NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: Reviewing Latest Bracket Scenarios for AFC, NFC

Week 16 got underway on Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles beating the New York Giants. The Eagles' 24-19 victory allows the Dallas Cowboys to breathe easier because it means Dallas has the NFC East title and the conference's No. 1 seed locked going into the weekend.

The Cowboys weren't the only team facing a good amount of pressure heading into this week. There are a lot of playoff spots still at stake, and they're going to be claimed over the next two weeks. Some of them can be won or lost in Week 16 alone.

We're going to examine the playoff picture and take a look at some of the possible playoff scenarios that could come to light as the next two weeks unfold.

Week 16 Playoff Picture

Seed	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
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	10-5
6	Green Bay Packers	8-6
7	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8-6
8	Washington Redskins	7-6-1

If the Playoffs Started Now

If the season ended now, the New England Patriots and Cowboys would own the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences. The Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders would also own first-round playoff byes.

In the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers would host the Miami Dolphins, while the Houston Texans would host the Kansas City Chiefs. In the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions would host the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants, respectively.

Scenarios to Watch For

The Baltimore Ravens Win Out

The Steelers hold a one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. However, it's more of a half-game lead because the Ravens have already beaten the Steelers once this season.

This means the Ravens will win the division if these two rivals finish with identical records.

For this to happen, the Ravens need to make up a game on the Steelers over the next two weeks. Their best chance will come in Week 16, of course, as the Steelers host Baltimore for the second game of their 2016 series.

If the Steelers win, then they'll lock up the AFC North. If the Ravens win, however, they'll need one of two things to happen. Baltimore will need to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 to move to 10-6, or it'll need the Cleveland Browns to pull off a monumental upset over the Steelers at Heinz Field.

While the Steelers control the division, the Ravens control their own destiny. Win the next two, and Baltimore is AFC North king.

Kansas City Chiefs Beat Denver Broncos in Week 16

The Kansas City Chiefs lost their lead in the AFC West with a loss to the Tennessee Titans last week. They have two wins over the division-leading Raiders, though, and only need to make up a game in the final two weeks to take the division. 

Step one will be defeating the visiting Denver Broncos on Sunday night. The Chiefs were able to best their rival in Denver earlier this season, but it took until the end of overtime to do it. Even with home-field advantage, the Chiefs could have a difficult time against Denver's defense, which is still rated first overall by Pro Football Focus.

Denver will again be looking to ride its defense and will seek some improvement out of its inconsistent offense—which has scored a total of 13 points in its last two games combined.

Perhaps a bigger role for running back Justin Forsett will help.

"Certainly his experience is invaluable protection-wise, knowing the scheme," Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. "And he’s a great guy in the locker room, too. Nothing will faze Justin."

Forsett produced 53 yards on 14 touches for the Broncos against the Patriots last week.

If the Broncos can get their offense going and beat the Chiefs, then they'll potentially end Kansas City's hopes of a division title and keep their own playoff hopes alive. If the Chiefs win, though, they'll put pressure on the Raiders in the season finale (unless Oakland loses to the Indianapolis Colts this week) and could end the season for the Broncos.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Washington Redskins Win Out

The 7-6-1 Washington Redskins certainly don't control their own destiny, but they do have a legitimate shot at earning a wild card. However, Washington will have to get past the Chicago Bears in Week 16 and then beat the Giants at home in the season finale.

If the Redskins can do this, they'll finish the season 9-6-1. If an 8-6 team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Packers loses once between now and the end of the regular season, the Redskins would get the NFC's last wild-card spot.

The 9-5 Lions or Falcons could even miss out on that final wild-card spot if they lose out. The Lions, who face the 12-2 Cowboys this week, seem like the team more likely to falter.

They would need help, but the Redskins certainly have a chance of joining the Cowboys and the Giants in the postseason this year. At the very least, Washington can put a lot of pressure on the teams ahead of it in the standings by taking care of business against the Bears this week.

A loss, though, and the postseason is basically out of the question for the Redskins.

The Detroit Lions Lose Out

As we just mentioned, the Lions have a tough matchup this week against the Cowboys. They then move on to face the Packers in the season finale at home.

If the Packers manage to beat the Minnesota Vikings this week, then that final game becomes one for the NFC North title. This happens regardless of how the Lions fare in Week 16 because the Packers hold one head-to-head win over Detroit.

If the Lions win this week and then lose to Green Bay, both teams finish 10-6 with the tiebreaker going to the Packers. If the Lions lose this week and then beat Green Bay, they finish 10-6 and ahead of the 9-7 Packers.

The problem, though, is that if the Lions lose to the Cowboys and then lose to the Packers, then they're going to have a difficult time making the postseason. If the Buccaneers or Redskins win two straight to finish the season, a 9-7 Lions team would be out.

This would mean that Detroit went from owning the NFC's No. 2 seed to being out of the playoffs entirely in a matter of weeks. This would be a disappointing finish to the season for a team that has consistently found ways to finish in the fourth quarter.