NFL Playoffs 2014-15: AFC and NFC Predictions for Tight Postseason Races

A handful of head-to-head matchups loom down the stretch that will end up deciding the fate of NFL playoff hopefuls.

Whether it's three hotly contested divisions in the NFC with underlying wild-card implications or a three-headed race in the AFC North, heart-pounding playoff races have arrived in droves to end the season.

A number of different scenarios are in play, but many will come down to simple head-to-head games against other contenders.

With so many divisions boasting numerous playoff-bound teams, don't expect this to be the last time we see some of these matchups over the next month. In one or two instances, this week's games could just be appetizers.

Let's take teams' remaining schedules into account along with their recent on-field form and decide who will be crashing the postseason party. But first, look below at how the postseason would look if it started before Week 16.

Note: NFL.com has organized a list of playoff scenarios for Week 16. You can view it here.

NFL Playoff Predictions

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	Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
4	Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)	4	New Orleans Saints (7-9)
5	Baltimore Ravens (11-5)	5	Arizona Cardinals (12-4)
6	Cincinnati Bengals (9-6-1)	6	Detroit Lions (11-5)
First Out	San Diego Chargers (9-7)	First Out	Dallas Cowboys (10-6)

Wait—didn't the Cowboys take a commanding NFC East lead over Philadelphia last week? How can they miss the postseason altogether?

That's exactly what may be bound to happen, as the home stretch is far from kind to Tony Romo's crew. They play Indianapolis at home, where they have lost four times, and workhorse running back DeMarco Murray will be a shell of himself—if he plays—after having surgery on a broken hand this week.

The Cowboys will fall again at home, meaning the Eagles will take the division with two wins—which they should easily do against the Redskins and Giants.

Second place won't be so bad in the NFC West, as the Cardinals have already clinched. They can win the NFC's No. 1 seed with a victory over Seattle, but the Seahawks will win out to claim it instead, pushing Arizona to a wild-card spot.

Green Bay and Detroit will also battle in a game to decide the division winner, but it won't come until Week 17. By then, both squads will have picked up their 11th win and will be sitting pretty for a playoff spot—win or lose.

But at Lambeau Field, the Packers should be counted on to wrap up the NFC North and the ensuing first-round bye—sending the Lions packing for their wild-card game.

There's still a scenario for the Pack to gain the NFC's top seed, but it will take some doing, as Paul Imig of Fox Sports noted:

The top of the AFC might end a bit more smoothly. The Broncos and Patriots will both wrap up first-round byes with wins in Week 16, and New England will win out to hold on to that coveted top seed. 

The AFC North is the tightest race in pro football down the stretch, but the Steelers will soon be in pole position. The Bengals won't be able to top Denver in Week 16, allowing Pittsburgh to win the division against Cincinnati in Week 17. 

David Richard/Associated Press

That tie for the Bengals will never feel so good than in the moments after that loss, when they realize it got them into the playoffs over likely 9-7 San Diego. It's just hard to see the Chargers and an ailing Philip Rivers rattling off two straight road games against quality foes to close out.

Some worthy teams will undoubtedly be left out, but that's just further validation of the quality of teams that will be among the final 12. That doesn't make it any easier for those who will soon be cleaning out their lockers, though.