It will come down to Week 17 for a number of NFL organizations as just seven of 14 playoff teams officially have earned postseason berths.
Here’s a look at the NFL playoff picture after Sunday night’s game as the Green Bay Packers earned a dominant Week 16 win over the Tennessee Titans. (Of note, this obviously does not reflect “Monday Night Football” between the postseason-eliminated New England Patriots and AFC East-champion Buffalo Bills.)
AFC:
(*Teams that have clinched playoff spot)
1. Kansas City Chiefs 14-1*
2. Pittsburgh Steelers 12-3*
3. Buffalo Bills 11-3*
4. Tennessee Titans 10-5
5. Miami Dolphins 10-5
6. Baltimore Ravens 10-5
7. Cleveland Browns 10-5
In the hunt:
8. Indianapolis Colts 10-5
The Chiefs clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and thus home field advantage with a Week 16 victory against the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers snapped a three-game losing streak and won the AFC North after a comeback win over the Colts. Pittsburgh currently sits No. 2, but a Bills win over the Patriots on Monday would drop Pittsburgh back to No. 3.
It’s a very close race thereafter as five teams sit at 10-5. The Titans still hold an edge in the AFC South over the Colts. If the Titans defeat the Houston Texans in Week 17, Tennessee would win the division and thus finish No. 4.
The Dolphins were arguably the biggest winners of the weekend. Miami entered Week 16 as the No. 7 seed (third wild-card spot) and jumped to the No. 5 seed (first wild-card spot) after a win over the Las Vegas Raiders and losses by both the Browns and Colts. The Ravens, who were on the outside looking in just last week, earned a win over the New York Giants and, similarly to the Dolphins, benefited from losses by Browns and Colts, as they have a tiebreaker over both. Baltimore will earn a playoff berth with a Week 17 win over Cincinnati.
The Browns loss to the Jets hurt, but didn’t knock them out. Cleveland can clinch a playoff spot by A) beating the Steelers, B) a Colts loss or C) if the Titans lose and the Ravens, Colts and Dolphins all win.
Indianapolis still has a chance to earn enter the postseason, but the Colts don’t have tiebreakers against either the Browns or Ravens. First, it will take a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and then a loss by the Titans, Ravens, Browns or Dolphins. The Colts could still win the AFC South title and finish No. 4 with a win and Tennessee loss.
NFC:
1. Green Bay Packers 12-3*
2. New Orleans Saints 11-4*
3. Seattle Seahawks 11-4*
4. Washington Football Team 6-9
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10-5*
6. Los Angeles Rams 9-6
7. Chicago Bears 8-7
In the hunt:
8. Arizona Cardinals 8-7
11. Dallas Cowboys 6-9
13. New York Giants 5-10
The Packers are one game closer to the No. 1 seed, and thus home field advantage. Green Bay wasn’t able to claim it outright Sunday as both the Saints and Seahawks won their Week 16 games, as well. The Packers will clinch the top spot with a Week 17 win over the Bears or Seahawks loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Alvin Kamara-led Saints officially won the NFC South with their victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas while Seattle claimed the NFC West title with a Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams. New Orleans can earn the No. 1 seed with a win over the Carolina Panthers and Packers loss to the Bears during Week 17. Seattle would need to beat the 49ers and have both the Packers and Saints lose Week 17 in order to earn the No. 1 seed, which isn’t exactly likely.
Tom Brady’s Buccaneers claimed their first playoff berth since 2007 after a one-sided win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday. However, since Tampa Bay was swept by New Orleans this season, they can’t win the division and thus will be on the road for the first round playing the NFC East champion, well, as long as they beat the Atlanta Falcons Week 17.
The other three teams — Washington, Los Angeles and Chicago — will have their fate decided Week 17. Washington leads the NFC East, but neither the Cowboys or Giants have been eliminated. If Washington beats Philadelphia Week 17, then the Football Team is in the postseason. If Washington loses to Philadelphia, then the winner of Giants-Cowboys will make the playoffs.
The Rams will need a win or Bears loss to earn a postseason berth while the Bears will either need to beat the Packers or a Cardinals loss to the Rams to reach the playoffs. Arizona can still get back in the playoff picture with a win over the Rams and Chicago loss to Green Bay.
Got all that?
Thumbnail photo via Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports Images
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