How many NFL teams are mathematically alive in wide-open 2023 playoff race?

Which team will win Super Bowl LVIII? A handful of contenders have started to separate from the pack as favorites.

But which teams can win Super Bowl LVIII? Well, just about all of them.

The NFL is 14 weeks into the 2023 season and very little has been decided when it comes to the playoff picture. Almost the full league is still mathematically in the playoff race, giving even some lowly teams a chance – albeit a slim one – of reaching the Super Bowl.

Some teams’ playoff hopes may not last much longer, though. With byes in the rearview and just four weeks left on the schedule, the group of eliminated teams will continue to grow.

Just how rare is it for this many teams to still be in the playoff race this late into the year? Let’s take a look at the 2023 playoff race and how it compares to recent seasons.

How many NFL teams are still mathematically in the 2023 playoff race?

Thirty of the 32 NFL teams can still make the playoffs this season.

The Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots were the first teams to be eliminated from playoff contention with the Week 14 results. It’s mathematically possible for every other team to lift the Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas this February.

While 30 teams are still in the mix, the San Francisco 49ers are the only team to already punch its ticket to the postseason.

Record for most NFL teams still in playoff race entering Week 15

With 30 teams still in the mix with four games left on the schedule, 2023 marks the most wide-open playoff race to this point in the season since the NFL expanded the postseason field to 14 teams in 2020.

Here is a look back at how many teams still had playoff aspirations with four games remaining over each of the last four seasons. (Note: The NFL regular season did not add a 17th game and Week 18 until 2021):

• 2023 entering Week 15: 30 (15 AFC, 15 NFC; Patriots and Panthers eliminated)
• 2022 entering Week 15: 29 (14 AFC, 15 NFC; Texans, Broncos and Bears eliminated)
• 2021 entering Week 15: 28 (15 AFC, 13 NFC; Jaguars, Texans, Jets and Lions eliminated)
• 2020 entering Week 14: 28 (12 AFC, 16 NFC; Jets, Jaguars, Bengals and Chargers eliminated)

Record for most NFL teams still in playoff race entering Week 18

Nineteen teams were in the playoff mix entering Week 18 of the 2022 season. Eleven had already clinched a playoff spot and eight were fighting for the final three spots.

Here is how many teams were still alive in the playoff race entering the final week of the season each of the last three years: 

• 2022 entering Week 18: 19 (10 AFC, 9 NFC)
• 2021 entering Week 18: 18 (10 AFC, 8 NFC)
• 2020 entering Week 17: 18 (8 AFC, 10 NFC)