NFL Standings 2016-17: AFC, NFC Team Records, Postseason Outlook After Week 16

With just over a week remaining in the 2016 NFL season, the playoff picture is finally beginning to shape up.

The Dallas Cowboys were able to clinch the NFC East back on Thursday night with a loss by the New York Giants. The Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans were able to lock up their respective divisions on Saturday.

Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens in a 31-27 thriller. That win gave the Steelers the AFC North title and eliminated the Ravens from playoff contention.

In Sunday's second game, the Kansas City Chiefs knocked off the Denver Broncos 33-10. The win keeps the Chiefs alive in the race for the AFC West title and eliminates the Broncos from playoff contention. It also sends the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs as an AFC wild-card team.

Let's examine exactly what the rest of the playoff picture looks like. We'll look at the current standings, potential postseason matchups and the latest storylines coming out of Week 16.

Week 16 Standings

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

Storylines to Follow

Quarterback Injuries

It's never good to see players suffering significant injuries. However, these injuries can be especially disastrous when you're talking about the game's most important position and potential playoff teams.

We have witnessed three serious quarterback injuries over the past few weeks, two of them coming on Saturday.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered a sprained ACL and MCL back in Week 14. The Dolphins have managed to win two in a row with Matt Moore under center, but it remains to be seen what kind of postseason team Miami can be without Tannehill.

There is a chance Tannehill will be able to return before the postseason ends, of course. He recently had the cast removed from his injured left leg.

"Great news," Tannehill said, per Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.

The Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders won't be getting their quarterbacks back this season, though. Titans signal-caller Marcus Mariota and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr each suffered a broken fibula on Saturday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

"

Fractured fibula for Marcus Mariota.
Broken fibula for Derek Carr.
Crushing.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 25, 2016"

The Titans fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars and out of the AFC South race after Mariota was injured. The Raiders have already secured their postseason berth but will have to head in to the postseason without Carr.

For Oakland, it will be Matt McGloin from here on out.

“I’m ready to go,” McGloin said, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com “I feel great, and it has been great working with Derek Carr the past few years and working together and seeing what he has done on the field trying to learn from that. I’m ready to go."

Raiders fans certainly hope McGloin is ready enough to make Oakland's first postseason in 13 years worthwhile.

Battle for AFC's No. 1 Seed

The Dallas Cowboys have already secured the top seed in the NFC, but the No. 1 seed over in the AFC is still up for grabs.

This is because the 13-2 New England Patriots only have a one-game lead over the Raiders.

In order for the Patriots to secure the top seed, they'll have to beat the Dolphins in Miami. If the Patriots fall, the McGloin-led Raiders will have an opportunity to steal the top seed by beating the Denver Broncos in the season finale.

Last season, the Patriots faded down the stretch and allowed the Broncos to secure the No. 1 seed. The team appears determined to avoid a similar fate in 2016.

"Last year, we didn’t finish strong,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said, via the Boston Herald. “We need to keep playing well down the stretch.”

If the Patriots take care of business against Miami next week, the AFC's road to the Super Bowl will run through Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Shaky Seahawks

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league this season. They won the NFC West last week and have been dominant at times, but they've also been frequently embarrassed on the road.

Seattle's offense—which is only rated 31st in the league by Pro Football Focus—has struggled away from CenturyLink Field. On the road, the Seahawks have produced outings of three, six, five and 10 points.

This could become an issue in the postseason because Seattle fell out of the No. 2 seed on Saturday with a loss to the rival Arizona Cardinals. The Atlanta Falcons have moved into that second seed and can secure a first-round bye by beating the New Orleans Saints next week.

If the Falcons win next week, the Seahawks will be guaranteed just one postseason home game.

Unfortunately, Seattle's struggles haven't only been limited to the road. While the team has been better at home, issues along the offensive line and on defense have emerged.

Seattle's line is rated dead last in both run blocking and pass blocking by Pro Football Focus. The defense, which is playing without injured safety Earl Thomas, just gave up 34 points to the Cardinals at home.

A couple of years ago, the Seahawks were one of those teams no one wanted to see in the postseason. Now, they might be the one team everyone wants to host.

Steelers Solid

If there is a team that no one wants to play, it just might be the Steelers, at least in the AFC. Sunday's win over the rival Ravens was the latest in a string of impressive wins for Pittsburgh. The Steelers have now won six straight.

Sunday's win, though, showed exactly why the Steelers should be feared. Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the Steelers offense make up a precision unit—rated seventh in overall offense by Pro Football Focus—that can score virtually at will.

Baltimore came into Sunday's game allowing an average of just 18.8 points per game. Roethlisberger and Co. scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. When the Ravens took the lead with less than two minutes remaining, Pittsburgh responded with a scoring drive of its own.

The Steelers marched down the field in 10 plays and in just over a minute of game time.

That drive gave the Steelers a division title and locked them into the No. 3 seed in the AFC. This makes their season finale against the Cleveland Browns virtually meaningless. Baltimore's loss allowed the Chiefs to secure a playoff berth.

AFC West Race

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

As we mentioned earlier, the Chiefs' win on Sunday night keeps the team alive in the battle for the AFC West title. The Raiders still hold a one-game lead over Kansas City, but the Chiefs have beaten the Raiders twice.

If the Chiefs win in Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers and the Raiders lose to the Broncos in their finale, Kansas City would be the division champion.

In addition to having a division crown, the winner of the AFC West can claim a first-round bye.

All six playoff participants are settled for the AFC, but there is still some room for maneuvering at the top. The Raiders could be as high as the No. 1 seed or as low as the No. 5 seed by the time Week 17 draws to a close.