Record 27 teams remain in playoff hunt with 3 weeks to go

The NFL is jam-packed with teams vying for a spot in the postseason. 27 teams still have shots. Only the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears have been eliminated.

December 23, 2021 - 9:51 AM

Washington Football Team QB Garrett Gilbert (19) fumbles as he is hit on a fourth down play late in the during the fourth quarter vs. the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. Photo by TNS

While no team has clinched a postseason spot in the jam-packed AFC, there never have been more teams alive in the playoff hunt this late in a season.

Only Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, Houston and the New York Jets have been eliminated so far, with 27 teams still with at least a sliver of a postseason chance, tied for the most ever with three weeks left in the season.

The only other times that has happened came in 2004, 1995 and in 1982, when 16 teams made the playoffs in a strike-shortened, nine-game season.

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