NFL Playoff Picture 2023-24 Week 17: Standings, Scenarios After Jets vs. Browns

The Cleveland Browns are going to the playoffs for just the second time since the 2002 season.

Cleveland clinched its spot in the postseason with a 37-20 victory over the New York Jets in Thursday's matchup. It is a testament to the overall depth on the team that various injuries, including at the quarterback spot, didn't prevent it from reaching the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the 11-5 Browns, they are in the same AFC North as the team with the best record in the NFL.

Their reward for an excellent season will likely be the No. 5 seed in the AFC and a road playoff game since the Baltimore Ravens are 12-3 and coming off arguably the most impressive win of the entire season when they went on the road to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

Baltimore will be under the spotlight once again in Week 17 when it faces the Miami Dolphins in a game that will go a long way toward determining the AFC's No. 1 seed and first-round bye.

Here is a look where those two teams and every other squad that still has a mathematical chance at the playoffs stand heading into Week 17.

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AFC Standings

1. Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
2. Miami Dolphins (11-4)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7, tiebreaker over Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts)
5. Cleveland Browns (11-5)
6. Buffalo Bills (9-6)
7. Indianapolis Colts (8-7, tiebreaker over Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans)
8. Houston Texans (8-7, tiebreaker over Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7, tiebreaker over Cincinnati Bengals)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (7-8, tiebreaker over Denver Broncos)
12. Denver Broncos (7-8)

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NFC Standings

1. San Francisco 49ers (11-4, tiebreaker over Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4, tiebreaker over Detroit Lions)
3. Detroit Lions (11-4)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
5. Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
6. Los Angeles Rams (8-7, tiebreaker over Seattle Seahawks)
7. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
8. Minnesota Vikings (7-8, tiebreaker over Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints)
9. Atlanta Falcons (7-8, tiebreaker over Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints)
10. Green Bay Packers (7-8, tiebreaker over New Orleans Saints)
11. New Orleans Saints (7-8)
12. Chicago Bears (6-9)

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Current AFC Playoff Scenarios

• Baltimore Ravens, first-round bye
• Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts
• Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
• Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns

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Current NFC Playoff Scenarios

• San Francisco 49ers, first-round bye
• Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seattle Seahawks
• Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Rams
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys

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While the seedings could easily change in the final two weeks of the season given how close the standings are in both conferences, there are a number of intriguing matchups in play in the current postseason scenarios.

The first one that jumps out on the AFC side is the potential showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. The two teams met in the AFC Championship Game during the 2020 season and an epic Divisional Round game in the 2021 season, and this would be the latest chapter in their rivalry.

Kansas City won both of those games and would be the home team in such a scenario this time around, but it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest Josh Allen and the Bills would be the side with all the momentum and a chance to win.

After all, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are just 2-4 in the last six games and have looked disjointed and frustrated on the offensive side of the ball. The Bills, by comparison, have won three in a row to get into playoff position after an inconsistent start.

One of those three wins was in Kansas City when Kadarius Toney lined up offside on the potential winning touchdown for the Chiefs, further underscoring the different directions the two teams seem to be headed entering the stretch run of the season.

On the NFC side, a rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks would be intriguing after the two teams treated fans to an excellent Monday Night Football game in Week 15.

Seattle overcame a double-digit deficit and prevailed when Drew Lock found Jaxon Smith-Njigba for an incredible touchdown in the final 30 seconds.

Another NFC game that would draw headlines would be Matthew Stafford returning to Detroit to face the Lions in the playoffs. Detroit selected Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 NFL draft, and he threw for more than 4,000 yards eight different times in a Lions uniform.

He was also the quarterback the last time the Lions made the playoffs during the 2016 campaign.

Detroit attempting to win its first postseason game since the 1991 season while going up against its former franchise quarterback would be appointment viewing.