NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: Full AFC, NFC Outlook and Predictions

Week 16 began with a Thursday Night Football contest between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars that had an impact on the 2015 NFL draft's No. 1 overall pick, but not so much on the league's playoff picture.

That's all right, though, because it gives us a little more time to speculate before the weekend's contests kick off.

With only four teams cemented into postseason action, there are still eight spots up for grabs between 17 other contending teams. Rest assured, many of those squads will solidify playoff berths of their own in Week 16, but not all of them.

That leads us to this debatable question: Which ones will clinch this week?

To provide an answer to that inquiry, we must delve into the most pivotal matchups that contain the biggest postseason implications. Once a winner is predicted, the league's postseason picture heading into Week 17 will become clearer.

Before we take a look at those crucial contests and bracket predictions, let's take a glace at how the current playoff picture stands.

Week 16 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 teams 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 team in the hunt: Philadelphia Eagles (9-5), Carolina Panthers (5-8-1), Atlanta Falcons (5-9)

Week 16 Matchup Predictions

Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers

This contest has plenty of implications on the AFC's wild-card picture; however, it could also alter the outlook of the AFC North pending a couple other games.

At 8-6, Kansas City desperately needs a win to keep up with Pittsburgh and the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card race. The Chiefs are currently one game behind, and a loss would almost certainly end their chances of playing in January. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, clinches a playoff spot with a win and could also overtake the AFC North with a loss by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Defensively, the Chiefs have been very good against the pass, but they've had difficulty stopping the run of late. That's not a good omen, as they are about to face the dangerous Le'Veon Bell. If Kansas City concentrates too much on stopping the run, the Steelers have plenty of speedy wide receivers capable of taking the top off its defense.

While the Steelers haven't been able to contain opposing passing attacks lately, the Chiefs may not be able to take too much advantage due to the lack of a threat at wide receiver. While Jamaal Charles is a big threat, taking him away leaves Kansas City with too few options to keep up. Pittsburgh knows that.

Prediction: Steelers 24, Chiefs 17

Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys

Neither of these teams are among the league's elite in terms of defense; however, they are both extremely potent on the offensive side of the ball. A shootout should be expected, and the team with the most available weapons will have the upper hand. Right now, that appears to be Dallas.

According to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, right tackle Gosder Cherilus and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton are in doubt to play Sunday at Dallas. Neither player practiced on Thursday, indicating the team may opt to rest them for another week since it already has the division title wrapped up.

On the flip side, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray was back at practice Thursday and appears to have a better chance of playing than the aforementioned Colts stars. Having Murray in the lineup will be crucial, as he provides the stability and balance necessary to keep quarterback Tony Romo efficient.

If Andrew Luck doesn't have his best weapon and one of his best linemen, the Colts may not be able to keep up with a fully-loaded Cowboys offense in Dallas.

Prediction: Cowboys 30, Colts 24

Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals

Peyton Manning and the Broncos travel to Cincinnati to take on Andy Dalton and the Bengals in this week's edition of Monday Night Football. That's not good news for the home team.

Not only have the Bengals never defeated Manning, but they tend to choke in prime-time games. The team's quarterback is more notorious for this, and his last performance under the bright lights was the latest testament to this, as he delivered a 2.0 passer rating on Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns.

While the Bengals have been running the ball better, Denver does boast the league's second-ranked run defense, allowing an average of just 71.6 yards per game on the ground. If the duo of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard have difficulty getting through the team's front seven, the Bengals will need to rely on Dalton's arm to move the ball.

Cincinnati's secondary has been great this season, but they have given up big games to Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger and haven't faced a wide receiver duo quite like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The nod goes to Denver here.

Prediction: Broncos 27, Bengals 20

Predictions for Remaining Playoff Contenders

Philadelphia Eagles over Washington Redskins; San Diego Chargers over San Francisco 49ers; Baltimore Ravens over Houston Texans; Carolina Panthers over Cleveland Browns; Detroit Lions over Chicago Bears; Green Bay Packers over Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Miami Dolphins over Minnesota Vikings; New England Patriots over New York Jets; Atlanta Falcons over New Orleans Saints; Buffalo Bills over Oakland Raiders; Seattle Seahawks over Arizona Cardinals.

Week 17 Predicted Playoff Picture

With the conclusions of all aforementioned games now officially predicted, here's a look at how the playoff picture heading into Week 17 would unfold:

AFC Seed	Team	NFC Seed	Team
1	New England Patriots (12-3)	1	Seattle Seahawks (11-4)
2	Denver Broncos (12-3)	2	Detroit Lions (11-4)
3	Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)	3	Dallas Cowboys (11-4)
4	Indianapolis Colts (10-5)	4	Carolina Panthers (6-8-1)
5	Baltimore Ravens (10-5)	5	Green Bay Packers (11-4)
6	Cincinnati Bengals (9-5-1)	6	Arizona Cardinals (11-4)

Still alive AFC: San Diego Chargers (9-6), Buffalo Bills (9-6)

Still alive NFC: Philadelphia Eagles (10-5), Atlanta Falcons (6-9)

All playoff tiebreaker scenarios courtesy of CBSSports.com.