NFL Playoff Picture Week 17: Latest AFC, NFC Wild-Card Scenarios and Predictions

While 10 of the NFL's 12 postseason spots have already been filled, the wild-card picture for both the AFC and NFC is nowhere near settled.

On the AFC side the New England Patriots have already solidified the No. 1 seed and have clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and the Indianapolis Colts will almost certainly remain the No. 4 seed, unless the Bengals and Steelers tie and the Colts win in Week 17. Every other position is up in the air.

As far as the NFC goes, there's room to maneuver for all seven teams currently in the hunt. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team to clinch its division, but it will still be jockeying for position with everyone else, making for a pivotal finale to the regular season.

So, here's the burning question as we head into Week 17: What are the clinching scenarios for every team in contention? Well, let's answer that question by taking a look at the updated playoff picture, a list of team-by-team scenarios and a final prediction for the postseason's picture.

Updated Playoff Bracket

Week 17 Clinching Scenarios

Denver Broncos

The Broncos have a rather simple scenario. A victory over the Oakland Raiders will ensure the AFC's No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs; however, a loss would drop them down to No. 3 seed if the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cincinnati Bengals

A Week 16 victory over Denver secured a playoff berth for the Bengals, but they haven't wrapped up the AFC North just yet. Cincinnati claims the division and the No. 3 seed with a win over the Steelers, and it can move up to No. 2 and gain a first-round bye with a Denver loss.

If the Bengals lose to Pittsburgh, they will drop down to the No. 5 seed, as they will have a better record than all four teams vying for the No. 6 spot.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh clinches the AFC North and the No. 3 seed with a win over the Bengals, but it does't have a chance of overtaking Denver for the No. 2 seed. Should the Steelers lose, they would remain in the No. 5 spot due to tiebreakers over all teams fighting for the No. 6 seed.

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers are the only AFC team that hasn't secured a playoff berth that still controls its own fate. A victory will ensure San Diego of a berth in the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

Baltimore Ravens

A disastrous showing in Week 16 against the Houston Texans put the Ravens on the outside looking in. Now, Baltimore must defeat the Cleveland Browns and hope for a Kansas City Chiefs victory over the Chargers to gain entry to the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs need plenty of help. They need to defeat the Chargers and also need losses from both Baltimore and Houston to leapfrog those squads into the No. 6 spot.

Houston Texans

Like Kansas City, Houston needs a bunch of help as well. If the Texans manage to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, they need Baltimore and San Diego to lose. The Texans would get in over the Chiefs in this scenario due to a conference-record tiebreaker.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle, like most NFC teams, could finish all over the place in the conference's playoff race. However, the Seahawks only need a victory over the St. Louis Rams to clinch the NFC West and a first-round bye. Add either a Dallas Cowboys loss or a Green Bay Packers-versus-Detroit Lions game that doesn't end in a tie, and Seattle gets home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

A loss by the Arizona Cardinals also ensures Seattle a division win and a top-three seed heading into the postseason.

Detroit Lions

A victory over the Packers earns an NFC North title and a first-round bye for the Lions. If both the Seahawks and Cardinals lose their respective games as well, Detroit would gain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. However, if the Lions lose, they could potentially fall all the way down to the No. 6 seed.

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas has already clinched the NFC East and is assured of at least the No. 3 seed. It can move into the No. 2 seed and earn a first-round bye with a win and losses by Seattle and Arizona or a Packers-Lions tie. The Cowboys can take home-field advantage with a win, a Cardinals loss and a Packers-Lions tie.

Atlanta Falcons/Carolina Panthers

Here's the simplest scenario of the playoffs: The winner of this game earns the NFC South title and is locked into the NFC's No. 4 seed.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers would be crowned NFC North champions with a victory over the Lions and would also gain a first-round bye. If Green Bay wins and Seattle losses, the Packers would move into the No. 1 seed and earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs as well.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona could legitimately wind up all over the place. The team enters Week 17 as the No. 6 seed, but it could clinch the NFC West and a first-round bye with a win over the San Francisco 49ers and a Seattle loss. Factoring a Packers loss into that equation would give the Cardinals home-field advantage throughout the playoffs due to head-to-head tiebreakers over the Cowboys and Lions.

Final Playoff Predictions

Get ready for plenty of movement within the playoff pictures for both conferences in Week 17. There's plenty of scenarios that could ultimately send teams up and down the postseason pecking order, and based on recent performances and impending matchups, here's a look at how the picture is likely to shake out.

AFC Seed	Team	NFC Seed	Team
1	New England Patriots (13-3)	1	Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
2	Denver Broncos (12-4)	2	Green Bay Packers (12-4)
3	Cincinnati Bengals (11-4-1)	3	Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
4	Indianapolis Colts (11-5)	4	Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
5	Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)	5	Arizona Cardinals (11-5)
6	San Diego Chargers (10-6)	6	Detroit Lions (11-5)

All playoff scenarios courtesy of CBSSports.com and current as of December 26.