the future. They have surrendered the second-fewest points per game (17.0) in the league and gave up the fewest yards per completion (5.9).
There are going to be a ton of questions surrounding this team during the offseason, including what they should do with first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett has clearly struggled this season, and it will be a surprise if he returns as Denver’s coach next year.
Arizona Cardinals
Record When Eliminated: 4-10
The Cardinals have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. It has been a difficult year for the NFC West squad, with the offense struggling to find any sort of consistency. WR1 DeAndre Hopkins missed the first six games due to a suspension. The rest of the WR core missed time as well, and the final nail in the coffin was the season-ending injury to QB Kyler Murray.
Now, the team will need to regroup and reevaluate for next season. There have already been murmurs that head coach Kliff Kingsbury was on the hot seat before the team was officially eliminated. With Kingsbury being considered an offensive “genius,” the lack of success the team has had during his tenure makes it hard to imagine a world where he is still in Arizona next season.
But this is not all on the offense. The defense also struggled, and with everyone on the roster getting one year older, including star J.J. Watt, the team will need to look to the draft to try and fill some holes.
Los Angeles Rams
Record When Eliminated: 4-10
The NFC West become much more clear after this week, with both the Rams and Cardinals officially being eliminated from playoff contention. The Rams had an eerily similar season to the Cardinals. They suffered from a ton of injuries throughout the year and lost their starting QB Matthew Stafford to injury. Their rotating door of starting QBs finally led to free agent Baker Mayfield taking over the reins.
The Rams have showcased one of the worst cases of the Super Bowl hangover in NFL history. The dropoff from last year to this year has been unbelievable, and now, there are questions surrounding the entire aging roster. There were rumors of a potential retirement for both star Aaron Donald and head coach Sean McVay before the season even started.
Will those guys both look to walk away from the game after this terrible season? Maybe. What makes things even worse for the team is the fact that they have basically mortgaged their future for the Super Bowl they won last season. With very little draft capital moving forward, a complete reset is going to be tough to accomplish.
Indianapolis Colts
Record When Eliminated: 4-9-1
Although they put up a heck of a fight, the Indianapolis Colts have ultimately been eliminated from playoff contention. After giving up a 33-point lead to the Minnesota Vikings, the Colts could do nothing but watch as their playoff hopes diminished Thursday night when the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the New York Jets in Week 16.
It has been a year to forget in Indianapolis. After bringing in Matt Ryan during the offseason, expectations were high as the team tried to replicate the success they found when they brought in an aging Philip Rivers. Unfortunately, they could not catch lighting in a bottle twice.
Ryan has been disappointing. But it is not all his fault. He has had little help from what was once an elite offensive line, and the rushing attack has taken some significant steps backward. Regardless, ahead of their matchup this week, it was announced that Ryan would once again be benched and Nick Foles would take over as the starter for the remainder of the year.
The team fired their head coach Frank Reich in the middle of the season and then shocked the world by bringing in Jeff Saturday to replace him. Although Saturday did a better job than many expected, it wasn’t enough to make this team competitive. Who will be calling the plays next year? Who will be under center? Can Jonathan Taylor return to form? These are all questions that the Colts will have to address in the offseason.
Cleveland Browns
Record When Eliminated: 6-9
What to say about the Cleveland Browns this year? With all of the offseason drama surrounding the organization after the acquisition of QB Deshaun Watson behind them, the team moved forward with Jacoby Brissett at the helm for the first 11 games of the year. He played well enough to keep the team alive, but ultimately, the Browns were eliminated from the playoffs in Week 16, regardless.
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Big Board
The Browns kept their identity for a good chunk of the year, running the ball well and playing good defense. However, it wasn’t enough to keep them competitive with some of the high-power offenses they faced in the AFC.
When Watson did finally return from his suspension, he clearly had a ton of rust to shake off. He missed on easy five-yard slants, and the offense was stagnant with him under center. Now, the team will look to next season and try to build around Watson.
Atlanta Falcons
Record When Eliminated: 5-10
It’s been an interesting season for the Atlanta Falcons. After trading away Matt Ryan during the offseason, the organization brought in Marcus Mariota in free agency and drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Mariota was always meant to be an experiment, and after a good start, the experiment eventually failed.
Making the switch to Ridder didn’t do all that much to ignite the offense, and ultimately, the team was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16. However, this season was always meant to be a rebuilding year. With a ton of young talent in Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta has the building blocks in place for the future.
