NFL Playoff Picture 2017: Dissecting AFC, NFC Scenarios Before Final Games

This is it, ladies and gentlemen. Week 17, the final week of the 2016 NFL season, is upon us as teams around the league are scrambling to solidify their place in the postseason.

In the AFC, there's not much to think about. The playoff teams are set; the only thing left up for grabs is seedings. In the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys have locked up the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but beyond that, the field is fairly wide open for seedings and a spot in the Wild Card Round. 

There are some teams that simply have to win and they're in, while others, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have to win and get a lot of help to earn a playoff seed.

And when I say a lot of help, I mean a lot of help.

While the Buccaneers hope and pray for a New Year's Day miracle, let's take a look at the full playoff field for both the AFC and NFC. 

Seed	Team	Record	Clinched Playoff Berth?
AFC
1	New England Patriots	13-2	Yes
2	Oakland Raiders	12-3	Yes
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	10-5	Yes
4	Houston Texans	9-6	Yes
5	Kansas City Chiefs	11-4	Yes
6	Miami Dolphins	10-5	Yes
NFC
1	Dallas Cowboys	13-2	Yes
2	Atlanta Falcons	10-5	Yes
3	Seattle Seahawks	9-5-1	Yes
4	Green Bay Packers	9-6	No
5	New York Giants	10-5	Yes
6	Detroit Lions	9-6	No
7	Washington Redskins	8-6-1	No
8	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8-7	No

AFC scenario to keep an eye on

As mentioned above, the AFC playoff picture isn't very complicated. If the New England Patriots win against the Miami Dolphins, they clinch the No. 1 seed. But if they lose and the Oakland Raiders win, then they fall to the second seed.

But an Oakland victory doesn't seem as certain as it did a week ago before quarterback Derek Carr went down with a fractured fibula, meaning veteran Matt McGloin will take over under center.

Nothing against McGloin; he's actually a very capable backup who can win games in this league, but he's no Carr. And facing off against the Denver Broncos, the odds are stacked against him. 

Furthermore, don't expect McGloin to have any sort of element of surprise when he takes the field against the Broncos defense. Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. already put that idea to bed during the week in an interview with Kyle Martin from the Raiders' official website. 

“We’ve played against him in the past before [Derek] Carr got there, so we have experience playing against him," Harris said. "We expect a big run game. We expect them to come out and start pounding us like they did the first time.”

NFC scenarios to keep an eye on

Now things are starting to get interesting. 

The Cowboys are safe and are in zero danger of losing their No. 1 seed, so let's move on. Entering Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons hold the second seed, which is a guaranteed first-round bye. With a win over the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons keep their bye.

However, if the Saints can pull of the upset, all hell breaks loose for Atlanta.

The Seattle Seahawks are resting on the third seed and are playing the hapless San Francisco 49ers. Barring some unforeseen disaster, the Seahawks should move past the 49ers with relative ease. With that hypothetical victory and a Saints win, the Seahawks would leapfrog the Falcons for the No. 2 slot and Atlanta would lose its bye as the third seed.

Besides the Buccaneers scenario we covered earlier, there is also a very bizarre chance the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, despite playing each other in what seems like a playoff-elimination matchup, could both still make the playoffs if the game ends in a tie.

I told you things would start to get interesting, didn't I?

David Banks/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins are still in a good position to earn a spot in the postseason. With a win over the New York Giants, who have already secured a spot in the playoffs, Washington will leapfrog the loser of Detroit vs. Green Bay for a spot in the Wild Card Round. That is, if there is a loser. 

While a tie is very unlikely, the NFL has already had two games end with a draw this season, so it's not completely out of the question.

But if you're a Redskins fan, you better pray the football gods are on your side Sunday.