NFL Playoff Picture Week 14: Breaking Down AFC and NFC Postseason Outlook

You would think that through 13 weeks of the NFL season, the playoff picture would be starting to shake out. Of course, that is not the case, and the races for the wild-card spots in particular are a jumbled mess.

For some fun with the potential playoff scenarios, check out the ESPN Playoff Machine.

As John Breech of CBS Sports notes, it would be bizarre if the playoffs started today, but he was still kind enough to provide us with a look at the playoff picture after Sunday's action.

After starting out the season 10-0 and looking nearly unstoppable, the New England Patriots' rash of injuries caught up to them and they dropped two games in a row. ESPN Stats and Info pointed out that the Patriots simply do not lose back-to-back contests.

With their second loss and based on tiebreakers, the Patriots dropped to third in the AFC standings behind the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos. With a head-to-head loss to Denver, the Patriots will have some work to do to get that valuable first-round bye.

Even though the Indianapolis Colts got housed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, they are still holding on to a slim lead in the AFC South. The New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs currently claim the two wild-card spots at 7-5. The Steelers are also 7-5, but the Jets win the tiebreaker as of now based on their conference record.

The Buffalo Bills, with their 15-year playoff drought, are still holding on to slim hopes of breaking the longest playoff-less streak in the four major pro sports. The Bills sit at 6-6 after their win over the Houston Texans, but the Bills would likely need to go 3-1 or 4-0 and get some help along the way to get back to the postseason.

On the NFC side, the Carolina Panthers and MVP front-runner Cam Newton pace the conference at 12-0, and they clinched the NFC South and a playoff berth on Sunday. At 10-2, the Arizona Cardinals lead the NFC West and currently hold the second seed in the NFC.

Washington currently leads the NFC East at 5-6, and with a win Monday night it can put some space between itself and the rest of the division. However, should Washington lose to the Dallas Cowboys, it will drop to 5-7, the same record as the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. 

But with a win over the Eagles and a better division record than the Giants, Washington would win the tiebreakers. Either way, it looks like the NFC East will come down to the last few weeks of the season, as it seems to do every season.

The Cowboys aren't even out of it yet. Despite their 3-8 record and playing most of the season without Tony Romo, a win Monday puts the Cowboys within shouting distance of the division crown.

After their loss Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings surrendered the NFC North lead to the Green Bay Packers. The Packers beat the Vikings earlier this year, so they own the tiebreaker. But the two teams still play in the last week of the season, and it could decide the division.

However, with their eight wins, the Vikings are still in the driver's seat for the first wild-card spot. The Seattle Seahawks currently have the No. 6 seed and final playoff spot at 7-5. At 6-6 and helmed by a rookie quarterback, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are, amazingly, still lingering. But they would need a strong finish to the season to overtake either Minnesota or Seattle.

There's still a month's worth of action left, so everything is far from decided—except for the NFC South. The Panthers have that locked up. For the rest of the teams, all they can do is win, and everything else will take care of itself. Having so many teams still in the hunt should make for some exciting action down the stretch.