The final week of the NFL season is here, and you better buckle up, because there’s a lot on the line. Heading into Sunday, there are still three division titles up for grabs and two playoff spots that haven’t been clinched.
One thing that’s not up for grabs is the No. 1 seed in the NFC and that’s because the Seahawks clinched it on Saturday night with a dominant 13-3 win over the 49ers. That means the Seahawks will get a bye in the opening round of the playoffs while the 49ers will be forced to hit the road for the wild card round.
The Seahawks’ win was part of a Saturday doubleheader that kicked off Week 18. In the early game, the Buccaneers beat the Panthers, 16-14, in an NFC South showdown that didn’t end up deciding anything. Due to Tampa Bay’s win, the battle for the division title will now be decided by Sunday’s game between the Saints and Falcons. That’s right, two teams that have already been eliminated from the playoffs will determine the winner of the NFC South.
If the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday, they’ll improve to 8-9, which would create a three-way tie atop the NFC South. In that scenario, the Panthers would win the three-way tiebreaker. On the other hand, if the Falcons lose to New Orleans, then the Bucs will clinch the division title.
The team that ends up winning the NFC South will get to host a playoff game next week.
So who will they face in the opening round? Glad you asked. We’re going to break down the entire playoff field here by taking a look at the possible seeds for each team along with each playoff team’s possible opponent in the wild-card round.
With that in mind, let’s check out the current playoff standings along with clinching scenarios.
AFC playoff standings
1. Denver Broncos (13-3)
Clinched AFC West
Possible playoff seed: 1, 2, or 3
Possible wild-card opponents: Texans, Jaguars, Chargers, Bills or first-round bye
The Broncos are in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. To clinch the top spot, all they have to do is beat a Chargers team that won’t be at full strength (the Chargers will be resting multiple starters, including Justin Herbert). If the Broncos slip up against Los Angeles, they could potentially drop all the way down to the three seed.
2. New England Patriots (13-3)
Clinched AFC East
Possible playoff seed: 1, 2, or 3
Possible wild-card opponents: Texans, Jaguars, Chargers, Bills or first-round bye
If the Patriots beat the Dolphins on Sunday, that will clinch them at least the No. 2 seed. If they win and the Broncos also lose, then New England would get the No. 1 overall seed.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents: Chargers, Texans, Bills, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots or first-round bye
It doesn’t seem possible, but with just one week left to play in the season, the Jaguars (12-4) could still end up with one of six different AFC playoff seeds (the only one they can’t clinch is the fourth seed). If the Jags beat the Titans on Sunday, they’ll clinch the AFC South. The Jags can still get the No. 1 seed with a win, but they’d also need both the Broncos and Patriots to lose.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Possible seed: 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents: Texans, Jaguars, Chargers or Bills
The Steelers’ route to the playoffs is pretty simple: They have to beat (or tie) the Ravens on Sunday night. If the Steelers lose, their season will be over. By the time the Steelers take the field Sunday night, they’ll know who their potential playoff opponent would be in the wild-card round if they can get past the Ravens.
5. Houston Texans (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: 3, 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents: Chargers, Jaguars, Bills, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos or Patriots
The Texans can still win the AFC South, but for that to happen, they’ll have to beat the Colts and the Jaguars will have to lose to the Titans. Although the Texans don’t control their fate, they do control one thing: They’ll be guaranteed no worse than the fifth seed if they win Sunday.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents: Jaguars, Texans, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots
Although the Chargers are still alive to earn the fifth seed, that’s likely not going to happen. The Chargers will be resting their starters against the Broncos on Sunday, and if they end up losing to Denver, then L.A. will either get a sixth or seventh seed, depending on what Buffalo does.
7. Buffalo Bills (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: 5, 6, 7
Possible wild-card opponents: Jaguars, Texans, Steelers, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots
If the Bills lose to the Jets on Sunday, they’ll clinch the seventh seed. However, if they beat the Jets, they could move up to as high as the fifth seed if the Texans and Chargers both lose. With the Chargers resting their starters, there’s a very real scenario where the Bills could get the sixth seed. For that to happen, the Chargers would have to lose, while the Texans and Bills would both have to win.
