Getty Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
The NFL playoff race has officially reached crunch time and there’s still plenty to be sorted out. With Week 17 set to get underway and multiple matchups taking center stage, quite a few of the games this week have playoff implications. Whether it’s a team battling to make the postseason or others jockeying for position in the conference, Sunday should be a hectic one.
But as things stand, there are three playoff positions up for grabs and just two teams who are completely locked into their current seeding. With a lot on the line and things bound to change in Week 17, we’re going to take a look at the latest standings and a few of the potential scenarios that jump out.
Let’s start with the AFC and break down the playoff picture as well as which teams have the most to play for this weekend.
AFC Playoff Standings & Scenarios to Watch
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. Kansas City Chiefs | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 2. New England Patriots | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 3. Houston Texans | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 4. Baltimore Ravens | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 5. L.A. Chargers | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 6. Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 7. Tennessee Titans | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 8. Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 6 | 1 |
The battle for both the No. 4 and 6 seeds are going to be talking points this weekend. The Pittsburgh Steelers fell out of the playoff picture with their loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, moving the Baltimore Ravens to the top of the AFC North. In turn, Pittsburgh now finds their playoff chances to be bleak, as they’ve been given a 77 percent chance to finish the year on the outside looking in, per Playoff Status.
As things stand, the Kansas City Chiefs (91 percent), New England Patriots (88 percent), Houston Texans (73 percent) and Los Angeles Chargers (94 percent) are all expected to finish in the spots they currently sit. The Texans could fall out of the No. 3 seed and into the final Wild Card spot if they lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans don’t tie.
Although the Ravens currently hold the edge for the division title, they still have a 23 percent chance to miss the postseason. If they were to lose in Week 17 and the Steelers won, it would be nearly a lock that they are on the outside looking in.
As for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC, it’ll come down to a Sunday Night Football game between the Colts and Titans to decide who gets into the dance.
NFC Playoff Standings & Scenarios to Watch
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. New Orleans Saints | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| 2. L.A. Rams | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 3. Chicago Bears | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 4. Dallas Cowboys | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 5. Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 6. Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| 7. Philadelphia Eagles | 8 | 7 | 0 |
Although the NFC standings seem to be a bit more cut-and-dry on the surface, there are still things to be sorted out. Fortunately for the top teams, they’re close to being set into their current spots. The New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys know for a fact they’ll be the No. 1 and 4 seeds, respectively.
As for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears, that situation is nearly squared away, as Playoff Status has the Rams with a 97 percent chance to finish as the No. 2 seed. With that said, if Sean McVay’s team loses to the San Francisco 49ers and the Bears defeat the Minnesota Vikings, the two would flip spots.
When looking at the Wild Card, it’s a pretty straightforward scenario. If the Vikings defeat the Bears, they lock up a playoff spot and could even jump up to No. 5 if the Seattle Seahawks fall to the Arizona Cardinals. In order for the Philadelphia Eagles to make it in, they would need Minnesota to lose while they defeat the Washington Redskins.
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