Published on Dec. 27, 2015
Monday night"s matchup between Cincinnati and Denver is huge for the Bengals and Broncos ... and the Texans, Colts and Chiefs. Beyond playoff seeding and the South winner, the Steelers" stunning loss to the Ravens on Sunday has all eyes on the AFC.
Though nineNFL teams have clinched playoff berths, only Washington islocked in its spot (NFC"s No. 4 seed). Here"s a team-by-team breakdown of playoff scenarios as Week 16 winds down.
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AFCSteelers (9-6) Sunday"s loss in Baltimore was a knockout blow. Pittsburgh now needs a Week 17 win in Cleveland and a Jets loss in Buffalo to sneak back in for a wild-card spot. Another scenario: If the Bengals beat the Broncos on Monday, the Steelers could sneak in with another Broncos loss (to the Chargers in Week 17) and a win over the Browns.
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Jets (10-5) New York, with its win over New England and Pittsburgh"s loss to Baltimore,is for now in the playoffs. The Jets can clinch their wild-card spot with a Week 17 win over the Bills or a Steelers loss.
Chiefs (10-5) Kansas City secured a playoff berth with its win over Cleveland and Pittsburgh"s loss. The Chiefs would move into first place in the AFC West with a Broncos loss Monday, and they"d win the division with either a Week 17 win over the Raiders or a Broncos loss to the Chargers.
Texans (8-7) Houston"s blowout win over Tennessee on Sunday was key for its chances, even though Indianapolis beat Miami. Due to a strength of victory tiebreaker in the division, the Texans would take the AFC South and a playoff berth with a Bengals win Monday. If the Broncos win Monday, the Texans need a Week 17 win or a Colts loss.
Colts (7-8) Indianapolis all of the sudden is a huge fan of Denver and Jacksonville.The Colts need the Bengals to lose Monday and the Texans to lose in Week 17 (plus a win over the Titans, of course) to take the AFC South back from Houston.
Bengals (11-3) Cincinnati won the AFC North and secured a home playoff game with Pittsburgh"s loss to Baltimore. The Bengals can still sneak into the AFC"s No. 1 overall seed if they win out and the Patriots lose to the Dolphins in Week 17.
Broncos (10-4) Thanks to Pittsburgh"s Week 16 loss, Denver can secure a playoff spot with a win over Cincinnati. But if the Broncos lose, they"ll need a Week 17 win over the Chargers to avoid a potential slide all the way out of the playoffs, depending on the result of the Jets-Bills game (a New York win in that case would bump Denver from the tournament). Even if the Broncos win Monday, the Chiefs can steal the division in Week 17 with a win and a Denver loss.
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Patriots (12-3) New England failed to clinch the AFC"s No. 1 overall seed with its loss in New York, but it can do so in Week 17 with a win over Miami. Another Patriots loss would open the door for the Bengals (if they win out) to slide into the top seed.
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NFCCardinals (12-2) NFC West-champion Arizona is still alive for the conference"s No. 1 overall seed, thanks to Carolina"s loss inAtlanta on Sunday. The Cardinals, after their win over the Packers, need another Panthers loss in Week 17 and a win at home over Seahawks to pull it off. Arizona didclinch a first-round bye (at least the No. 2 seed) with Sunday"s win over Green Bay.
Panthers (14-1) Carolina, 14-1 and already assured a first-round bye, can seal the NFC"s No. 1 overall seed with a Week 17 win over the Buccaneers or a Cardinals loss.
Packers (10-5) Green Bay already clinched a playoff berth, so Sunday"s loss in Arizona only hurts its chances to win the NFC North. The Packers" Week 17 matchup with the Vikings will be a de facto divisiontitle game, with the winner earning a home playoff game as the No. 3 seed, and the loser settling for a wild-card spot. Green Bay can fall no further than the No. 5 seed.
Vikings (10-5) Minnesotasecured a playoff spot with Sunday night"swin over the Giants. The Vikings cantakethe NFC North with a win over the Packers in Week 17, but a loss would drop them to a wildcard. If the Vikings lose to the Packers, the Seahawks would needawin over the Cardinals totake the No. 5 seed.
Seahawks (9-6) Seattle already locked up a wild-card spot, so Sunday"sloss to St. Louis only affects seeding. TheVikings" winleaves the Seahawks at No. 6 heading into Week 17, but a Minnesota loss and a Seattle win would swap the seeds. Green Bay would take the No. 5 seed over Seattle if the Packers fall to the wild card.
Eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16: Falcons, Giants, Eagles, Jaguars
Source: http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl-news/4689260-nfl-playoff-picture-scenarios-steelers-jets-broncos-bengals-packers
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