NFL Playoff Picture 2014: Full Standings and Bold Predictions for AFC and NFC

There's always a danger of complacency in the NFL, even with fans and analysts. Just when you think everything is figured out, something insane happens that changes the way everything gets evaluated. Week 16 of this season is shaping up to be no different. 

A perfect example already happened, with the Philadelphia Eagles being upset by Washington and setting Dallas up to win the NFC East on Sunday against Indianapolis. No one could have expected that to happen, even for a Mark Sanchez-led team. 

Philadelphia's loss also had ramifications in the NFC North, as it allowed the Detroit Lions to clinch their second playoff berth in four years. That makes two NFC teams in the playoffs with four more slots up for grabs on Sunday. 

Here are the latest playoff standings and final predictions. 

What Is Known

Team	Berth
Detroit Lions	Playoff berth clinched; Tied for NFC North lead, hold tiebreaker over GB
Arizona Cardinals	Playoff berth clinched; Lead NFC West
New England Patriots	Clinched AFC East; Hold tiebreaker over Denver for No. 1 seed
Indianapolis Colts	Clinched AFC South
Denver Broncos	Clinched AFC West

Final Predictions

Position	NFC	Record
1	Seattle Seahawks	12-4
2	Green Bay Packers	12-4
3	Dallas Cowboys	11-5
4	New Orleans Saints	8-8
5	Arizona Cardinals	11-5
6	Detroit Lions	11-5
Position	AFC	Record
1	New England Patriots	13-3
2	Denver Broncos	12-4
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	11-5
4	Indianapolis Colts	11-5
5	Baltimore Ravens	11-5
6	Cincinnati Bengals	10-5-1

The top two seeds in both conferences are easy to figure out. Seattle will beat Arizona in Week 16 to take the lead in the NFC West and should have no problems beating St. Louis at home to end the year with a 12-4 record. 

Green Bay has everything set up to win the NFC North. The Packers play 2-12 Tampa Bay in Week 16 and have a showdown against Detroit at home in Week 17. Mike McCarthy's team is 7-0 at Lambeau Field and averages 41.1 points per game at the Frozen Tundra. 

New England gets the lifeless Jets in Week 16. But that Week 17 matchup against a Buffalo team still fighting for its playoff life looks more intriguing, thanks to the emergence of the Bills defense, particularly in the last two weeks, via the NFL's official Twitter:

You know Bill Belichick isn't going to sit anyone, so let's see how much the Bills have left in the tank against Tom Brady. Look for the Patriots to go 13-3. 

Denver seems likely to have a hiccup in Week 16 against Cincinnati. Peyton Manning hasn't been himself lately, though the running game has improved dramatically with C.J. Anderson.

The Broncos still have the inside track on the No. 2 seed with a loss because of their win over Indianapolis and 9-1 conference record. 

As much fun as everyone has had picking on the NFC South, New Orleans should get to .500 before the end of the season. The Saints end the year at home against Atlanta and on the road at Tampa Bay. 

Julio Jones' status for Atlanta in Week 16 is critical, as he's officially listed as questionable with a hip injury on the team's Twitter account:

Everyone knows the Falcons vs. Saints will come down to the final moments and feature a lot of points, as these are two of the worst defenses in the league:

Even though the Saints have lost their last four games at home, they are still the best team in the division and should end the year with an 8-8 record. 

Arizona and Detroit are already in the playoffs, but neither will win its respective division. The Cardinals are too beat up at the quarterback position to beat Seattle or San Francisco, while the Lions have that matchup against Aaron Rodgers looming. 

Since the Cardinals beat the Lions earlier in the season, they get the No. 5 seed and a matchup with the Saints in the Wild Card Round. Detroit will go to Dallas for its first playoff game. 

The only surprise left in the AFC is the Steelers winning the North. Cincinnati will get a big win over Denver in Week 16, but it ends the year on the road at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh will essentially eliminate Kansas City on Sunday and follow that up with another win against the Bengals. 

Remember, two weeks ago the Steelers knocked the Bengals around in a 42-21 win. Antonio Brown, who had 117 yards in that game, has already made history this year, via NFL on ESPN:

In this scenario, the Steelers win the division over Baltimore because of a better division record (4-2) and conference record (9-3). The Ravens get off easy in the final two games against a Houston team starting Case Keenum in Week 16 and a spiraling Cleveland team that's turned to rookie Johnny Manziel.

That leaves the Bengals as the final AFC team. It was tempting to put Buffalo in that spot, but that tie for the Bengals makes it impossible for the Bills to move up even if they win out.

The good news is these are one man's predictions and the NFL likes to throw a monkey wrench into everything, so don't be shocked if the Browns find a way to make the postseason and win a Super Bowl with Manziel winning MVP.

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