The Chiefs have the lead for the AFC No. 1 seed, the Lions have the lead for the NFC No. 1 seed, and there’s still plenty to be determined beyond that. Here’s how the playoff picture looks after Sunday Night Football of Week 16:
NFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Detroit Lions (13-2): Clinched a playoff berth.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3): Clinched a playoff berth.
3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6): Pulling away in the very competitive NFC West.
4. Atlanta Falcons (8-7): Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buccaneers.
WILD CARDS
5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2): Clinched a playoff berth, will clinch the No. 1 seed if they win out.
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4): Getting swept by the Lions and losing to the Vikings takes them out of NFC North contention, even though they’re 10-1 otherwise.
7. Washington Commanders (10-5): Stayed alive in the NFC East race by beating the Eagles.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7): Loss to the Cowboys knocked them out of playoff position.
9. Seattle Seahawks (8-7): Big loss to the 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): Clinched AFC West, have a 2.5-game lead for the No. 1 seed.
2. Buffalo Bills (12-3): Clinched the AFC East, but can they catch the Chiefs?
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5): Clinched a playoff berth and own the tiebreaker over the Ravens even after Saturday’s loss.
4. Houston Texans (9-6): Clinched the AFC South.
WILD CARDS
5. Baltimore Ravens (10-5): Clinched a playoff berth with a big win against 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): The loss to the Chargers hurt, but they’re still on the cusp of a wild card berth.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Indianapolis Colts (7-8): Slim wild card hopes.
9. Miami Dolphins (7-8): Even slimmer 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): Mathematically eliminated.
14. Tennessee Titans (3-12): Mathematically eliminated.
15. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12): Mathematically eliminated.
16. New England Patriots (3-12): Mathematically eliminated.
Clinching 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 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Green Bay clinches a playoff berth with:
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GB win or tie
