NFL Playoff Picture Week 14: Examining AFC, NFC Scenarios Before Sunday's Action

We are in the home stretch of the season, and teams are battling for their playoff lives with every game.

While the postseason scenario will come into greater focus with each passing week, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals have already clinched their postseason spots.

Where they will end up has not been determined, but Ron Rivera's undefeated Panthers and Bruce Arians' consistent Cardinals have already done enough to secure their spots in the playoffs.

As we head into Week 14, here's a look at the AFC and NFC postseason scenarios.

Rank	Team	Record	Closing Schedule
1	Cincinnati Bengals	10-2	vs. Pittsburgh, at San Francisco, at Denver, vs. Baltimore
2	Denver Broncos	10-2	vs. Oakland, at Pittsburgh, vs. Cincinnati, vs. San Diego
3	New England Patriots	10-2	at Houston, vs. Tennessee, at N.Y. Jets, at Miami
4	Indianapolis Colts	6-6	at Jacksonville, vs. Houston, at Miami, vs. Tennessee
5	Kansas City Chiefs	7-5	vs. San Diego, at Baltimore, vs. Cleveland, vs. Oakland
6	N.Y. Jets	7-5	vs. Tennessee, at Dallas, vs. New England, at Buffalo
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	7-5	at Cincinnati, vs. Denver, at Baltimore, at Cleveland
8	Buffalo Bills	6-6	at Philadelphia, at Washington, vs. Dallas, vs. N.Y. Jets
9	Houston Texans	6-6	vs. New England, at Indianapolis, at Tennessee, vs. Jacksonville

AFC

The Cincinnati Bengals (10-2) and the Denver Broncos (10-2) occupy the top two seeds in the AFC, and if the season ended right now, both of those teams would have byes in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

However, it will be impossible for both of these teams to win out, because the Bengals and Broncos will play each other in the Mile High City in Week 16.

That means the New England Patriots (10-2), who take a two-game losing streak into their Week 14 game at Houston, can clinch a first-round bye if they win out.

Denver has a challenging four-game stretch with tough games against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in addition to winnable games against Oakland and San Diego.

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The Bengals host Pittsburgh Sunday in addition to their Week 16 game at Denver, but their other games are against struggling San Francisco and Baltimore.

The Steelers game has the attention of Bengals wideout Marvin Jones. "It's going to be bloody on both sides," Jones told Coley Harvey of ESPN. "We expect that."

The Patriots' closing four-game stretch includes Houston, Tennessee, the New York Jets and Miami. The Patriots' only remaining home game is with the Titans in Week 15.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-6) and Houston Texans (6-6) are battling for the AFC South title. It seems highly unlikely that the second-place finisher will have any chance at a playoff spot because of their season-long mediocre play.

Those two teams will meet in Indianapolis in Week 15, and the winner of that game will help themselves greatly. The Texans face the the Patriots at home Sunday, and that game could be quite difficult for Bill O'Brien's up-and-down team.

The Kansas City Chiefs (7-5) and the New York Jets (7-5) are currently holding the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds in the AFC, respectively.

The Chiefs have won six games in a row, and they have four winnable games remaining on their schedule with San Diego, Baltimore, Cleveland and Oakland. The game against the Ravens is their only game away from raucous Arrowhead Stadium.

The Jets have responded well to first-year head coach Todd Bowles, but they have a much tougher closing run. After games against Tennessee and Dallas, the Jets will get tested by the Patriots and the Bills to close the season. If the Jets slip in those games, the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) will be poised to make a run at the No. 6 seed.

The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger back in the lineup, and they are coming off a 45-10 win over the Colts in Week 13. They play at Cincinnati Sunday and host Denver in Week 15 before closing with Baltimore and Cleveland.

The Buffalo Bills (6-6) still have a chance to make the playoffs, but they will need two of the teams in front of them to stumble.

Rank	Team	Record	Schedule
1	Carolina Panthers	12-0	vs. Atlanta, at N.Y. Giants, at Atlanta, vs. Tampa Bay
2	Arizona Cardinals	11-2	at Philadelphia, vs. Green Bay, vs. Seattle
3	Green Bay Packers	8-4	vs. Dallas, at Oakland, at Arizona, vs. Minnesota
4	Washington Redskins	5-7	at Chicago, vs. Buffalo, at Philadelphia, at Dallas
5	Minnesota Vikings	8-5	vs. Chicago, vs. N.Y. Giants, at Green Bay
6	Seattle Seahawks	7-5	at Baltimore, vs. Cleveland, vs. St. Louis, at Arizona
7	Tampa Bay Bucs	6-6	vs. New Orleans, at St. Louis, vs. Chicago, at Carolina
8	Atlanta Falcons	6-6	at Carolina, at Jacksonville, vs. Carolina, vs. New Orleans
9	N.Y. Giants	5-7	at Miami, vs. Carolina, at Minnesota, vs. Philadelphia
10	Philadelphia Eagles	5-7	vs. Buffalo, vs. Arizona, vs. Washington, at N.Y. Giants

NFC

The Panthers (12-0) are simply rolling, and they would need a collapse to miss out on the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They seem to have an excellent chance at finishing the regular season undefeated, because their schedule includes two games against the slumping Atlanta Falcons, along with dates against the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Cardinals (11-2) clinched their playoff spot with with their victory over the Minnesota Vikings Thursday night. The Cardinals will clinch the NFC West with a loss by the Seattle Seahawks.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers (8-4) are in first place in the NFC North, but their grip is tenuous. They took a half-game lead over the Vikings as a result of Minnesota's loss Thursday night. If the Packers lose Sunday to Dallas, they would still remain in first place in the division as a result of their tiebreaker edge over Mike Zimmer's team.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Packers and Panthers have the best chance of winning NFC games this weekend.

"

A look at the Week 14 NFL slate. FPI gives the Panthers a 77% chance of improving to 13-0: pic.twitter.com/AkRTPEQQ92

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 12, 2015"

The Vikings (8-5) are still in good shape to make the playoffs, and they currently hold the No. 5 seed. They have home games remaining with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants before closing the season at Green Bay.

The Seahawks (7-5) have reeled off three straight victories and have the No. 6 spot in the NFC playoffs. After a halting first half of the year, the Seahawks are playing their best football, as quarterback Russell Wilson has thrown 21 TD passes, including eight in the last two games. The Seahawks close the season with games against Baltimore, Cleveland, St. Louis and Arizona.

The Bucs (6-6) and the Falcons (6-6) have a chance at the wild-card spots, but it doesn't seem likely that either the Vikings or Seahawks will lose enough to give them a realistic opportunity.

The NFC East is not a pretty picture, as the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants are tied with 5-7 records. No matter how bad it looks, one of those teams will almost certainly end up in the playoffs as the division champion. The Cowboys (4-8) remain alive, but they have only the faintest of hopes.

Currently, the Redskins are holding on to first place because of the tiebreaker edge.