After a wild Saturday of NFL football, there is still plenty up for grabs and four playoff spots to be decided.
Arizona, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Seattle were all eliminated on Christmas Eve, while Detroit clinched their first postseason berth since 1999.
Three division races (AFC North, AFC West and NFC East) will come to down the final Sunday and two wildcard spots (one in each conference) remain available.
Let’s look at all the remaining scenarios in the playoff race:
AFC
1) New England Patriots: The Patriots wrapped up a first-round bye with the victory over Miami on Saturday.
New England can lock up the No.1 seed in the conference with a win over Buffalo in Week 17.
2) AFC North Winner:
Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Ravens own the tiebreaker over the Steelers because they swept the season series. So, the Ravens will land a first-round bye with a win over Cincinnatii next Sunday.
Baltimore could jump New England and clinch homefield advantage with a win and a Patriots loss in Week 17.
The Steelers can still win the divison and overtake the Ravens with a win over Cleveland combined with a Baltimore loss.
They also have an outside shot for the No.1 seed if Pittsburgh wins and both Baltimore and New England lose.
Note: All AFC North games will take place at 4:15 p.m. ET next Sunday.
3) Houston Texans: The AFC South champion Texans have locked up the No. 3 seed. They will host a first-round playoff game and cannot move up or down in the standings.
4) AFC West winner:
Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders.
The Broncos and Raiders both have 8-7 records after Saturday. The Broncos still control their own destiny (Tebow time?) and can win the division with a win over Kansas City in Week 17. (Kyle Orton’s revenge?).
Oakland can make the playoffs in multiple ways:
1) They win the AFC West with a win over San Diego in Week 17 and a Denver loss.
2) The Raiders can capture the final wildcard spot with a win, a Bengals loss, and a Titans loss.
3) Or a win, a Bengals loss, and a Jets win. (Thanks to the guys at NFL Network and profootballtalk.com for the help.)
Note: All AFC West games in Week 17 will take place at 4:15 p.m. ET.
5) Baltimore/Pittsburgh
6) Still in play: CIN, OAK, TEN, NYJ
Cincinatti Bengals: The Bengals have the upper hand and will make the playoffs with a win over Baltimore. According to PFT, the Bengals could lose to Baltimore and still clinch the No. 6 spot if they end up in a two-way tie with the Titans at 9-7.
Oakland Raiders: We mentioned their scenarios above. If they win the AFC West, the final wildcard spot remains up for grabs.
Tennessee Titans: Even after losing to the lowly Colts, the Titans remain alive. The Titans still have two complicated scenarios in play.
1) They need a win against the Texans, a Bengals loss, Jets loss, combined with a Raiders and Broncos win to make the playoffs.
2) Or they need a win, a Bengals loss, Jets win, Raiders win and Broncos loss to clinch the No.6 seed.
New York Jets: The Jets face the longest odds of the remaining teams. Don’t know if Rex Ryan is still smack talking. They need a win in Miami, a Bengals loss, a Titans loss, and a Raiders or Broncos loss to make the playoffs. That’s a lot to ask for.
NFC:
The NFC is far less complex. Five of the six teams are already decided and the playoff race will be clearer at the end of Week 16.
1) Green Bay Packers: The Packers locked up the No. 1 seed and homefield throughout the NFC playoffs with their win over Chicago on Sunday night.
2) San Francsico 49ers: The Niners held off the Seahawks and still sit in the No. 2 seed. Jim Harbaugh’s team will clinch a first-round bye with a win over the lowly Rams in Week 17.
3) New Orleans Saints: The Saints wrapped up the NFC South with their win over Atlanta on Monday night. With a loss in their final game or a San Francisco win, New Orleans will finish in the No. 3 slot and will host a first-round playoff game.
4) NFC East winner:
Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants .
This scenario is quite simple: The Cowboys and Giants both have 8-7 records and play eachother in the final game of Week 17 in what is essentially a do-or-die game.
Whoever wins the game will win the division and clinch the No. 4 seed in the NFC. The loser will go home and not make the playoffs.
NFC wildcard spots:
Detroit Lions: The Lions now have 10 wins and have punched their playoff ticket. With a win in Week 17 combined with an Atlanta loss to Tampa Bay (good luck), the Lions will capture the No. 5 seed and take on the winner of the NFC East.
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons clinched the playoffs after Green Bay beat Chicago. Falcons will now finish with the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. If the Lions and Falcons finish with the same record, Atlanta will win the tiebreaker over Detroit because of their head-to-head victory.
Easy to understand? I thought so.
Hope that helped and enjoy the final week of what has been a glorious regular season.
