NFL Playoff Picture: What Is Left to Be Decided in Week 17?

Nine of the 12 possible playoff spots have been clinched however, there's still a lot that's left to be decided.

That being said, here's a breakdown of what still needs to clear up in each conference.

AFC

This week the New England Patriots host the Buffalo Bills. A win and New England earns the AFC's No. 1 seed, a loss and everything remains open. We at least know this about the Patriots, they will have a bye at the very least.

Elsewhere we have the AFC North and AFC West still yet to be decided.

Obviously if Baltimore beats Cincinnati they'll earn a first-round bye and win the division. In turn that puts the Pittsburgh Steelers at the No. 5 seed. Thereafter they would either play the Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders on the road.

If Denver beats Kansas City this week, the Broncos win the AFC West. Obviously a Broncos loss and a Raiders win give Oakland the division crown. Now, if all that said happens, we still have yet to decide the final Wild Card spot.

A Ravens win in Cincinnati opens the door for the Raiders, Jets and Tennessee Titans to get the No. 6 seed. Also, Baltimore winning with a New England loss give the Ravens the No. 1 seed and the Pats' the No. 2 seed.

But a Bengals win gives Cincy the No. 6 seed and as long as Pittsburgh takes care of Cleveland, the Steelers win the AFC North and earn a bye. Adding to it, a Bengals and Steelers win combined with a Patriots loss would give Pittsburgh the No. 1 seed.

Talk about pandemonium with just one week left.

NFC

Although there's just one NFC playoff spot remaining which will obviously go to the New York Giants or Dallas Cowboys, the seeds other than Green Bay and the NFC East champion need to be determined.

Whether it's the Giants or Cowboys, the winner gets the No. 4 seed, and we know the Packers have won home-field advantage. That said, the New Orleans Saints can still get the No. 2 seed with a win and a San Francisco loss.

However, the only problem is that San Fran is playing at St. Louis, so don't count on a 49ers loss. We know this much though, the Saints and 49ers are the only two franchises who'll be sitting as the No. 2 or No. 3 seeds.

So, the final two seeds are then determined by the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions. The Lions have a one game lead on the Falcons, but The Dirty Birds own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Therefore, a Lions loss combined with a Falcons win gives Atlanta the No. 5 seed and Detroit the No. 6 seed.

The concern here is not wanting to play the Saints in New Orleans, as they're the most likely three seed. It's obviously a much better matchup for the Lions or Falcons to play the Giants or Cowboys.

With much on the line as to whom and where they'll play, along with having five of six tickets punched, the NFC playoff landscape still has to clear up quite a bit.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27