After 15 weeks of play, the Houston Texans (9-5) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) are in the home stretch of their race for the AFC South. Each team has three games left before the postseason begins, and both teams have no intention of letting go the rope just yet.

The Jaguars can clinch a playoff spot this Sunday with a victory over the Broncos in Denver and a loss by either the Colts or Texans, per ESPN Research. The Texans play host to the Raiders on Sunday and the Colts play host to the 49ers on MNF.

A look at the AFC playoff picture entering Week 16. The Jaguars remain in the No. 3 spot, a game ahead of Houston in the division.

Overall, the Jaguars are the three seed in the AFC playoff picture. At the top of the conference are the Denver Broncos at 11-2 and the New England Patriots at 11-2. The Jaguars play Denver next week. But this week, the Broncos are at home against Green Bay, while New England is at home against the Buffalo Bills.

The SportsLine Inside the Lines team and Projection Model say Jacksonville's hopes to win the division could hinge on Sunday's result at Denver

The Houston Texans bolstered their roster with Cody Schrader, whose ties to the coaching staff could make him a seamless fit.

On Thursday Night Football on Dec. 18, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles will play for the NFC West lead. On Saturday, Dec. 20, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers face off with the NFC North lead at stake.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) records a shoe-string tackle on New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) during the first quarter of an NFL football match