NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: AFC, NFC Scenarios, Predictions for 2015 Postseason

It's an exciting time of year for professional football.

There are only two weeks remaining in the regular season, and only four teams have clinched playoff berths to this point. Making things even more interesting, another 17 teams are still in contention for spots in the postseason, which should lead to an extremely exciting conclusion to the regular season.

The NFL decided to make the final two weeks of the season chock-full of divisional matchups, and many of those contests will ultimately decide the playoff fates of the teams involved. Many of those fates will be determined as early as Sunday.

With that in mind, it's time to take a look at the playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 16 and predictions for which teams will still be participating in January. However, before we delve into that context, let's first take a look at the current postseason picture.

Updated Playoff Picture

AFC Seed	Team	NFC Seed	Team
1	(x) New England Patriots (11-3)	1	(x) Arizona Cardinals (11-3)
2	(x) Denver Broncos (11-3)	2	Detroit Lions (10-4)
3	(x) Indianapolis Colts (10-4)	3	Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
4	Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-1)	4	New Orleans Saints (6-8)
5	Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)	5	Seattle Seahawks (10-4)
6	Baltimore Ravens (9-5)	6	Green Bay Packers (10-4)

AFC in the hunt: Kansas City Chiefs (8-6), San Diego Chargers (8-6), Buffalo Bills (8-6), Houston Texans (7-7), Miami Dolphins (7-7), Cleveland Browns (7-7)

NFC in the hunt: Philadelphia Eagles (9-5), Carolina Panthers (5-8-1), Atlanta Falcons (5-9)

Week 16 Playoff-Clinching Scenarios

There are some division- and bye-week-clinching scenarios that are prevalent in Week 16, and CBSSports.com has that information all ready to go for any interested parties. Here, we'll be focusing on scenarios that could result in a playoff berth.

AFC Scenarios

Three AFC squads have already clinched playoff berths. With Week 15 victories, the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts all claimed their respective divisions. That leaves us with only the AFC North that has yet to crown a champion.

The Cincinnati Bengals are currently atop the division; however, they have a rough road ahead with a Week 16 clash with the Broncos and a rematch against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. Still, this team can earn a spot in the playoffs as early as Sunday.

All right, so you may be asking yourself this question: How can Cincinnati clinch on Sunday when it doesn't play until Monday night? That's a fair inquiry. The reason for that is simple: Losses by the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills on Sunday would punch the Bengals' ticket to the postseason.

That isn't a likely scenario, but it's possible. There are three other ways the Bengals can earn a playoff spot in Week 16. A win against the Broncos will get it done. Also, if Cincinnati happens to tie for its second time this season, a Baltimore Ravens loss or losses by Kansas City and San Diego would also do the trick.

It's far more simple for the Steelers: A win will send them to the postseason. As for the Ravens, it's a little more complicated. Baltimore needs to defeat the Houston Texans and needs losses by Pittsburgh and Cincinnati or losses by Kansas City and San Diego to punch its ticket.

NFC Scenarios

Coming into Week 16, only the Arizona Cardinals have clinched a playoff berth in the NFC. Well, that's likely to change following Sunday's action.

The Detroit Lions need to defeat the Chicago Bears to claim their spot in the postseason, and for the off chance they lose to Jay Cutler and Co., a loss by the Philadelphia Eagles would also send them into the playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys need a miracle to clinch a playoff spot in Week 16. They need a win over the Colts, and they need the Green Bay Packers to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Lions to lose to the Bears. Don't bet on that happening.

One team that has a great chance to enter the postseason is the Seattle Seahawks. The team needs a win over the Cardinals—which shouldn't be much trouble with Ryan Lindley at the helm—and it also needs one of the three following things to happen as well:

• An Eagles loss or tie
• A Cowboys loss or tie
• A Packers loss or tie

Just in case Seattle isn't able to defeat Arizona, it can still earn a playoff berth with an Eagles loss and a Cowboys win or tie.

Green Bay is in a similar scenario. It can enter the playoffs with a win and a loss by the Eagles or a win by the Cowboys, and it can also claim a postseason spot with a Philadelphia loss and a Dallas win or tie.

Finally, we have the New Orleans Saints. They lead the NFC South heading into Week 16, and their only way to earn a postseason berth is to win the division outright. That can happen this week if they defeat the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers fall to the Cleveland Browns.

Postseason Predictions

With all of that madness in mind, it's never too early to speculate on how the playoff picture will look following Week 17. Taking into consideration how every team is currently performing and the strength of their remaining schedules, here's a look at the 12 likeliest teams to continue on in January after the regular season comes to a close.

AFC Seed	Team	NFC Seed	Team
1	New England Patriots (13-3)	1	Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
2	Denver Broncos (13-3)	2	Green Bay Packers (12-4)
3	Indianapolis Colts (11-5)	3	Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
4	Baltimore Ravens (11-5)	4	Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
5	Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1)	5	Arizona Cardinals (12-4)
6	Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)	6	Detroit Lions (11-5)

All tiebreaker rules courtesy of CBSSports.com.