NFL Playoff Picture: Updated AFC, NFC Standings Following Week 17

In Week 17, it was good to be a New England Patriot. With their No. 1 seed in the AFC decided, a majority of their starters were conservatively monitored. Tom Brady played only a half and Rob Gronkowski not at all. Their game checks will not reflect those differences.

As for the other 11 NFL playoff teams, Week 17 was anything but relaxing. Multiple division winners were crowned, playoff seedings were sorted out and one team came away a surprise wild-card winner in the AFC.

The Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers each joined New England by earning first-round byes. Denver needed a win or a Cincinnati loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night to earn its third straight off day on Wild Card Weekend. Last week's loss to the Bengals ensured the Broncos would not be the AFC's No. 1 seed for the first time since Peyton Manning's arrival.

Seattle moved into the NFC's top seed thanks to a win over the St. Louis Rams. Though three teams are 12-4, the Seahawks wins the tiebreaker over Green Bay and Dallas because of their 10-2 conference record. The Packers earned the No. 2 seed and a NFC North division championship by beating Detroit.

Ten of the 12 playoff spots were decided coming into Week 17, with an 11th being given to Carolina as the NFC South winner. Baltimore took the AFC's final wild-card position with a win over Cleveland and thanks to Kansas City taking down San Diego.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the updated standings and highlight the most noteworthy results.

Ravens Grab AFC's Final Wild-Card Spot

Gail Burton/Associated Press

The Ravens needed two things coming into Sunday: a San Diego loss to Kansas City and to hold down their home turf against a depleted Browns team. The Chiefs held their part of the bargain with a 19-7 victory at Arrowhead in which they never trailed.

Baltimore also took care of business, but it wasn't without some uncertainty. The Ravens trailed, 10-3, going into the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to the struggles of their offense. Joe Flacco looked for the second straight week like he was shrinking in a big moment.

Then the final 15 minutes turned everything around. Flacco threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, and Baltimore scored the game's final 17 points in a 20-10 victory. The polarizing Ravens signal-caller finished with 312 yards and two touchdowns, and Justin Forsett added 119 yards on the ground.

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Regardless of the result between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, Baltimore will be the AFC's sixth seed. The Steelers have a better record within the division and conference, giving them the tiebreaker advantage. The Bengals would edge the Ravens with a loss thanks to their tie against Carolina earlier this season.

Given the regular-season results, it may not matter. Baltimore has a 1-3 record against its division rivals this season, losing both games to the Bengals and splitting with the Steelers. Pittsburgh blitzed the Ravens, 43-23, at Heinz Field in Week 9, seven days after a close 27-24 loss in Cincinnati. A 6-2 team at home, the Ravens dropped to .500 away from Baltimore and beat no team with a record better than 8-8.

Flacco in particular has been far better at home, with nine of his 12 interceptions coming in road games.

Packers Win NFC North, Panthers South

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

The stories of how the Panthers and Packers won division championships could not be more different. For Carolina, it involved climbing from a 3-8-1 hole and banking on the utter incompetence of its NFC South co-inhabitants. For Green Bay, it pretty much revolved around being really good at football. So, you know, opposites.

On Sunday, though, both wore t-shirts and doused coaches in Gatorade with pride. The Panthers went on the road and defeated the Atlanta Falcons in a 34-3 wire-to-wire spanking to take the NFC South, while the Packers overcame a brief Aaron Rodgers injury to beat the Detroit Lions.

Carolina's second straight South title was not in question from the opening whistle. The Panthers scored on their opening drive and never relinquished the lead, using a combination of defensive excellence and running prowess reminiscent of their 2013 team. They turned two Matt Ryan interceptions into return touchdowns and rushed for 194 yards, with four players turning in at least 40 yards. 

“The record is not important right now because everybody’s slate is clean,” Cam Newton, who attempted only 16 passes, said after the game, per Erik Matuszewski of Bloomberg.com.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Panthers are the first back-to-back NFC South champion in the division's 13-year history. While entirely unconventional, they may go into Wild Card Weekend as a favorite.

The Arizona Cardinals, the NFC's fifth seed, have dropped four of their last six games and two straight. Injuries to Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton leave them with third-stringer Ryan Lindley as their only viable option at quarterback. And, by viable, I mean he's physically able to take snaps.

Jim Slosiarek/Associated Press

The Packers had a scare of their own at quarterback Sunday when Rodgers briefly left their 30-20 win over Detroit. Coming into the game with a calf strain, Rodgers went down in a heap of pain after aggravating the injury on a touchdown pass to Randall Cobb. The Cobb touchdown gave Green Bay a 14-0 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. By the time Rodgers returned, that lead had evaporated.

Luckily, he came back just in time, accounting for two second-half touchdowns to give the Packers a comfortable lead. Earning the second seed in the NFC should give Rodgers enough time to rest and be ready for their next opponent. Equipped with an 8-0 home record in 2014, the odds are good the Packers will head to the conference title game.

And, who knows? They might even meet Carolina on the way.

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