NFL Playoffs 2014-15: Latest Wild-Card Odds, Scenarios and AFC, NFC Standings
Ten of the 12 NFL playoff spots are up for grabs heading into Week 17. There is still plenty to be decided as teams jockey for position and vie for bye weeks, division titles and, of course, the two remaining spots open in the 2014 postseason.
It may have seemed improbable just a couple of weeks ago, but the San Diego Chargers are in control of their playoff destiny after a 21-point, come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. A horde of teams is knocking on the wild-card door in the AFC, which means there will be plenty of meaningful, hard-fought games on the Week 17 slate.
In the NFC, the winner of the Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons Week 17 tilt will represent the South Division in the playoffs. No matter the outcome, that will put a losing team in the postseason—a situation that will likely draw the ire of fans of the several teams set to finish with better than .500 records and miss out on a chance at the Super Bowl.
TOP NEWS
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Colts Release Kenny Moore
Projecting Every NFL Team's Starting Lineup 🔮
Rookie WRs Who Will Outplay Their Draft Value 📈
Here are the latest league standings, playoff odds and a breakdown of the playoff scenarios heading into Week 17.
| San Diego at Kansas City (-3) | SD -120, KC +100 |
| Jacksonville at Houston (-10) | JAX -110, HOU -105 |
| Philadelphia at New York Giants (-3) | PHI -130, NYG +110 |
| Buffalo at New England (-10) | BUF -135, NE +115 |
| Dallas (-5) at Washington | DAL +110, WAS -130 |
| Cleveland at Baltimore (-9.5) | CLE -130, BAL +110 |
| Chicago at Minnesota (-7) | CHI -130, MIN +110 |
| Indianapolis (-7.5) at Tennessee | IND +120, TEN -140 |
| Carolina at Atlanta (-4) | CAR -110, ATL -110 |
| New York Jets at Miami (-5.5) | NYJ -110, MIA -110 |
| New Orleans (-5.5) at Tampa Bay | NO -110, TB -110 |
| Oakland at Denver | N/A |
| St. Louis at Seattle (-13) | STL -140, SEA +120 |
| Arizona at San Francisco (-3.5) | AZ -135, SF +115 |
| Detroit at Green Bay (-7.5) | DET -115, GB -105 |
| Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-3) | N/A |
| Denver Broncos | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| 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 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 13 | 0 |
AFC Playoff Picture
The New England Patriots wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, courtesy of the Denver Broncos' discouraging 37-28 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Peyton Manning tossed four interceptions in sloppy conditions; it was a rare off night, as this SportsCenter tweet demonstrates:
CBS Sports' Jim Rome put the night into context:
The Bengals are in the playoffs but can finish as low as the fifth seed and as high as second based on the Week 17 results. A playoff bye would be a welcome relief, as the Chargers bounced them from the Wild Card Round last year.
In order to secure that second seed, the Bengals need to win the AFC North by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. They also have to hope for the Broncos to stumble at the finish line and drop what should be an easy contest against the Oakland Raiders.
Then again, the Raiders managed to end the Buffalo Bills' playoff hopes in Week 16 with a stunning 26-24 win, so it's quite possible a late-stage shake-up of the playoff order is in store for the final week of the regular season.
San Diego owns the sixth seed in the AFC and can secure a playoff spot by defeating the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 17—a task much easier said than done, considering the Chiefs still have a slim chance of making the playoffs. Andy Reid's squad would need to beat the Chargers and have the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens lose to the Jaguars and Browns, respectively, in the final week of the season.
Since Blake Bortles is unlikely to lead the Jags to victory over a J.J. Watt-led defense, the Texans and the Ravens are the real bubble teams to watch in the AFC. If the Texans win and both the Ravens and Bolts lose, we get to keep watching more of Watt, who could garner MVP votes if this scenario plays out.
The Ravens lost to the Chargers back in Week 13, so they are behind in the tiebreaker. They need to handle their own business by defeating the Browns and hope for the Bolts to lose.
All of the potential wild-card teams in the AFC—save for the Bengals and Steelers, who square off on Sunday night—are set for 1 p.m. Eastern Time kickoffs on Sunday, which should make for a nerve-wracking afternoon for football fans across America.
| Seattle Seahawks | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 13 | 0 |
NFC Playoff Picture
Unlike the AFC, there is no real wild-card drama in the NFC heading into Week 17.
Philadelphia choked against the lowly Washington Redskins in Week 16. The Green Bay Packers beat Tampa Bay, and the Dallas Cowboys wrapped up a playoff spot by demolishing the Indianapolis Colts, leaving the Falcons as the only team on the outside looking in.
Therefore, the focus is on the division races. Only the Cowboys have wrapped things up in the NFC East. Everything else is up for grabs.
Somehow, Cam Newton and the Panthers can sneak into the playoffs and win the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record. Just two weeks after a rollover car wreck, Newton led his team to a decisive win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 16. It was Carolina's third victory in a row and one that set up a do-or-die matchup against Atlanta, who handily defeated the New Orleans Saints 30-14 on Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks destroyed the division-rival Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 and could finish with a No. 1 seed in the NFC if they end up with 12 wins—something that hardly seemed possible at the midway point of this season.
Grantland's Robert Mays singled out middle linebacker Bobby Wagner as a catalyst for the Seahawks' terrifying return to form on defense:
"The usual suspects have their cases, too — the secondary gives the defense that “Do they really have 12 guys out there?” feel — but Bobby Wagner is the other name that warrants mentioning. It’s not as if the Seahawks were a bad defense for the five games Wagner missed, but they’re whole again with him back in the middle. Seattle has given up 6.6 points per game over their five-game winning streak, which happened to start upon Wagner’s return.
"
The Packers and the Detroit Lions will do battle in Week 17 with the NFC North title on the line. It's a huge game for both teams, as they can finish anywhere from the first seed to the sixth seed based on the outcome of their matchup and the other final-week results involving the Seahawks, Cardinals and Cowboys.
Dallas should have the most manageable game in Week 17, playing against the Washington Redskins. Seattle hosts a deceptively tough Rams squad, but it will be playing at home, and its own recent form trumps that of its division rival. The Cardinals could very well lose to the 49ers on the road, considering the latter team will be playing for pride after a thoroughly disappointing overtime loss to the Chargers in Week 16.
If the teams with better winning percentages all win their respective games in Week 17 and the Packers take care of business at home against the Lions, then Seattle would clinch a playoff bye, the Cowboys and Panthers would take the third and fourth seeds, and the Cardinals and Lions would be the wild-card representatives.
That's just one of many scenarios that could play out in Week 17, which means the NFC battles deserve just as much attention as they do in any other week, especially for teams hoping to avoid a trip to the hostile confines of CenturyLink Field in the playoffs.
Note: For a complete look at tiebreaker rules, clinching scenarios and potential seeding, check out the breakdown at CBSSports.com.
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 5 a.m. ET.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
