The Chiefs have the edge for the AFC No. 1 seed, the Lions have the edge for the NFC No. 1 seed, and there’s a lot to be determined beyond that. Here’s what the playoff picture looks like after Week 16 of Sunday Night Football:
NFC playoff picture
Division Leaders
1. Detroit Lions (13-2): Earned a playoff berth.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3): Earned a playoff berth.
3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6): Falling back into the highly competitive NFC West.
4. Atlanta Falcons (8-7): Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buccaneers.
Wild cards
5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2): Earned a playoff berth, if they win out they will get the No. 1 seed.
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4): A sweep by the Lions and a loss to the Vikings takes them out of NFC North contention, though they are 10-1.
7. Washington Commanders (10-5): Stay alive in NFC East race by defeating Eagles.
Looking out.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7): Loss to Cowboys puts them out of playoff position.
9. Seattle Seahawks (8-7): Big loss to Vikings.
10. Dallas Cowboys (7-8): Mathematically eliminated.
11. Arizona Cardinals (7-8): Mathematically eliminated.
12. San Francisco 49ers (6-9): Mathematically eliminated.
13. New Orleans Saints (5-9): Mathematically eliminated.
14. Chicago Bears (4-11): Mathematically eliminated.
15. Carolina Panthers (4-11): Mathematically eliminated.
16. New York Giants (2-13): Mathematically eliminated.
AFC playoff picture
Division Leaders
1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1): Have a 2.5-game lead in the AFC West for the No. 1 seed.
2. Buffalo Bills (12-3): Capture the AFC East, but can they catch the Chiefs?
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5): clinched a playoff berth and owns the tiebreaker over the Ravens after Saturday’s loss.
4. Houston Texans (9-6): Won the AFC South.
Wild cards
5. Baltimore Ravens (10-5): Caught a playoff spot with a big win over the Steelers, but Pittsburgh still owns the tiebreaker.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6): A big win over the Broncos on Thursday night.
7. Denver Broncos (9-6): Chargers hurt, but still on the edge of a wild-card berth.
Looking out.
8. Indianapolis Colts (7-8): Slim wild card hopes.
9. Miami Dolphins (7-8): Even slim wild-card hopes.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8): The slimmest of wild-card hopes.
11. New York Jets (4-11): Mathematically eliminated.
12. Cleveland Browns (3-12): Mathematically eliminated.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12): Eliminated from mathematics.
14. Tennessee Titans (3-12): Mathematically eliminated.
15. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12): Mathematically eliminated.
16. New England Patriots (3-12): Mathematically eliminated.
Clenching scenarios.
The following playoff scenarios were released by the NFL on Tuesday.
AFC
Clinched:
Buffalo Bills (12-3) – AFC East
Houston Texans (9-6) – AFC South
Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) – AFC West
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) – Playoff berth
Baltimore Ravens (10-5) – Playoff berth
NFC
Clinched:
Detroit Lions (13-2) – Playoff berth
Minnesota Vikings (12-2) – Playoff berth
Philadelphia Eagles (12-3) – Playoff berth
Green Bay Packers (10-4) vs. New Orleans Saints (5-9); Monday, 8:15 pm ET, ESPN/ABC
Green Bay clinched a playoff berth.:
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GB win or tie
