NFL Playoff Picture Week 14: Scenarios for AFC and NFC 2016 Postseason Matchups
Although there is still an entire month left to be played in the 2016 NFL regular season, teams are already clinching playoff spots, and there are multiple positions up for grabs in Week 14.
Week 13 saw the Dallas Cowboys improve to 11-1 and ensure their place in the postseason, but they can sweeten the pot this week in the form of a division title, first-round bye or even home-field advantage throughout the entirety of the NFC playoffs.
Along with the Cowboys, the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders all have a chance to clinch a playoff spot this week as well.
Ahead of the Week 14 slate, here is a look at the current standings and playoff matchups, as well as clinching scenarios for four of the league's top teams.
AFC Standings
| 1 | Oakland Raiders | 10-2 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | 10-2 |
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | 7-5 |
| 4 | Houston Texans | 6-6 |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | 9-3 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | 8-4 |
| 7 | Miami Dolphins | 7-5 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-5 |
| 9 | Indianapolis Colts | 6-6 |
| 10 | Buffalo Bills | 6-6 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | 6-6 |
| 12 | San Diego Chargers | 5-7 |
| 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | 4-7-1 |
| 14 | New York Jets | 3-9 |
| 15 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-10 |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | 0-12 |
NFC Standings
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | 11-1 |
| 2 | Seattle Seahawks | 8-3-1 |
| 3 | Detroit Lions | 8-4 |
| 4 | Atlanta Falcons | 7-5 |
| 5 | New York Giants | 8-4 |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-5 |
| 7 | Washington Redskins | 6-5-1 |
| 8 | Minnesota Vikings | 6-6 |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 6-6 |
| 10 | Arizona Cardinals | 5-6-1 |
| 11 | New Orleans Saints | 5-7 |
| 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | 5-7 |
| 13 | Carolina Panthers | 4-8 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Rams | 4-8 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | 3-9 |
| 16 | San Francisco 49ers | 1-11 |
Playoff Brackets (If Season Ended Today)
| 3. Baltimore Ravens | 1. Oakland Raiders | |
| vs. | vs. | |
| 6. Denver Broncos | Lowest WC Winner | Divisional Winner |
| vs. | ||
| 4. Houston Texans | 2. New England Patriots | Divisional Winner |
| vs. | vs. | |
| 5. Kansas City Chiefs | Highest WC Winner |
| 3. Detroit Lions | 1. Dallas Cowboys | |
| vs. | vs. | |
| 6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Lowest WC Winner | Divisional Winner |
| vs. | ||
| 4. Atlanta Falcons | 2. Seattle Seahawks | Divisional Winner |
| vs. | vs. | |
| 5. New York Giants | Highest WC Winner |
Week 14 Clinching Scenarios
New England Patriots
| Clinch AFC East | NE win and MIA loss/tie OR NE tie and MIA loss |
| Clinch first-round bye | NE win, MIA loss/tie and PIT loss/tie |
The Patriots are the No. 2 seed behind the Raiders in the AFC currently due to tiebreakers, but they have a wider array of clinching scenarios in Week 14 due to the outlook of their respective divisions.
On the heels of the Miami Dolphins' loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, the Pats can clinch the AFC East with a win coupled with a Miami loss or tie. Add in a loss or tie by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and New England would net a first-round bye as well.
As seen in the following tweet courtesy of the Patriots' official Twitter account, the team came one step closer to history by notching its 10th win of the season last week against the Los Angeles Rams:
The battle for the No. 1 seed between the Patriots and Raiders could come down to the final week of the season, but due to New England's continued dominance of the AFC East, the odds of it being able to rest easy after Week 14 are much better than Oakland's.
Oakland Raiders
| Clinch playoff berth | OAK win and MIA loss/tie OR OAK win and DEN loss OR OAK tie, MIA loss and BAL loss/tie OR OAK tie, MIA loss and PIT loss/tie |
The Raiders still have a tough road ahead, as they battle the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos for AFC West supremacy, but they took a big step toward their first playoff berth since 2002 last week.
Oakland came from behind to defeat the Buffalo Bills, and quarterback Derek Carr continued what was already a magical season, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Although the Raiders can't clinch the AFC West or a first-round bye, they can get into the playoffs this week by beating the Chiefs and getting help from either the Broncos or Dolphins.
Simply beating the Chiefs and putting another game between them with three left to play would go a long way toward taking the division title, though, and it would make the chances of missing the playoffs razor-thin regardless of what Denver and Miami do this week.
Dallas Cowboys
| Clinch NFC East | DAL win |
| Clinch first-round bye | DAL win and DET loss/tie OR DAL win and SEA loss |
| Clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs | DAL win, DET loss/tie and SEA loss |
The Cowboys defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13, and thanks to some additional help Sunday, they became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.
Few could have expected such dominance, especially after quarterback Tony Romo went down with a preseason injury that thrust rookie Dak Prescott into a starting role. Prescott has thrived, however, as has rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott behind the NFL's best offensive line.
With one more victory, the Cowboys will clinch the NFC East. They can also nab a first-round bye and even the No. 1 seed in Week 14 provided the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions stumble.
Dallas has built up a sizable cushion, so it has some margin for error, but beating the New York Giants in Week 14 would increase the likelihood of being able to take it easy in the season's closing stretch.
Seattle Seahawks
| Clinch NFC West | SEA win and ARI loss/tie OR SEA tie and ARI loss |
One week after faltering against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seahawks bounced back in a big way in Week 13 by blowing out the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers.
The Seahawks fired on all cylinders in that win, especially with their ground game offensively, per Seahawks PR on Twitter:
That is an area that has been shaky at times this season, but with Thomas Rawls healthy and running well, Seattle is a complete team that is a definite threat to go the distance.
The Seahawks are helped by playing in a weak division, and that could manifest itself in Week 14 since a win coupled with an Arizona Cardinals loss or tie will ensure that Seattle takes the NFC West.
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