After Week 11 of the NFL season, we're essentially down to 23 teams competing for 14 playoff spots. The remaining nine franchises have no more than a 5% chance of making it to the postseason, according to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), leaving them to rely on a long winning streak to have any serious hopes of getting in.
For those under-.500 teams, there's still work to be done. While hope for their 2021 playoff chances might be all but extinguished, a solid end might help shape their chances in 2022. Take the Cowboys, who hit their bye last season at 2-7.