NFL Playoff Picture Week 13: Examining AFC, NFC Scenarios Before Sunday's Action

All signs point to a chaotic finish to the NFL regular season over the next five weeks. Given the amount of parity, both in terms of the division races and even more so in the wild-card chase, a majority of teams still have legitimate playoff hopes at this stage of the campaign.

Technically speaking, even the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans, which are tied for the league's worst record at 2-9, are still alive. More realistically, there are probably about 26 teams still active, with those on the brink at 4-7 needing to win out and get some help along the way.

With that in mind, let's check out the current playoff standings in both conferences and dive into some of the most important storylines on tap ahead of Sunday's slate.

AFC Playoff Picture

Rank	Team	Record	Note
1.	New England Patriots	10-1	East Leader
2.	Cincinnati Bengals	9-2	North Leader
3.	Denver Broncos	9-2	West Leader
4.	Indianapolis Colts	6-5	South Leader
5.	Kansas City Chiefs	6-5	Wild Card
6.	Houston Texans	6-5	Wild Card
7.	New York Jets	6-5
8.	Pittsburgh Steelers	6-5
9.	Oakland Raiders	5-6
10.	Buffalo Bills	5-6
11.	Jacksonville Jaguars	4-7
12.	Baltimore Ravens	4-7
13.	Miami Dolphins	4-7
14.	San Diego Chargers	3-8
15.	Cleveland Browns	2-9
16.	Tennessee Titans	2-9

The New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos are all playoff-bound barring a monumental collapse. Even if any of those teams did lose out, which is an unlikely premise, there's a chance their record would still be good enough anyway.

So their main focus over the remaining weeks is battling for the two first-round byes. The Patriots have the inside edge at 10-1 and should be in good shape thanks to a favorable schedule down the stretch. That leaves the Bengals and Broncos to battle for the second seed.

While that's an important race, the more intriguing battles are for the AFC South crown and the two wild-card positions.

The Colts have found a groove with Matt Hasselbeck. He's led them to two straight victories while filling in for the injured Andrew Luck to push the team's winning streak to three. It leaves them atop the division on a tiebreaker over the similarly resurgent Houston Texans.

Houston has two avenues—the division title and the wild card—to sneak into the playoffs after rebounding from a 2-5 start with four straight wins. It's also involved in one of the week's biggest swing games as it takes on the Buffalo Bills.

Both teams are still squarely in the mix but have limited margins for mistakes. The Bills have let winnable games slip away against the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Rex Ryan knows what that means for their chances, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.

"There's no room for error," Ryan said. "We know we're backed up as far as you can be backed up. [But] I'm a glass-half-full guy. I get [the circumstances], there's no question about it. [But] I believe we'll play very well. I don't think there's any doubt."

A lot of coaches are probably singing a similar tune to their teams this week. There are 10 teams battling for three spots, counting those that can get in through the South division. It's simply a matter of which ones can get hot at the right time and catch some breaks over the next month.

Other notable games between AFC combatants include an old-school rivalry clash between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, a virtual elimination contest pitting the Baltimore Ravens against the Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in prime time.

NFC Playoff Picture

Rank	Team	Record	Note
1.	Carolina Panthers	11-0	South Leader
2.	Arizona Cardinals	9-2	West Leader
3.	Minnesota Vikings	8-3	North Leader
4.	Washington Redskins	5-6	East Leader
5.	Green Bay Packers	8-4	Wild Card
6.	Seattle Seahawks	6-5	Wild Card
7.	Atlanta Falcons	6-5
8.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5-6
9.	New York Giants	5-6
10.	Chicago Bears	5-6
11.	St. Louis Rams	4-7
12.	Philadelphia Eagles	4-7
13.	New Orleans Saints	4-7
14.	Detroit Lions	4-8
15.	San Francisco 49ers	3-8
16.	Dallas Cowboys	3-8

The outlook in the NFC is much the same as the AFC, though there may be one fewer spot available overall. That's because the tight North race between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers is likely to yield two playoff teams, regardless of who takes the division.

Those two teams, along with the Arizona Cardinals, are battling for a bye. The Carolina Panthers, the league's only remaining undefeated team, are in great shape to claim the top seed with a two-game lead and a manageable schedule.

That leaves the NFC East, which has been a mess, and one wild card up for grabs.

One of the most interesting games featuring two NFC teams this week is the Seattle Seahawks traveling to face the aforementioned Vikings. Not only are they both trying to earn playoff berths, but they play strikingly similar styles, as Aaron Levine of KCPQ highlighted:

Those types of games are often great measuring sticks for both sides. If you're going to make serious noise come playoff time, you'd better play your brand of football better than anybody else.

Other NFC-centric games to keep tabs on include Jameis Winston trying to lead a Tampa Bay Buccaneers playoff charge as they take on the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints trying to keep their slim hopes alive by handing the Panthers their first loss.

Just like in the AFC, there are numerous teams still eyeing one of those playoff berths. Along with all four East teams still being alive thanks to the leader, Washington, holding just a 5-6 record, there are six more teams possibly battling for just one spot if the Packers and Vikings do both get in.

So there are a lot of scenarios in play, several spots to fill and a limited number of games to sort things out. That's good news for teams that feel they are peaking at the right time, because with so many teams floating around the .500 mark, a five-game winning streak will make a massive difference.

Buckle up, a rocky road lies ahead in both conferences.