There are still two playoff spots up for grabs in the NFC, and they won’t be locked up for another week.
Following the Dallas Cowboys’ 42-21 win over the Detroit Lions on “Monday Night Football,” the Green Bay Packers took over pole position in the NFC North, while the Washington Redskins are now in control of their playoff destiny, needing a Week 17 win to secure a spot.
The six AFC playoff teams are set, but seeding is still up for grabs during the final week.
Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks following Monday’s Week 16 action.
AFC
East: New England Patriots (13-2)
West: Oakland Raiders (12-3)
North: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)
South: Houston Texans (9-6)
In the hunt for a wild-card berth: Kansas City Chiefs (11-4), Miami Dolphins (10-5)
The top-seed in the AFC will come down to the final weekend as the Patriots must beat the Dolphins to secure home-field advantage as the Raiders own all the tie breakers if the two teams finish with the same record.
The Raiders have yet to lock up the AFC West and will have a tough task ahead of them facing the Denver Broncos with backup quarterback Matt McGloin at the helm after MVP candidate Derek Carr suffered a broken fibula on Saturday.
The Steelers locked up the AFC North and the No. 3 seed with their win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Texans will be the No. 4 seed.
The Dolphins clinched one of the wild card spots, after Denver’s loss to Kansas City. They need a win and a Chiefs loss to get the No. 5 seed or else they will be the sixth-seed.
Either the Raiders or the Chiefs will be the other wild card team depending on Week 17’s outcome. If the Raider’s win they will clinch the division, but a loss combined with a Chiefs win would drop Oakland to the No. 5 seed and give the Chiefs the No. 2 seed.
NFC
East: Dallas Cowboys (12-2)
West: Seattle Seahawks (9-5-1)
North: Green Bay Packers (9-6)
South: Atlanta Falcons (10-5)
In the hunt for a wild-card berth: New York Giants (10-5), Detroit Lions (9-6), Washington Redskins (8-6-1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
The Dallas Cowboys will be the No. 1 seed. The Atlanta Falcons can secure the No. 2 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it if they beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The Seahawks have won the NFC West but need a win coupled with a Falcons loss to avoid playing on wild card weekend.
Due to the Lions loss to the Cowboys on “Monday Night Football,” the Packers are now the No. 4 seed but will play the Lions next Sunday in a winner-take-all game for the NFC North. The loser will be out of the playoffs if the Redskins beat the Giants.
The Giants have captured the No. 5 seed in the playoffs.
The Redskins will lock up a playoff birth with a win over the Giants next week as long as the Lions-Packers game doesn’t end in a tie. The Buccaneers are still mathematically alive for a playoff birth but need a host of things to fall their way in Week 17.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images