How do we know that the NFL playoff picture is heating up? Because we had our first three eliminations. The Cleveland Browns' 11th loss in as many games officially closed the door on their miniscule chance of reaching the postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The San Francisco 49ers (1-10) and New York Giants (2-9) have also run out of mathematical options, per NFL Research.
The NFL’s other 29 teams remain alive, some in better shape than others. As always, we’ll take a closer look at the top candidates below.