NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: AFC, NFC Scenarios Ahead of Saturday's Games

On Sunday, those who celebrate will be sitting down in front of their Christmas trees hoping to receive the gift they wanted this year. For the NFL teams still in the playoff hunt, there would be no better gift than clinching a postseason berth.

Week 16's action begins Saturday with a full slate of 1 p.m. ET games, two late afternoon games and a night clash between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers before continuing with three Christmas Day games and Monday Night Football featuring the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts.

Heading into this week's slate, three AFC teams (the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals) have clinched playoff berths, while four NFC teams have done so (the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings).

The AFC East, AFC North and AFC South are still up for grabs, while the NFC East and NFC South are still undecided.

Let's take a closer look at how the NFL playoffs seeding and matchups would break down if the season ended today, as well as preview the Week 16 action in the league.

AFC Standings and Scenarios

Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills looks to throw a pass against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

AFC Standings

x-1. Buffalo Bills, 11-3

y-2. Kansas City Chiefs, 11-3

x-3. Cincinnati Bengals, 10-4

4. Tennessee Titans, 7-7

5. Baltimore Ravens, 9-5

6. Los Angeles Chargers, 8-6

7. Miami Dolphins, 8-6

x: clinched playoff berth

y: clinched division title

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AFC Matchups

(7) Dolphins at (2) Chiefs

(6) Chargers at (3) Bengals

(5) Ravens at (4) Titans

Wild-card round bye: (1) Bills

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While the Chiefs have wrapped up the AFC West, the conference's only division that has been decided, they're still looking to lock up the No. 1 seed by the end of Week 16.

Because they lost against the Bills and Bengals, however, the Chiefs will need to overtake Buffalo's record and stave off Cincinnati to clinch a first-round bye and home-field advantage. They can start with a win against the Seattle Seahawks this week.

Meanwhile, the Bills, who control their own destiny, can finally clinch the AFC East with a win or tie or a Dolphins loss or tie.

The Ravens have multiple clinching scenarios in Week 16, though they don't control their own destiny. If they defeat the Falcons Saturday, they'll still need some combination of the Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets to lose or tie. The most direct path is a win and a loss or tie by the Dolphins and Patriots or Dolphins and Jets.

In a really fun playoff generator scenario, if the Ravens win; the Patriots and Jets lose; and the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Titans lose or tie; and the Chargers win, they're in. Easy, right?

The Chargers also have a path to clinching a postseason berth in Week 16, though it's a windy one. The Bolts need a win plus a Raiders loss or tie and Patriots loss and Jets loss or a win plus a Raiders loss or tie, Patriots tie, Jets loss and Dolphins loss.

The Patriots (7-7), Jets (7-8), Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8), Browns (6-8), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8) and Raiders (6-8) are still in the playoff hunt, though the odds for those latter three 6-8 teams are not looking good.

The Denver Broncos (4-10), Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1) and Houston Texans (1-12-1) have all been eliminated.

NFC Standings and Scenarios

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 18: DeVonta Smith #6 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 18, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

NFC Standings

x-1. Eagles, 13-1

y-2. Vikings, 11-3

y-3. 49ers, 10-4

4. Buccaneers, 6-8

x-5. Cowboys, 10-4

6. Giants, 8-5-1

7. Commanders, 7-6-1

x: clinched playoff berth

y: clinched division title

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NFC Matchups

(7) Commanders at (2) Vikings

(6) Giants at (3) 49ers

(5) Cowboys at (4) Buccaneers

Wild-card round bye: (1) Eagles

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The Eagles may have clinched a postseason berth in Week 14, but their path to the No. 1 seed (or the NFC East) is looking a bit more challenging with quarterback Jalen Hurts set to miss Week 16's away game against the Cowboys.

Philly, however, controls its own destiny after laying a solid 13-1 foundation (still the league's best record), so a win or tie against the Cowboys seals the division title. If the Eagles win or if they tie and the Vikings lose or tie, they also secure home-field advantage and the first-round bye.

The Giants, meanwhile, don't need to pay too much attention to what their division rivals are doing this weekend. Their path to clinching a playoff berth goes through Washington, Detroit and Seattle.

If the Giants win and two of those teams lose, they're in.

The Seattle Seahawks (7-7), Detroit Lions (7-7), Green Bay Packers (6-8), Carolina Panthers (5-9), Atlanta Falcons (5-9) |and New Orleans Saints (5-9) are all still fighting for their playoff lives.

The Chicago Bears (3-11), Arizona Cardinals (4-10) and Los Angeles Rams (4-10) have all been mathematically eliminated. The Rams have the ignominious distinction of tying the 1999 Broncos for being eliminated from the playoffs with the most losses and most weeks remaining in a season by a defending Super Bowl champion.