STILL ALIVE: Ravens (8-8)
Possible seed: 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents: Texans, Jaguars, Chargers or Bills
The Ravens will face the Steelers on Sunday night with the AFC North on the line. This is essentially a playoff game because the loser will see their season end. If the Ravens win, they’ll be hosting a playoff game in Baltimore next week.
AFC wild card games based on current standings
(7) Bills at (2) Patriots
(6) Chargers at (3) Jaguars
(5) Texans at (4) Steelers
Bye: Broncos
NFC playoff standings
1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
Clinched NFC West
Playoff seed: Clinched No. 1
Wild-card opponent: Clinched first-round bye
The Seahawks officially clinched the NFC West and the top seed in the NFC with their 13-3 win over the 49ers on Saturday night. This is the fourth time in franchise history that the Seahawks have earned the No. 1 overall seed. In each of the three previous instances (2005, 2013, 2014), Seattle made it to the Super Bowl. Thanks to the bye, the Seahawks won’t be back on the field until the divisional round (Jan. 10 or 11).
2. Chicago Bears (11-5)
Clinched NFC North
Possible playoff seed: 2 or 3
Possible wild-card opponents: Packers, Rams or 49ers
The Bears can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win over the Lions on Sunday, and if that happens, Chicago will host the Packers in the wild-card round. The only way the Bears can drop to the three seed is if they lose and the Eagles beat the Commanders.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
Clinched NFC East
Possible playoff seed: 2 or 3
Possible wild-card opponents: Packers, Rams or 49ers
The Eagles will be resting their starters, including Jalen Hurts, against the Commanders on Sunday. If the Eagles lose, they’ll be locked into the three seed and an opening-round playoff game against either the 49ers or Rams.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
Possible playoff seed: 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents: Rams or 49ers
The Buccaneers pulled off a huge win over the Panthers on Saturday, but they haven’t quite clinched the NFC South yet. To win the division, the Bucs need the Falcons to lose (or tie) the Saints on Sunday, which means everyone on Tampa Bay’s roster will be pulling hard for New Orleans to pull out the win. The Bucs would win the common-games tiebreaker over the Panthers if both teams finish 8-9, but Carolina would win a three-way tiebreaker with the Falcons, Bucs and Panthers all tied at 8-9.
5. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: 5 or 6
Possible wild-card opponents: Buccaneers, Panthers, Eagles, Bears
The 49ers had a chance to clinch the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed on Saturday, but they came up short. With the loss, that means they’ll either be the fifth-seed or the sixth-seed in the NFC. If the Rams beat the Cardinals on Sunday, then San Francisco will drop to the sixth-seed. If the Rams lose, then the 49ers will be the fifth-seed. The big difference is that the fifth-seed will get to play the winner of the NFC South while the sixth-seed will have to play the Bears or Eagles.
6. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: 5 or 6
Possible wild-card opponents: Buccaneers, Panthers, Bears or Eagles
The Rams will clinch the fifth seed with a win over Arizona on Sunday. If the Rams lose, they’ll end up as the sixth-seed. The Rams faced three of their four possible playoff opponents during the regular season, going 1-2. They lost to the Eagles and Panthers while beating the Buccaneers.
7. Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)
Clinched playoff spot
Possible playoff seed: Clinched No. 7
Possible wild-card opponents: Bears or Eagles
Heading into Week 18, the Packers are the only playoff team that has clinched its seed for the postseason, which explains why Matt LaFleur will be resting several starters against the Vikings on Sunday, including Jordan Love.
STILL ALIVE: Carolina Panthers (8-9)
Possible playoff seed: 4 or out of playoffs
Possible wild-card opponents: Rams or 49ers
The Panthers had a chance to clinch the NFC South on Saturday, but they came up short. Now, Carolina’s playoff hopes are in the hands of the Falcons. If Atlanta beats the Saints on Sunday, then the Panthers will clinch the division title. A win by the Falcons would create a three-way tie atop the NFC South at 8-9, and the Panthers would win that because they have the best head-to-head record among the three tied teams (the Panthers went 3-1 against the Bucs and Falcons. The Bucs went 2-2 against Carolina and Atlanta. The Falcons went 1-3 against the other two).
NFC wild card games based on current standings
(7) Packers at (2) Bears
(6) Rams at (3) Eagles
(5) 49ers at (4) Buccaneers
Bye: Seahawks
