The start of Week 16 already provided a few revelations for the NFL playoff picture, particularly in the NFC South. The Buccaneers punched their ticket to the postseason, while the Saints locked up the NFC South title. Miami pulled off a miraculous comeback against the Raiders to keep their playoff hopes alive while officially eliminating Las Vegas from postseason contention.
The following teams have locked up a playoff berth heading into Sunday’s games: Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, Packers, Saints, Seahawks and Buccaneers. All eyes in the NFC were on the Seahawks-Rams matchup as Seattle had an opportunity to clinch the division title with a win over Los Angeles.
The Seahawks did just that thanks to a revitalized defense, and will now finish no lower than No. 3 in the NFC. If the playoffs started today, we would see round three of the NFC West rivalry as the Seahawks would square off with the Rams on Wild Card Weekend. The Chiefs locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback against the Falcons.
We had a rare cross-conference matchup with two contenders as the Packers hosted the Titans. Tennessee missed out on clinching a playoff berth after Green Bay made short work of the Titans in the snow at Lambeau Field.
Here is a look at the NFL playoff picture in the NFC and AFC heading into Week 17.
NFC Playoff Standings
Teams with an asterisk have already clinched a playoff spot. Teams in bold would make the playoffs if the postseason started today.
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. Packers* | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 2. Saints* | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 3. Seahawks* | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 4. Washington | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| 5. Buccaneers* | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 6. Rams | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 7. Bears | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| 8. Cardinals | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| 9. Cowboys | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| 10. Giants | 5 | 10 | 0 |
NFC Playoff Matchups
Here are the current NFC playoff matchups if the postseason started today. The top seed gets a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
No. 7 Chicago Bears vs. No. 2 New Orleans Saints
No. 6 L.A. Rams vs. No. 3 Seattle Seahawks
No. 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. No. 4 Washington Football Team
Bye: No. 1 Green Bay Packers
NFC Wild Card Standings
Thanks to playoff expansion, the top three teams in the Wild Card standings will claim a postseason spot. Teams in bold would make the playoffs if the postseason started today.
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. Buccaneers | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 2. Rams | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 3. Bears | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| 4. Cardinals | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| 5. Cowboys | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| 6. Giants | 5 | 10 | 0 |
AFC Playoff Standings
Teams with an asterisk have already clinched a playoff spot. Teams in bold would make the postseason if the playoffs started today. The top seed gets a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. Chiefs* | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 2. Bills* | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 3. Steelers | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 4. Titans | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 5. Dolphins | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 6. Ravens | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 7. Browns | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 8. Colts | 10 | 5 | 0 |
AFC Playoff Matchups
Here is a look at the current AFC playoff matchups.
No. 7 Cleveland Browns vs. No. 2 Buffalo Bills
No. 6 Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers
No. 5 Miami Dolphins vs. No. 4 Tennessee Titans
Bye: No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (Clinched)
AFC Wild Card Standings
The top three teams in the Wild Card standings will claim a playoff spot. Teams in bold would make the playoffs if the postseason started today.
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. Dolphins | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 2. Ravens | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 3. Browns | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 4. Colts | 10 | 5 | 0 |
READ NEXT: DK Metcalf Throws Shade at Eagles With Epic Tweet
Comments
NFL Playoff Standings 2020-21: NFC & AFC Picture for Week 16