NFL Playoff Scenarios 2014-15: AFC, NFC Week 14 Picture, Postseason Predictions

There may only be four weeks left in the NFL season, but the playoff pictures in both the AFC and NFC remain extremely crowded.

In the AFC, 12 of the 16 teams still have legitimate shots at a postseason berth. This remains a highly competitive conference, and any franchise with a .500 record or better isn't out of contention. In the NFC, due to a terrible South division—where even the 2-10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still in contention—only the New York Giants and Washington Redskins are officially out of the picture.

With so many teams still in the mix, a bevy of scenarios are still able to take place. Can the Cleveland Browns claim home-field advantage throughout the playoffs? Sure; after all, they're only two games behind the New England Patriots with four to play.

That said, let's take a look at how the playoff picture would look if the regular season were to end today and predict which 12 teams will earn shots at the Super Bowl once Week 17 concludes.

Week 14 Playoff Picture

AFC Seed	Team	NFC Seed	Team
1	New England Patriots (9-3)	1	Arizona Cardinals (9-3)
2	Denver Broncos (9-3)	2	Green Bay Packers (9-3)
3	Cincinnati Bengals (8-3-1)	3	Philadelphia Eagles (9-3)
4	Indianapolis Colts (8-4)	4	Atlanta Falcons (5-7)
5	San Diego Chargers (8-4)	5	Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
6	Kansas City Chiefs (7-5)	6	Detroit Lions (8-4)

AFC in the hunt: Buffalo Bills (7-5), Baltimore Ravens (7-5), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5), Cleveland Browns (7-5), Miami Dolphins (6-5), Houston Texans (6-6).

NFC in the hunt: Dallas Cowboys (8-4), San Francisco 49ers (7-5), New Orleans Saints (5-7), Chicago Bears (5-7), Minnesota Vikings (5-7), St. Louis Rams (5-7), Carolina Panthers (3-8-1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-10).

AFC Predictions

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

The Patriots suffered a tough loss in Week 13, as Aaron Rodgers and Co. got the best of them in Green Bay. While that snapped their seven-game winning streak, New England is still hanging on to the No. 1 seed due to its Week 9 victory over Denver. This team will have a tough test in San Diego in Week 14, but it's difficult to bet against the Patriots winning out and maintaining the top spot in the AFC.

Bleacher Report's Erik Frenz tweeted what home-field advantage would mean for Tom Brady and Co.: 

If New England wins out, Denver's Monday night clash with Cincinnati in Week 16 could be the difference-maker in a potential first-round bye. That said, Peyton Manning continues to excel, and the emergence of C.J. Anderson has led to a balanced offensive attack. That's a great sign for this team as the weather gets colder. Expect Denver to hang on to the No. 2 spot.

Here we have a slight change. The Colts will overtake the Bengals for the No. 3 seed by the end of the season. Indianapolis' remaining schedule isn't remotely as difficult as Cincinnati's, and when the Bengals go 2-2 in their last four games, the Colts will go 3-1 to jump up a spot.

With so many wild-card contenders to choose from, predicting these spots in the AFC could be a bit of a mess. The Chargers have a very difficult schedule for the remainder of the season, but going .500 over their last four games isn't impossible. That 10-6 record will lead to the No. 5 seed.

Finally, a favorable schedule will lead to a playoff berth for the Ravens. Baltimore will earn the No. 6 seed after finishing the season with a 3-1 record.

NFC Predictions

After 17 weeks, the Packers will claim the top seed in the NFC, sending all playoff traffic through Green Bay. Considering how good this team has been at Lambeau Field this season, that will be an enormous problem for the NFC's remaining five postseason squads.

Here's a look at how dominant Green Bay has been in the first quarter of home games this season, via Peter Schrager of Fox Sports:

Philadelphia has a couple of tough contests coming up against Seattle and Dallas before finishing the season against Washington and the Giants. Going 3-1 over the last four games isn't out of reach for Chip Kelly's squad, and a 12-4 overall record should produce a first-round bye at the No. 2 seed.

In a turn of events, the Seahawks overtake the Cardinals and finish the season atop the NFC West, claiming the NFC's No. 3 seed. Seattle could jump all the way up to the No. 2 seed if it can win out, so a clash against Philadelphia in Week 14 will be extremely important.

This is the current scenario for the NFC West title, courtesy of NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

The Saints will emerge from the NFC South, earning the No. 4 seed with a 9-7 record after winning out the remainder of the season. Games against Carolina, Chicago, Atlanta and Tampa Bay are all winnable, and that's exactly what Drew Brees and Co. will do.

Detroit will claim the NFC's first wild-card spot, winning its next three contests against Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Chicago before falling to the Packers in Green Bay in the season finale. The Cardinals will just squeeze into the No. 6 seed with a 10-5 record, breaking a tie with the Cowboys due to a win at Dallas in Week 9.