Teddy Bridgwater and the Vikings could see their playoff lead slip to just one game today. (Getty)
With only four Sundays left in the regular season, the playoff picture is finally starting to come together. By today’s end, three divisions in the AFC could be clinched, leaving just the wide-open AFC South to be decided. In the NFC things are less clear, as Arizona can rest on Thursday’s win but still clinch their division by watching a Seattle loss.
During the early slate of games, there are several matchups with major implications. The biggest of those is Pittsburgh’s trip to Cincinnati, which is an important contest to both the bottom and top of the AFC playoff standings. Cincinnati is still in contention for home-field advantage, while Pittsburgh is just barely on the outside, missing out on the postseason via tiebreakers. Pittsburgh may have the NFL’s most potent offense right now, and would be a dangerous playoff team if they can secure a Wild Card spot.
In the NFC, the danger is at the top. Carolina and Arizona are clearly the two best teams, and are the favorites for Super Bowl 50. In the AFC, things could not be more unclear. The two hottest teams in the conference are Kansas City and Pittsburgh, and only KC is clinging to the final playoff spot. The Chiefs have won six straight games, and finish the season against the Chargers (3-9), Ravens (4-8), Browns (2-10) and Raiders (5-7) to finish the season.
The NFL’s playoff format gives the top two seeds in each conference bye weeks. The remaining teams are then matched up 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5. After the first round, the bracket is re-seeded so that the top seed in each conference is matchup up with the lowest remaining seed.
For a full list of NFL tiebreaking procedures, click here.
Here’s how the playoff standings look right now:
AFC Seeding
Roethlisberger passed for 364 yards and four touchdowns against the Colts last week. (Getty)
The Division Leaders:
1. New England Patriots — 11-2
2. Cincinnati Bengals — 10-3
3. Denver Broncos — 10-3
4. Indianapolis Colts — 6-7
The Wild Card Contenders:
5. New York Jets — 8-5
6. Kansas City Chiefs — 8-5
7. Pittsburgh Steelers — 8-5
Clinching Scenarios:
– Bengals clinch AFC North with win/tie, clinches playoff spot with NYJ loss or KCC loss
– Patriots clinch AFC East with win/tie and NYJ loss, clinches playoff spot with win OR PIT loss OR NYJ loss
– Broncos clinch AFC West with win/tie and KCC loss, clinches playoff spot with win and NYJ loss/tie OR PIT loss/tie
Potential Wild Card Matchups:
Jets at Broncos
Chiefs at Colts
NFC Seeding
After a Vikings loss, Green Bay can extend their NFC North lead today. (Getty)
The Division Leaders:
1. Carolina Panthers — 12-0 — clinched NFC South
2. Arizona Cardinals — 11-2 — clinched playoff berth
5. Green Bay Packers — 8-4
4. Washington Redskins — 5-6
The Wild Card Contenders:
5. Minnesota Vikings — 8-5
6. Seattle Seahawks — 7-5
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 6-6
8. Atlanta Falcons — 6-6
Clinching Scenarios:
– Panthers clinch first-round bye with win/tie OR GBP loss/tie
– Cardinals clinch NFC West with Seahawks loss/tie
Potential Wild Card Matchups:
Seahawks at Packers
Vikings at Redskins
