NFL Playoff Scenarios 2016-17: AFC, NFC Week 16 Picture, Postseason Predictions

As we prepare to turn the page on Week 15 of the NFL season, the playoff picture is finally beginning to take some shape. At the same time, however, there are still plenty of questions to be answered.

The New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks all clinched playoff berths in Week 15, which means we now have four guaranteed participants for the postseason—the Dallas Cowboys were already in.

Looking ahead to week 16, there are a few more teams that can punch their postseason tickets.

The Pittsburgh Steelers can claim the AFC North with a win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Detroit Lions can claim the NFC North with a win and a Green Bay Packers loss. The Houston Texans can clinch the NFC South with a win and a Tennessee Titans loss. The Atlanta Falcons can win the NFC South with a win and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss.

Today, we're going to take a look at the playoff picture at hand and make some bold predictions for the coming postseason. First, though, let's examine the current NFL standings.

Week 16 Standings

Place	Team	Record
AFC
NFC
1	New England Patriots	12-2
2	Oakland Raiders	11-3
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	9-5
4	Houston Texans	8-6
5	Kansas City Chiefs	10-4
6	Miami Dolphins	9-5
7	Baltimore Ravens	8-6
8	Tennessee Titans	8-6
9	Denver Broncos	8-6
10	Indianapolis Colts	7-7
11	Buffalo Bills	7-7
12	Cincinnati Bengals	5-8-1
13	San Diego Chargers	5-9
14	New York Jets	4-10
15	Jacksonville Jaguars	2-12
16	Cleveland Browns	0-14
1	Dallas Cowboys	12-2
2	Seattle Seahawks	9-4-1
3	Atlanta Falcons	9-5
4	Detroit Lions	9-5
5	New York Giants	10-4
6	Washington Redskins	8-5-1*
7	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8-6
8	Green Bay Packers	8-6
9	Minnesota Vikings	7-7
10	New Orleans Saints	6-8
11	Arizona Carinals	8-5-1
12	Carolina Panthers	5-9*
13	Philadelphia Eagles	5-9
14	Los Angeles Rams	4-10
15	Chicago Bears	3-11
16	San Francisco 49ers	1-13

Bold Playoff Predictions

Titans Win the AFC South, Texans still Get In

A year ago, the Titans finished tied for the worst record in the NFL at 3-13. Now, the resurgent franchise if on the cusp of winning a division title.

The Titans and the Texans currently share an 8-6 record. If records hold and the two teams enter the season finale tied, that game will become the de facto AFC South Championship.

As it turns out, Tennessee will host the Texans in that game. The Titans are playing high-quality football right now, having knocked off the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs in consecutive weeks. The Texans, meanwhile, are facing a quarterback dilemma after pulling starter Brock Osweiler in favor of Tom Savage on Sunday.

Our guess is the Titans both take care of business in Week 16 and win the finale to finish 10-6 and claim the division title.

However, we wouldn't at all be surprised to see the 9-7 Texans slip into the postseason as the final wild-card team.

The 9-5 Miami Dolphins finish the season against the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots. Assuming New England doesn't rest all of its starters in Week 17, there's a real chance the Dolphins lose both and finish 9-7. This would leave the Dolphins with a 6-6 conference record, while the Texans would finish 7-5 in conference play under this scenario.

The Baltimore Ravens and the Broncos would both finish at 8-8 if they each drop their final two games. Denver closes with the Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, while the Ravens finish at the Pittsburgh Steelers and at the Cincinnati Bengals.

Don't be shocked to see a Tom Savage-led Texans team in the postseason.

The Chiefs Retake the AFC West

Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images

Sunday's win over the San Diego Chargers put the Oakland Raiders in the postseason for the first time in 13 years.

The win also allowed the Raiders to take a one-game lead in the AFC West because the Chiefs lost to the Titans earlier in the afternoon. However, the Chiefs have beaten the Raiders twice now and would regain the division lead if the teams finish with identical records.

Our guess is that the Chiefs win their last two games—against Denver and at San Diego—while the Raiders drop one of their final two.

The most likely scenario is that the Raiders fail to knock off the Broncos for a second time this season. Yes, the Raiders took care of Denver at home, but playing in Denver is another story. The Broncos still have a defense that is rated first overall by Pro Football Focus and will be looking to exact revenge.

Since we're predicting the Broncos to drop to 8-8, though—and thus allowing the Texans into the postseason—we're going with a bolder prediction.

The Indianapolis Colts will win in Oakland next weekend.

Say what you will about Indianapolis—the defense is inconsistent, the team is too reliant on Andrew Luck, whatever. This is a team that has been absolutely lethal on the road at times, and it's one that is scrapping to keep its slim playoff hopes alive.

“I don’t know what it is about this group but with their backs against the wall, must-game situation, seems like all hope is lost, this team responds,” Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said, per Kevin Bowen of the team's official website.

On Sunday, Luck and the rest of the Colts offense eviscerated the Minnesota Vikings, who remain rated 11th in overall defense by Pro Football Focus. The Indianapolis defense also played hard in the contest, allowing the Colts to secure a 34-6 victory.

The win comes two weeks after Indianapolis earned a 41-10 road victory over the New York Jets. The road game before that was a 31-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

We expect the Raiders offense to put up a lot more than six points in Week 16, but don't be surprised if Luck and Co. manage to win a high-scoring shootout.

The Seattle Seahawks Earn a First-Round Bye, Still Lose

The Seahawks currently own the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and if things hold, they're going to open the postseason on bye. However, there's a very real chance the team won't be able to parlay that bye into a playoff victory.

Yes, the Seahawks have been a much better team at home this season. However, they're still a very flawed team, even when playing at CenturyLink field.

While the offense has struggled more on the road this season, Russell Wilson and the rest of the unit have still been mighty inconsistent. After scoring a touchdown in every game last season, the Seahawks have failed to reach the end zone three separate times.

If Seattle has to host an offensive powerhouse like the Packers or the Falcons in the postseason, keeping pace could be extremely difficult. The Falcons barely lost to the Seahawks in Seattle earlier this season—and some of you might remember that an apparent missed pass interference call was involved in the tight finish.

It isn't going to help that the Seahawks are now without star safety Earl Thomas on defense. Thomas affects what the Seahawks are able to do both in the secondary and in the pass rush. Seattle doesn't appear as capable of limiting an offensive team without him, and the team has made it clear he won't be returning.

A bigger concern might be the team's bargain-bin offensive line. Seattle general manager John Schneider has chosen not to invest heavily in the line. The end result is a unit that is rated 31st in run blocking and 32nd in pass blocking by Pro Football Focus.

What happens if the Seahawks are forced to host a team with a stout defensive front like, say, the New York Giants? Our guess is that the Seattle line gets embarrassed and the Seahawks catch a ticket straight to the offseason.