NFL Playoff Picture Week 14 for AFC and NFC Postseason Outlook

If you're searching for clarity, the current NFL playoff picture isn't the place to find it.

If parity is your aim, though, then you're absolutely in luck. Because within this muddled mass of teams, you'll notice barely any breathing room between the so-called haves and have-nots.

In the AFC, eight different teams—currently seeded third through 10th—have tallied between six and eight victories. In the NFC, meanwhile, no one has double-digit victories and just two teams have double-digit defeats, so things are about as wide open as you could expect at this point on the calendar.

Things will eventually sort themselves out, but more movement should be expected over the four weeks left on the docket. Still, it's worth checking out where things stand, so we'll update the standings in both conferences before the races for the No. 1 seeds.

AFC Playoff Picture

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1. Denver Broncos (10-2, West; Wins tie break over New England based on best win percentage in common games.)

2. New England Patriots (10-2, East)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4, South; Wins tie break over Indianapolis based on best win percentage in common games.)

4. Baltimore Ravens (6-6, North; Wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on best win percentage in common games.)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4, Wildcard; Wins tie break over Buffalo and Indianapolis based on best win percentage in conference games.)

6. Indianapolis Colts (8-4, Wildcard; Wins tie break over Buffalo based on best win percentage in conference games.)

7. Buffalo Bills (8-4, Wildcard)

8. Houston Texans (7-5)

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6; Wins tie break over Kansas City based on best win percentage in conference games.)

10. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)

11. Miami Dolphins (5-7)

12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)

13. New York Jets (2-9; Wins tie break over Cleveland based on head-to-head win percentage.)

14. Cleveland Browns (3-9)

15. e-Las Vegas Raiders (2-9)

16. e-Tennessee Titans (1-11)

e - eliminated from playoffs

NFC Playoff Picture

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1. Chicago Bears (9-3, North; Wins tie break over LA Rams based on best win percentage in conference games.)

2. Los Angeles Rams (9-3, West; Wins tie break over Seattle based on head-to-head win percentage.)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4, East)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5, South)

5. Seattle Seahawks (8-3, Wild card)

6. Green Bay Packers (8-3-1, Wild card)

7. San Francisco 49ers (9-4, Wildcard)

8. Detroit Lions (7-5)

9. Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)

10. Carolina Panthers (7-6)

11. Atlanta Falcons (4-7; Wins tie break over Minnesota based on head-to-head win percentage.)

12. Minnesota Vikings (4-7)

13. e-Arizona Cardinals (3-9; Wins tie break over Washington based on best win percentage in conference games.)

14. Washington Commanders (3-9)

15. e-New Orleans Saints (2-10; Wins tie break over NY Giants based on head-to-head win percentage.)

16. e-New York Giants (2-19)

e - eliminated from playoffs

Tiebreaker scenarios via ESPN.

The Fights for No. 1

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AFC

The football gods will probably prove this statement was made prematurely, but it looks like there are only two teams in the hunt for the AFC's top seed: the Broncos and Patriots. They're already sitting on 10 wins apiece, while no one else in the conference has more than eight.

Denver has the tie-breaker edge for now, but New England could render that (temporarily) meaningless with a win over 10-loss New York Giants on Monday night. The Pats could propel themselves into their Week 14 bye with a slight cushion, then, although the Broncos could quickly erase it with a looming matchup against the 10-loss Raiders on Sunday.

If these teams are back deadlocked by this time next week, the Pats would have to find an edge over their remaining schedule, but that might be doable. Only one of their final four games comes against an opponent with a winning record (Buffalo in Week 15), while Denver will close out with four consecutive contests against teams with .500-or-better records.

NFC

Four teams in the NFC have nine victories: the Bears, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers. Two others have eight wins: the Eagles and Packers. So, while things seem pretty straightforward in the AFC, this conference's fight for No. 1 will almost certainly be a ferocious struggle to the finish line.

There are too many teams in the hunt to worry about breaking down tiebreakers just yet, so we'll just note this: The 49ers are in pretty great shape should those enter the conversation. They have the most division wins (four) and conference triumphs (eight) of any team in the conference.

Saying that, though, the Niners will perhaps wish they had taken more advantage of their favorable schedule, because things really stiffen up after their Week 14 bye. In fact, San Francisco will suddenly have the eighth-hardest schedule remaining, per Tankathon.com.

Of the six teams listed above in the hunt for No. 1, Philadelphia is sitting prettiest the rest of the way (third-easiest remaining schedule), but the Rams aren't too far behind (eighth-easiest).

If you're looking for down-the-stretch drama, then, you should have your attention fully focused on the NFC. Because things are way too close to call and will probably be that way throughout this race.