The NFC crowned its No. 1 seed, but wild-card spots and home-field advantage in the AFC are still up for grabs.
After an exhilarating and ultimately exhausting Week 16, here’s the latest NFL playoff picture.
AFC
The Patriots have clinched a first-round bye, but the Steelers’ victory in Houston on Monday prevented New England from securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs — for now, at least. The Patriots will get another chance in Week 17. They can clinch with a victory over the Jets, or with a Steelers loss to the Browns.
If the season ended Sunday: The Patriots would face the lowest remaining seed out of the wild-card round.
Monday’s victory in Houston clinched a first-round bye for the Steelers. To earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, they’ll need a Week 17 victory over the Browns and a Patriots loss to the Jets.
If the season ended Sunday: The Steelers would face the second-lowest remaining seed out of the wild-card round.
The Jaguars won the division before even kicking off in San Francisco thanks to the Titans’ loss to the Rams, but nothing else went right after that. Their loss to the 49ers combined with the Steelers’ victory on Monday ended the Jaguars’ hope securing the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. No matter what happens, however, they will not fall below the No. 3 seed.
If the season ended Sunday: The Jaguars would host the No. 6 Titans in the wild-card round.
The Chiefs won the AFC West with a win over the Dolphins, but they can’t beat the Jaguars in a tiebreaker, per the ESPN Playoff Machine.
If the season ended Sunday: The Chiefs would host the No. 5 Ravens in the wild-card round.
After Saturday’s victory over the Colts, the Ravens are in the best situation among the AFC’s wild-card candidates. They can clinch with a Week 17 victory over the Bengals. Even if they lose, they’ll get one of the two wild-card spots if the Bills or the Titans lose.
If the season ended Sunday: The Ravens would face the No. 4 Chiefs in the wild-card round.
Even after their third consecutive loss — the latest at home to the Rams on Sunday — all hope is not lost for the Titans. At the moment, Tennessee is ahead of the Chargers and Bills because of a superior conference record. The Titans will clinch a wild-card spot by defeating the Jaguars or if both the Bills and Chargers lose in Week 17.
If the season ended Sunday: The Titans would face the No. 3 Jaguars in the wild-card round.
In the hunt:
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Los Angeles Chargers (8-7): The Chargers need help to get into the playoffs. In addition to defeating the Raiders in Week 17, they’ll need the Titans to lose to the Jaguars and the Ravens to defeat the Bengals.
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Buffalo Bills (8-7): The Bills also need help. They’ll need to win at Miami in Week 17 and get losses from the Chargers and Titans. Or, they could get in with a victory over the Dolphins and a Ravens loss.
NFC
It wasn’t pretty, but the Eagles clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with Monday night’s 19-10 victory over the Raiders.
If the season ended Sunday: The Eagles would face the lowest remaining seed out of the wild-card round.
The Eagles’ victory on Monday night eliminated the Vikings from contention for the NFC’s top seed. They can clinch a first-round bye in Week 17 with any one of these scenarios: a victory over the Bears, a Saints win over the Buccaneers or a Panthers loss to the Falcons.
If the season ended Sunday: The Vikings would face the second-lowest remaining seed out of the wild-card round.
Congratulations to the Rams, who won the NFC West for the first time in 14 years. They win the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Saints but, according to the Playoff Machine, can’t get higher than the third seed after losing to both the Eagles and Vikings in the regular season.
If the season ended Sunday: The Rams would host the No. 6 Falcons in the wild-card round.
The Saints clinched a playoff spot with their victory over the Falcons on Sunday, but the Panthers’ win denied New Orleans the NFC South crown for now. They can secure the division with a Week 17 victory over the Buccaneers, but like the Rams, they can’t advance higher than the No. 3 seed.
If the season ended Sunday: The Saints would host the No. 5 Panthers in the wild-card round.
The Panthers are in the playoffs and have the most seeding volatility of any team in the NFC. They could wind up anywhere between No. 2 and No. 5. Carolina will win the NFC South with a victory over the Falcons and a Saints loss to the Buccaneers in Week 17. In that scenario, the Panthers could elevate to a first-round bye if the Vikings and Rams also lose. At worst, they’ll have the higher of the two wild-card seeds.
If the season ended Sunday: The Panthers would face the No. 4 Saints in the wild-card round.
Sunday’s loss to the Saints eliminated the Falcons from the NFC South race, but Atlanta can qualify for a wild-card berth with a Week 17 victory over the Panthers. Even if they lose, the Falcons can advance if the Seahawks lose to the Cardinals.
If the season ended Sunday: The Falcons would face the No. 3 Rams in the wild-card round.
In the hunt