Carolina Panthers
Record When Eliminated: 6-10
After an up-and-down season that kept them in the playoff hunt right up until Week 17, the Carolina Panthers are now officially eliminated from playoff contention. The NFC South was a bit of a dumpster fire this season, with all four teams competing due to losing records across the board. However, even though they tried to keep things interesting, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ultimately eliminated the Panthers and clinched the NFC South.
After an offseason move to acquire QB Baker Mayfield brought some optimism to the Panthers, early struggles combined with the firing of head coach Matt Rhule forced the organization to start the fire sale. They traded away superstar running back Christian McCaffrey for a treasure trove of draft picks and immediately started the rebuild.
That was until Sam Darnold came back in at QB and reignited the team. They then won four of six and started to play hard for interim coach Steve Wilks. Their late-season heroics came to an end in Tampa Bay, but they might have done just enough to get Wilks hired next year.
With an eye to the draft, this squad is going to need to figure out what to do at the QB position. Their defense played up to their potential, but there are still a ton of holes on this roster.
Las Vegas Raiders
Record When Eliminated: 6-10
The Las Vegas Raiders started the season off 2-7. They were basically written off at that point but started to stack wins to give them a small chance of making the playoffs. Unfortunately, playing in the strong AFC and even stronger AFC West made their chances of moving forward impossible.
The biggest question this team will now need to face is going to be around QB Derek Carr. Is he the continued answer at the position, or will they need to target a replacement either in the draft or free agency? If they move on from Carr, how will that impact Davante Adams, who they brought in during the offseason to pair with his college QB?
After benching Carr for the last two games of the season, it is pretty clear that they will be moving on. It will be another interesting offseason for the team, especially will all the Tom Brady rumors already swirling.
Washington Commanders
Record When Eliminated: 7-8-1
After a tough loss to the Cleveland Browns this week, the Washington Commanders were holding on by a string. Then, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers decided to put an end to any playoff aspirations by handily beating the Minnesota Vikings. The wild card spot in the NFC slipped away, and now the Commanders face an offseason full of questions.
To start, who is going to be the quarterback next season? Carson Wentz was brought in during the offseason to be the next franchise quarterback for Washington. This year was lackluster, to say the least. Not only did Wentz not play well when he was healthy, but he also missed a good portion of the year due to injury and nearly lost his starting job to Taylor Heinicke.
The NFC East is quickly turning into a powerhouse division and Washington is going to need to find a way to keep up if they want to compete. With Philadelphia, Dallas, and New York all making the playoffs this season, Washington is the only team on the outside looking in. Will they make a coaching change ahead of the 2023 NFL season? Will they bring in a QB in the draft?
All questions that this team will need to figure out fast.
New Orleans Saints
Record When Eliminated: 7-9
Similiar to the Washington Commanders, the New Orleans Saints were knocked out of playoff contention due to the Packers’ late-season surge. After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, the Saints were looking to make an impact in the NFC South. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers also got a win and clinched the division. The Saints then needed help to remain alive and did not get it.
Now, the Saints also need to figure out what they are going to do at the QB position. They started the year with Jameis Winston, but after he was injured, Andy Dalton took over. Dalton performed adequately and somehow secured the starting role, much to the chagrin of Winston.
Michael Thomas once again missed time due to injury, and Alvin Kamara underperformed due to a weaker-than-usual offensive line. The NFC South should be wide open next season with Tom Brady likely out of Tampa Bay. The Saints are only a few pieces away from competing, and if they can reload in certain spots while also manipulating their tough salary cap situation, they could possibly make a run next year.
New York Jets
Record When Eliminated: 7-9
The New York Jets have had one of the more tumultuous regular seasons in recent memory. They went into the year with a ton of upside and potential with huge draft acquisitions and a talented young core. Unfortunately, the Zach Wilson experiment failed miserably.
Not only did the young QB not play well, but he also put his foot in his mouth on multiple occasions. After losing the confidence of his head coach and possibly the locker room, he was benched for Mike White. White, a local hero, played well enough to earn the starting job up until he was injured.
The Jets, at one point, were not only competing for the AFC East but also the top seed in the AFC. Their collapse was sudden, but there is a ton to look forward to for next year. With one of the best defenses in the league and some legit weapons on the offense, this team is one QB away from being contenders. There will be some interesting options available in free agency this year, and the Jets should consider making a splash to get one.