NFL Standings 2014: Week 17 Records, Playoff Scenarios, Wild Card Picture Review

With the number of playoff spots running out and plenty of teams trying to fill them, the final week of the NFL season is going to be a good one.

Even with many playoff spots already clinched, the final day of the regular season will feature three separate games where the winner will win the division. Meanwhile, numerous other matchups will play big roles in seeding in both conferences.

In fact, only four of Sunday's 16 games have no impact on the 2014 playoffs.

This might makes things a bit confusing as fans try to figure out who to root for to help their teams, but this breakdown will hopefully make things easier. You can view a full breakdown of each situation at NFL.com.

NFC

NFC East	W	L	T	Pct
NFC North	W	L	T	Pct
NFC South	W	L	T	Pct
NFC West	W	L	T	Pct
Dallas Cowboys	11	4	0	.733
Philadelphia Eagles	9	6	0	.600
New York Giants	6	9	0	.400
Washington Redskins	4	11	0	.267
Detroit Lions	11	4	0	.733
Green Bay Packers	11	4	0	.733
Minnesota Vikings	6	9	0	.400
Chicago Bears	5	10	0	.333
Carolina Panthers	6	8	1	.433
Atlanta Falcons	6	9	0	.400
New Orleans Saints	6	9	0	.400
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	13	0	.133
Seattle Seahawks	11	4	0	.733
Arizona Cardinals	11	4	0	.733
San Francisco 49ers	7	8	0	.467
St. Louis Rams	6	9	0	.400

Thanks to some separation between the best and worst teams in the conference, five spots in the NFC playoffs are already decided.

The latest to join the party were the Seattle Seahawks, who seemed like they were going to have a tough time making the playoffs after starting the year 6-4. However, the recent five-game winning streak has been quite impressive, as noted by ESPN's Kevin Negandhi:

Seattle still hasn't clinched the division, but the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Arizona Cardinals means it will win the NFC West with either a victory in Week 17 or a Cardinals loss. A win would also likely give the squad the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com believes this is the most likely scenario en route to another Super Bowl appearance:

The other first-round bye is likely headed to the winner of the NFC North showdown between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. With both teams entering the game at 11-4, the winner will take home a division title and one of the top two seeds. The loser could drop all the way to the No. 6 seed.

Although the Lions have played well lately, they haven't won in Green Bay since 1991. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes that was a long time ago:

If there is one time to get a win, though, this is it.

The Dallas Cowboys have already clinched their division title thanks to the win over the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, but they are still playing for a first-round bye. Unfortunately, this will only occur with a win and losses by both Seattle and Arizona.

Home-field advantage is possible only if the Lions and Packers end in a tie in Week 17.

The final spot in the NFC playoffs will go to a team that won't even finish .500. The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons are each going for their seventh win, but that will be enough to win the awful NFC South.

With the two teams facing each other in Week 17, one of them will amazingly earn a home playoff game against whichever squad ends up with the No. 5 seed.

AFC

AFC East	W	L	T
AFC North	W	L	T
AFC South	W	L	T
AFC West	W	L	T
New England Patriots	12	3	0
Miami Dolphins	8	7	0
Buffalo Bills	8	7	0
New York Jets	3	12	0
Cincinnati Bengals	10	4	1
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	5	0
Baltimore Ravens	9	6	0
Cleveland Browns	7	8	0
Indianapolis Colts	10	5	0
Houston Texans	8	7	0
Jacksonville Jaguars	3	12	0
Tennessee Titans	2	13	0
Denver Broncos	11	4	0
San Diego Chargers	9	6	0
Kansas City Chiefs	8	7	0
Oakland Raiders	3	12	0

The New England Patriots can rest up in Week 17 after securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They have a one-game lead over the Denver Broncos and the head-to-head tiebreaker, meaning they can just relax and prepare for January.

Things are not as good for the Denver Broncos after losing Monday night to the Cincinnati Bengals. A win would have secured a first-round bye, but now, they will need to give a full effort against the Oakland Raiders.

Still, the team with the most at stake Sunday could be the Bengals. While they have clinched a playoff spot, they still could finish anywhere from the No. 2 to No. 5 seed in the AFC.

It all comes down to a winner-take-all matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. One team will win the division, and the other will be stuck trying to win on the road in the playoffs.

While Pittsburgh is all certain to make the postseason, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com notes quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is looking for more:

Of course, the big story remains the fight for the final playoff spot in the AFC. Four teams are alive gunning for one spot, and most of them will need some help.

Of all the teams in the hunt for the No. 6 seed, the San Diego Chargers have the easiest scenario to figure out: win and they're in. A road game against the Kansas City Chiefs—who also remain in the hunt—will not be easy, but the latest comeback over the San Francisco 49ers should give the team all the momentum it needs.

The Baltimore Ravens will be ready in the next spot in case the Chargers lose. This isn't too bad considering they have a matchup against the Cleveland Browns, who could turn to a No. 3 option at quarterback due to injuries. Bleacher Report's Andrea Hangst jokes about the situation:

"

Hoyer, shoulder. Manziel, hamstring. Browns QB situation, hamstrung.

— Andrea Hangst (@FBALL_Andrea) December 22, 2014"

Then again, the Ravens did lose to the Houston Texans with Case Keenum at the helm in Week 16, so anything is possible.

If San Diego and Baltimore do lose with everything on the line, the Texans would be the next team up with a chance to take home the playoff spot. Considering they have arguably the easiest game of anyone with a home matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they should at least be in the conversation.

Finally, the Chiefs will earn the final wild-card spot with a win over the Chargers and losses by the Ravens and Texans although fans shouldn't exactly hold their breath.

While the Indianapolis Colts don't have to worry about missing the playoffs, the AFC South champs still want to end the year on a good note to potentially improve their seed and have some momentum going into the postseason.

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