NFL Playoff Picture 2014: Matchups That Will Shake Up AFC and NFC Standings

The 2014 NFL regular season is winding down, but football fans understand that the rush to make the playoffs will result in intense battles across the league.

With a schedule loaded with divisional matchups over the last two weeks, the postseason picture has the potential to shift significantly. Both the AFC and NFC standings will likely look much different after Week 17 than they do right now.

Here are the full AFC and NFC standings and the matchups that will have the biggest impact on the playoff picture, a full breakdown of which can be found via CBSSports.com.    

AFC Standings
AFC West	Wins	Losses	Tie
AFC East	Wins	Losses	Tie
AFC North	Wins	Losses	Tie
AFC South	Wins	Losses	Tie
NFC Standings
NFC West	Wins	Losses	Tie
NFC East	Wins	Losses	Tie
NFC North	Wins	Losses	Tie
NFC South	Wins	Losses	Tie
z - Denver Broncos	11	3	0
San Diego Chargers	8	6	0
Kansas City Chiefs	8	6	0
Oakland Raiders	2	12	0
z - New England Patriots	11	3	0
Buffalo Bills	8	6	0
Miami Dolphins	7	7	0
New York Jets	3	11	0
Cincinnati Bengals	9	4	1
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	5	0
Baltimore Ravens	9	5	0
Cleveland Browns	7	7	0
z - Indianapolis Colts	10	4	0
Houston Texans	7	7	0
Tennessee Titans	2	12	0
Jacksonville Jaguars	2	12	0
x - Arizona Cardinals	11	3	0
Seattle Seahawks	10	4	0
San Francisco 49ers	7	7	0
St. Louis Rams	6	8	0
Dallas Cowboys	10	4	0
Philadelphia Eagles	9	5	0
New York Giants	5	9	0
Washington Redskins	3	11	0
Detroit Lions	10	4	0
Green Bay Packers	10	4	0
Minnesota Vikings	6	8	0
Chicago Bears	5	9	0
New Orleans Saints	6	8	0
Carolina Panthers	5	8	1
Atlanta Falcons	5	9	0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	12	0

AFC Matchup to Watch: Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals

The matchup in the AFC football fans can’t miss this week is the Monday Night Football battle featuring the AFC West champion Denver Broncos traveling to Cincinnati to play the AFC North-leading Bengals.

For Denver, the road game will be a test of what the team can do under pressure. The Broncos will be looking to win and make a case for home-field advantage, but the offensive unit led by Peyton Manning must be more efficient than it has been over the last two weeks.

Denver head coach John Fox is not looking too far ahead, according to STATS LLC, via ESPN.com, saying, “It's our goal every year. Everybody's hope and dream before the season is you'll be hoisting that championship trophy. We got close last year and came up short ... Obviously, (the AFC West title) is a great accomplishment, but we still have more season left.”

"

See ya next week for a BIG TIME matchup in Cincinnati. @Bengals vs @Broncos on #MNF pic.twitter.com/5oQsUwOIOA

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) December 16, 2014"

Cincinnati is coming off a 30-0 beatdown of Cleveland and will look to carry that momentum into this game in an attempt to accomplish a huge upset win over Denver. The Bengals are currently first in the North, but both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers also have nine wins this season.

A loss on Monday would put the team behind the eight ball.

There is no doubt Cincinnati will come out fast looking to shock the Broncos, but Denver understands what playing at home means in the postseason and will not let this opportunity slip through its fingers.

Predicted Final Score: Denver 30, Cincinnati 20

NFC Matchup to Watch: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

The most intriguing matchup of the entire weekend for many fans is the divisional matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Add in the fact that this is on Sunday Night Football and for first in the NFC West, and the stakes are even higher

Arizona is currently leading the division, but injuries are taking their toll. After quarterback Carson Palmer went down for the season, Drew Stanton suffered a knee injury, and now the team will turn the reins over to third-string QB Ryan Lindley if Stanton can’t play this week.

If Stanton is inactive in Week 16, Seattle will eat Arizona alive.

Since losing to Kansas City in Week 11, the Seahawks have allowed 27 combined points over the last four games and have been almost unbeatable defensively. Seattle now ranks first against the pass (allowing 184.3 yards per game) and fifth against the run (allowing 88.1 yards per game).

As long as the Seahawks' offensive unit leans heavily on Marshawn Lynch and the No. 1-ranked rushing attack (averaging 168.8 yards per game), the team should be able to catapult all the way to the No. 1 seed in the NFC standings. On the other hand, Arizona would drop from No. 1 to No. 6 overall.

Predicted Final Score: Seattle 24, Arizona 10

*Stats via NFL.com.