NFL Playoff Picture Week 15: Latest AFC, NFC Wild-Card Scenarios and Predictions

More than three quarters of the NFL regular season is in the books, and as the final three gameweeks of play out, division titles and playoff spots will be determined.

Six of those spots could be sealed in Week 15 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC and the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC, per Randall Liu of the NFL.

The Steelers have already clinched their spot in the postseason. If they beat the Patriots at home Sunday and the Jaguars lose, the Steelers would clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Pittsburgh would seal a first-round bye with a win and a Jacksonville win, and the Steelers would also gain home-field advantage if they tie and the Jaguars lose.

If the Patriots beat the Steelers Sunday, they would clinch the AFC East and have the inside track on home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Pats and Steelers would both have the same 11-3 record, but New England would have the tiebreaker advantage based on the head-to-head win.

If the Pats lose, they could still clinch the AFC East if the Buffalo Bills lose or tie at home against the Miami Dolphins.

The Jaguars can clinch a playoff spot with a win or if they tie and the Bills lose or tie, they tie and the Baltimore Ravens lose or tie, the Bills and Ravens lose, the Ravens lose and the Kansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Chargers game does not end in a tie.

In the NFC, the Eagles have already clinched a spot in the playoffs. However, they can clinch home-field advantage if backup quarterback Nick Foles leads the team to a road win over the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings lose at home to the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday. Based on the Bengals' home loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 14, a Cincinnati win over Minnesota is unlikely.

The Eagles will clinch a first-round bye if they beat the Giants, even if the Vikings win.

The Vikings would clinch the NFC North if they win or tie and both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers lose or tie. If the Minnesota loses, it could still clinch a playoff spot, but it involves losses or ties by the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.

The Los Angeles Rams could clinch a playoff spot if they win at Seattle and the Detroit Lions lose or tie, the Packers to lose or tie, the Saints lose and the Falcons lose.

Here's a look at the rankings in the AFC and NFC, with the teams in the top six qualifying for the playoffs.

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

NFL Playoff Rankings 

AFC

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) 

2. New England Patriots (10-3)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4) 

4. Kansas City Chiefs (7-6) 

5. Tennessee Titans (8-5)

6. Buffalo Bills (7-6) 

7. Baltimore Ravens (7-6) 

8. Los Angeles Chargers (7-6) 

9. Oakland Raiders (6-7) 

10. Miami Dolphins (6-7) 

11. New York Jets (5-8) 

12. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8) 

13. Denver Broncos (5-9)

14. Houston Texans (4-9)  

15. Indianapolis Colts (3-11) 

16. Cleveland Browns (0-13) 

NFC 

1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) 

2. Minnesota Vikings (10-3) 

3. Los Angeles Rams (9-4) 

4. New Orleans Saints (9-4) 

5. Carolina Panthers (9-4) 

6. Atlanta Falcons (8-5) 

7. Seattle Seahawks (8-5) 

8. Detroit Lions (7-6) 

9. Green Bay Packers (7-6) 

1. Dallas Cowboys (7-6) 

11. Arizona Cardinals (6-7) 

12. Washington Redskins (5-8) 

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-8) 

14. Chicago Bears (4-9) 

15. San Francisco 49ers (3-10) 

16. New York Giants (2-11) 

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

Predictions

Look for the New England Patriots to get the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday and gain the inside track for the top seed in the AFC. The Steelers will earn the No. 2 seed, with the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the AFC South and the Los Angeles Chargers winning the AFC West to respectively become the No. 3 and 4 seeds.

The Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills will come away with the two wild-card spots.

In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings will come away with the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the NFC respectively, earning byes in the first round of the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints will respectively win the NFC West and NFC South, with the Rams getting the No. 3 seed and the Saints getting the No. 4

Look for the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers to earn the two wild-card spots, as the prediction here is that the Carolina Panthers will not win another game this season.