How does the picture look like after 16 weeks of football heading into the 2017 NFL Playoffs? How do things stand for the current division leaders and for those teams that are still battling for a wild-card spot?
Considering the current standings and tiebreakers, here is where it all stands in the AFC and NFC.
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NFL Playoffs 2017
AFC Playoffs Picture
No. 1 Seed – New England Patriots (12-3): Won the AFC East. The Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills and kept the No. 1 spot as well as clinching a first-round bye with Jacksonville’s loss to the 49ers on Sunday. If the Patriots beat the Jets, up next, the Patriots keep the top seed even if the Steelers beat the Browns.
No. 2 Seed – Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3): Won the AFC North. The Steelers defeated Houston on Monday Night Football so they’re still in the running for the No. 1 along with the Patriots. They also earned a first-round bye because of the Jaguars loss. If the Patriots lose to the Jets and they beat the Browns, they’ll earn the top seed.
No. 3 Seed – Jacksonville Jaguars (10-5): Won the AFC South. After 18 seasons, it’s the first time the Jaguars have won the division title. However, because they lost to San Francisco means they’re locked into the third seed for the playoffs. They’ll host the last team to get into the AFC playoffs on wild-card weekend.
No. 4 Seed – Kansas City Chiefs (9-6): Won the AFC West. The Chiefs won the division once again after winning over Miami on Sunday. There’s nothing left for the Chiefs except for waiting for the wild-card playoff game. They’ll also be hosting the conference’s top wild-card team in Round 1 of the playoffs.
Wild Card Candidates
No. 5 Seed – Baltimore Playoffs (9-6): Won the second place in the AFC East. The Ravens beat Indianapolis and jumping to No. 5 from No. 7 and kept themselves in the driving seat for the top AFC wild card spot. The Ravens must defeat the Bengals to clinch a spot in the playoff. However, even if the Ravens lose to Cincinnati they still might make it to the playoffs if the Titans or the Bills lose their games.
No. 6 Seed – Tennessee Titans (8-7): Won the second place in the AFC South. Tennessee lost an NFC game to Los Angeles, but have a conference-record tiebreaker over the winning Chargers and losing Bills for the last wild card. A win over the Jaguars gets them in to the playoffs.
Who’s Left? Chargers (8-7) and Bills (8-7): If the Chargers win over the Raiders and the Titans win over the Jaguars plus the Ravens win over the Bengals, LA will make it in.
Who's out: 9. Dolphins (6-9), 10. Bengals (6-9), 11. Raiders (6-9), 12. Broncos (5-10), 13. Jets (5-10), 14. Texans (4-11), 15. Colts (3-12), 16. Browns (0-15).
NFC Playoff Picture
No. 1 Seed – Philadelphia Eagles (13-2): Won the NFC East. The Eagles earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and home-field advantage with a win over Oakland on Monday Night Football.
No. 2 Seed – Minnesota Vikings (12-3): Won the NFC North. The Vikings are very close to a first-round bye because they beat the Packers on Saturday, but because Carolina is still in the run with a game against Tampa Bay it means the Vikings will have to win over Chicago in Week 17.
No. 3 Seed – Los Angeles Rams (11-4): Won the NFC West. It’s the first time Los Angeles wins the division since 2013. They’ll host a playoff game as West champions on wild-card weekend.
No. 4 Seed – New Orleans Saints (11-4): Won the NFC South. After defeating the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Saints earned their spot in the playoffs but they’ll need to beat Tampa Bay in Week 17, or hope Carolina loses, to get the division title.
No. 5 Seed – Carolina Panthers (11-4): Won the second spot in the NFC South. The Panthers have a spot in the playoffs because they beat Tampa Bay but if they’re to win the division in Week 17 they’ll need to defeat Atlanta and hope New Orleans loses to Tampa Bay.
No. 6 Seed – Atlanta Falcons (9-6): Atlanta is in third place in the NFC South and will stay there versus Seattle because they have the head-to-head tiebreaker. But, because they lost to New Orleans they won’t get into the playoffs without beating Carolina in Week 17.
Who’s Left? Seattle Seahawks (9-6): The Seahawks won over Dallas but to make the playoffs they’ll need to beat Arizona at home next week and pray that Atlanta loses or ties at home against Carolina.
Who's out: 8. Lions (8-7), 9. Cowboys (8-7), 10. Packers (7-8). 11. Redskins (7-8), 12. Cardinals (7-8), 13. 49ers (5-10), 14. Bears (5-10), 15. Buccaneers (4-11), 16. Giants (2-13).
That’s where it stands the updated 2017 NFL Playoffs picture heading into Week 17.
