NFL Playoffs 2014-15: Current Standings and Final Predictions Before Week 17

Drama and sports go hand in hand. It's what keeps fans watching and invested like their lives depended on it. Week 17 of the NFL season is as drama-filled as any weekend on the sports calendar because it's the final step before the playoffs.

This year's postseason is shaping up to be as unpredictable as any in recent memory because all of the top teams have shown at least one major flaw that can come out at any moment. There's no margin for error in a win-or-go-home situation, so the 12 teams fighting for immortality must be on point.

Before the playoffs start, there are still a few things to be settled in Week 17. There are two playoff spots up for grabs and seeding to be sorted out.

Here's a look at the current standings, as well as predictions for what things will look like Sunday night.

AFC Standings	Seed	NFC Standings
New England Patriots (AFC East Champion; Already Clinched)	1	Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos (AFC West Champion)	2	Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers	3	Dallas Cowboys (NFC East Champion)
Indianapolis Colts (AFC South Champion)	4	Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals	5	Arizona Cardinals
San Diego Chargers	6	Detroit Lions

Analysis

The top two seeds in the AFC and NFC should come as no surprise.

New England has been the best team in the league for the last 13 weeks and already locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Denver was on a four-game winning streak before losing to Cincinnati in Week 16, but something hasn't looked right with the Broncos since losing to St. Louis in Week 11.

Peyton Manning, in particular, has been off his game, via NFL on ESPN:

However, Manning and the Broncos catch a break in Week 17 with a home game against Oakland. The Raiders have been playing well lately, but they are 0-7 on the road in 2014.

Something has to give, and it's more likely to go in Denver's favor than Oakland's.

Seattle needs a win over St. Louis or an Arizona loss against San Francisco to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It seems likely that at least one of those things will happen—more likely a Seahawks win—so the road to the Super Bowl will go through CenturyLink Field again.

Green Bay and Detroit meet for the NFC North championship. Even though the Lions beat the Packers earlier this season, that was a different time for the latter team. Aaron Rodgers hadn't yet told everyone to relax, and Eddie Lacy was still a struggling running back.

Lambeau Field has been a house of horrors for all of Green Bay's opponents this season; the Packers have outscored teams 288-143 in seven games. It's also not a place that's been kind to Detroit for a long time, per B/R's Russell Baxter:

In other words, the Packers will hold serve and secure a first-round bye. The Lions will be stuck with the No. 6 seed and a matchup against Dallas, which will get stuck with the No. 3 seed despite a win over Washington.

The AFC North champion will be the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh winner. The Bengals have regained their mojo with two straight wins after a 42-21 loss against the Steelers.

The best way to defeat the Steelers this season has been throwing the ball, but the Bengals' strength on offense is running the ball. Jeremy Hill has been on fire since taking over the starting job, as this stat from ESPN's Adam Caplan shows:

If this game comes down to a battle between quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger has 4,635 yards and 30 touchdowns. Andy Dalton has 3,154 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Steelers are at home in prime time, so expect them to pull out a squeaker to win the division—though both teams are already in the playoffs.

The final two spots still available will go to Carolina in the NFC and San Diego in the AFC. In a division that no one seems like they wanted to win for a long time, the Panthers have won three straight games to be in this position against Atlanta.

The Falcons have only been able to beat teams in their own division, going 5-0 against the NFC North and 1-9 against everyone else. With two streaks on the line, Carolina gets the edge by virtue of playing better team football.

The Chargers will capture the sixth seed in the AFC with a win against Kansas City. Even though San Diego has been beaten up down the stretch, the team has done enough to control its destiny.

This is the kind of matchup Mike McCoy's team has thrived on, with eight of nine wins coming against teams with less than 10 wins.

Kansas City is spiraling down the stretch, losing four of its last five games. The offense has been struggling with 62 points in those losses. Jamaal Charles averaged 20.8 touches per game during the Chiefs' five-game winning streak from Week 7 through 11.

In the five games since, Kansas City's Pro Bowl running back is averaging 15.2 touches per game. You would think Andy Reid would put things together, but it hasn't happened yet.

Plus, does anyone trust Alex Smith to make a play in a critical moment?

The Chargers aren't always pretty, but Philip Rivers has been able to get the job done. Sometimes that's all it takes to make the playoffs.

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