NFL Playoff Scenarios 2017: Latest AFC, NFC Wild Card Picture and Vegas Odds

As we head into the final week of the 2017 regular season, we have a good idea of which teams are going to be in the postseason. While there are plenty of seeding issues that need to be sorted out, there is only one wild-card slot up for grabs between the two conferences.

What we don't know is which teams have a realistic shot at winning the Super Bowl—and seeding could certainly play a role here.

Now, we're going to examine the playoff landscape as it currently stands. We'll also examine the latest Super Bowl odds—courtesy of OddsShark—and look at some storylines to follow over the final week of the season.

Week 17 Playoff Picture

Seed	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
1	Dallas Cowboys	13-2
2	Atlanta Falcons	10-5
3	Seattle Seahawks	9-5-1
4	Green Bay Packers	9-6
5	New York Giants	10-5
6	Detroit Lions	9-6
7	Washington Redskins	8-6-1

Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team	Odds
1	New England Patriots	7-4
2	Dallas Cowboys	7-2
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	7-1
4	Seattle Seahawks	19-2
5	Atlanta Falcons	10-1
6	Green Bay Packers	10-1
7	Kansas City Chiefs	12-1
8	New York Giants	20-1
9	Oakland Raiders	28-1
10	Detroit Lions	40-1
11	Miami Dolphins	50-1
12	Houston Texans	50-1
13	Washington Redskins	75-1

Storylines to Watch

Battle at the Top of the AFC

The field for the AFC postseason has already been set. However, the seeding has not. The New England Patriots control the No. 1 seed, but they can drop out of that slot with a loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.

If the Patriots do lose, the Oakland Raiders will have an opportunity to claim the No. 1 seed. However, they'll have to beat the Denver Broncos and their vaunted defense—rated first by Pro Football Focus—with backup quarterback Matt McGloin in order to do so.

If the Raiders fall to Denver, they also risk falling out of the No. 2 slot in the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs can claim that spot—and the AFC West title—with a win over the San Diego Chargers and a Raiders loss.

Kansas City has already beaten the Raiders twice, so they would leap ahead of Oakland in the standings if the two finish with identical records.

If the Chiefs lose, however, there's a chance they could fall from the fifth seed to the sixth seed in the conference, as ESPN.com's Jeff Darlington explained:

The Pittsburgh Steelers are locked into the No. 3 spot, which means their Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns means nothing.

How Will Quarterback Injuries Affect the Field?

The Raiders are forced to rely on backup quarterback Matt McGloin because starter Derek Carr suffered a fractured fibula in Week 16. Since the Raiders have plenty to play for this coming week, we should get an idea of how well the offense will operate with McGloin under center.

Denver's defense will naturally provide a sound measuring stick.

If the Raiders offense proves effective against the Broncos, then it will be too early to count the Raiders out of the Super Bowl chase. According to Carr's brother, David, the Oakland quarterback would try to return for the big game should the Raiders make it that far.

"I'm there and they say six to eight weeks," David Carr said on NFL Network. "He quickly does the math in his head and he's like, ‘That's the Super Bowl.'"

Oakland's chances of getting to the big game would certainly seem a lot better if they can get home-field advantage or at least a first-round bye.

We should also get an idea of Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill's health in Week 17. He has missed the past two games with an MCL sprain and slight ACL tear.

Miami has been just fine with backup Matt Moore under center—they haven't lost since the injury—so it remains to be seen if the Dolphins would subject Tannehill to further injury this week or in the postseason. However, head coach Adam Gase has not definitively ruled him out.

"I don't know yet," Gase said of Tannehill's status for Week 17, per Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. "I don't know where the doctors have him right now or how he feels. I haven't really asked. I just tell them, ‘Once you guys have something different, come talk to me.'"

With only a rise from the sixth to fifth seed on the line for Miami this week, it wouldn't seem to make sense for Tannehill to play. Instead, the Dolphins should use New England as a test to see just how far they might be able to go with Moore as their quarterback.

The Patriots have that No. 1 seed on the line and shouldn't be mailing anything in this week.

Can the Redskins Sneak in?

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins caught a break on Monday night when the Dallas Cowboys knocked off the Detroit Lions. The Detroit loss means the Redskins essentially control their own destiny for the postseason.

If Washington can beat the New York Giants in Week 17, the team should be able to claim the NFC's final wild-card spot. The only way this doesn't happen is if the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers tie in their season finale.

If the Packers and Lions tie, the Packers would win the NFC North, while the Lions would win a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Redskins for the final wild-card slot.

Washington lost to Detroit earlier this season but earned a victory over Green Bay.

If the Redskins can manage to get into the postseason, there's a chance they can shake things up in the NFC race. Washington has already beaten the Giants once and played the top-seeded Cowboys close twice.

In two games against the Cowboys, the Redskins have lost twice by a combined nine points.

A lot could depend on whether or not the Giants choose to rest their starters against the Redskins in Week 17. While New York cannot win the NFC East or fall out of the No. 5 seed, they might want to play to win. A victory would ensure the Giants wouldn't have to face their division rivals a third time this season.