NFL Playoff Scenarios 2014-15: AFC, NFC Bracket Picture and Pre-Week 16 Odds

Imagine for a moment you have 5,000 puzzle pieces laying on a table in front of you, but you lost the box and have no clue what picture the puzzle will depict once you've finished putting the darn thing together. That's approximately what we're dealing with when we talk about NFL playoff scenarios right now.

We know we're going to get 12 playoff teams, sure, but trying to figure out which 12 is a bit tricky, especially in the AFC where the possibilities are almost endless. But that didn't stop me from trying to piece together every scenario and outcome for you fine folks, so below I'll go over what's at stake down the stretch, along with the Week 16 odds.

I hope you enjoy a puzzle, folks.
 

Odds

Sunday, December 21	Time (ET)	Odds
Monday, December 22	Time (ET)	Odds
Minnesota at Miami	1 p.m.	Miami (-6.5)
Baltimore at Houston	1 p.m.	Baltimore (-5.5)
Detroit at Chicago	1 p.m.	Detroit (-8)
Cleveland at Carolina	1 p.m.	Carolina (-3.5)
Atlanta at New Orleans	1 p.m.	New Orleans (-6.5)
Green Bay at Tampa Bay	1 p.m.	Green Bay (-11.5)
Kansas City at Pittsburgh	1 p.m.	Pittsburgh (-2.5)
New England at NY Jets	1 p.m.	New England (-10)
NY Giants at St. Louis	4:05 p.m.	St. Louis (-6.5)
Buffalo at Oakland	4:25 p.m.	Buffalo (-6.5)
Indianapolis at Dallas	4:25 p.m.	Dallas (-3.5)
Seattle at Arizona	8:30 p.m.	Seattle (-6.5)
Denver at Cincinnati	8:30 p.m.	Denver (-3.5)

NFC Outlook

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

We'll start in the NFC East, where Philadelphia's loss on Saturday to Washington ensured that the Dallas Cowboys will win the division so long as they win one of their last two games. While the Eagles weren't eliminated from playoff contention—they can still win the NFC East if they win their final game and the Cowboys lose their two remaining contests, or sneak into the wild card with a win and two losses from either the Green Bay Packers or Seattle Seahawks—their loss did ensure the Detroit Lions became the second NFC team to ensure a playoff berth alongside the Arizona Cardinals.

For an Eagles team that started 9-3 this season, the loss was hugely disappointing. And also perhaps not that surprising.

“I think we’re currently minus-9 in turnover margin,” safety Malcolm Jenkins told Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com. “So us having nine wins is impressive. We’re living on borrowed time playing that style of football. If we had come out and run the table in December with that kind of football, it would have been surprising.” 

For what it's worth, ESPN currently has the Eagles at minus-8 in turnover differential. But the point remains.

In the NFC North, the Lions would clinch the division with a win and a Packers loss. If both teams win or both teams lose this week, next week's matchup between the teams will decide the division. If the Lions lose this week and the Packers win, the Lions could still win the division by beating Green Bay next week, since they would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Michael Thomas/Getty Images

Out in the NFC West, the Cardinals will clinch the division with a win on Sunday against the Seahawks. However, should the Seahawks win out, they'll take the West. The Cardinals can still win the division with a loss on Sunday, but they'll need to win next week and hope that the St. Louis Rams beat Seattle next week.

And then there's the NFC South, the biggest mess of them all. The easiest scenario on Sunday is that the New Orleans Saints would win the division with a win over the Atlanta Falcons and a loss from the Carolina Panthers. If the Saints win out, they'll win the division. 

The Falcons are in the same boat—win out and reach the postseason, since they play the Saints and Panthers in their final two games. For the Panthers it's a bit more complicated, as they must win out and hope for one New Orleans loss.

In the wild-card race, only the Packers, Seahawks and Eagles remain alive. The Packers and Seahawks each need only one win in their last two games to secure their playoff berth.

AFC Outlook

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The AFC East is done and dusted, as the New England Patriots have already clinched and are headed back to the postseason once again. They'll clinch homefield advantage with a win and a Denver loss. Both the AFC South and AFC West are the same, as the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos have already clinched, respectively.

The Pats and Broncos will clinch first-round byes with a win.

It's in the AFC North where things really get, well, weird. It could all be simple, of course, if the Cincinnati Bengals win on Monday night and both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens lose. But nothing has been simple in the AFC North this year. 

Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Bengals will clinch a playoff spot with a win.

The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, but they won't be able to win the AFC North until the final weekend. The Ravens, meanwhile, can clinch a playoff spot if both the Bengals and Steelers lose this week. 

A slew of teams remain in contention for a wild-card berth, including the three aforementioned AFC North teams and the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins, so the possibilities for the final wild-card spot remain plentiful and in flux. The important thing to remember for these teams is that while they can't clinch a wild-card berth on Sunday, the Chargers can't be eliminated from contention until next week and neither can the Chiefs or Bills if they win on Sunday.

Christopher Hansen of Bleacher Report broke down San Diego's incredibly complex playoff scenarios:

You can find the New York Times interactive playoff scenarios here.

Two wins will get the Chiefs into the playoffs, but beating the Steelers and Chargers is a tall task. The Bills need a minor miracle, meanwhile, as they not only need a ridiculous amount of help to get in but they also need to beat the Patriots in Week 17. 

Good luck with that. In the AFC, a scenario where either three AFC North teams or two AFC East teams and the Chargers or Chiefs reach the postseason is the most likely.