NFL Playoff Picture Week 15: Reviewing AFC, NFC Scenarios Before Sunday's Action

The end of the NFL regular season is drawing near, and the playoff picture is beginning to take form.

Thanks to the New York Jets' win over the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night, Todd Bowles' club is reassured the fifth seed for at least another day.

Meanwhile, the NFC playoff picture is almost set, with the only uncertainties being when the Carolina Panthers clinch the No. 1 seed and two division races that can still shake up the playoff picture.

Here are your updated playoff scenarios heading into Sunday.

AFC Standings

Rank	Team	Opponent	Record
1	New England Patriots	vs. Titans	11-2
2	Cincinnati Bengals	at 49ers	10-3
3	Denver Broncos	at Steelers	10-3
4	Indianapolis Colts	vs. Texans	6-7
5	New York Jets	Won 19-16 vs. DAL Sat.	9-5
6	Kansas City Chiefs	at Ravens	8-5
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	vs. Broncos	8-5
8	Houston Texans	at Colts	6-7
9	Buffalo Bills	at Redskins	6-7
10	Oakland Raiders	vs. Packers	6-7

NFC Standings

Rank	Team	Opponent	Record
1	Carolina Panthers	at New York Giants	13-0
2	Arizona Cardinals	at Eagles	11-2
3	Green Bay Packers	at Raiders	9-4
4	Washington Redskins	vs. Bills	6-7
5	Seattle Seahawks	vs. Browns	8-5
6	Minnesota Vikings	vs. Bears	8-5
7	Atlanta Falcons	at Jaguars	6-7
8	New York Giants	vs. Panthers	6-7
9	Philadelphia Eagles	vs. Cardinals	6-7
10	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Lost 31-23 to STL Thurs.	6-8

AFC Wild Card Spots Still Wide Open

There was no bigger winner on Saturday than the Jets. As ugly as it was, that 19-16 win over Dallas keeps the Jets alive for the moment.

Should the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs both win Sunday, the Jets will drop back to seventh place. New York will need a multitude of factors to go its way should it be in position to clinch a wild-card spot, but the first priority is a loss by either the Steelers or Chiefs.

Since dropping two in a row to Buffalo and Houston, the Jets have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winners of four straight with two divisional games left against the New England Patriots and Bills.

Bleacher Report's Connor Hughes thinks that should the Jets get into the playoffs, no team would want to face them:

No Jets playoff run can be official unless they beat the Patriots, and that's who the Jets will put their four-game winning streak on the line against in Week 16.

One of those three teams (Jets, Steelers, Chiefs) will not make it to the playoffs, and if the Jets do not beat the Patriots, it might be them. But recent history has told us anything can happen.

NFC Division Races Far from Over

The Cowboys are officially out of playoff contention, which means the NFC East is now a three-team race.

The Washington Redskins hold the advantage heading into Sunday, according to ESPN.com's playoff machine. With the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles also sitting at 6-7, every game is critical. 

Unfortunately for the Giants, they got the short end of the stick by taking on the undefeated Carolina Panthers, who will surely be playing to win because doing so locks up the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Redskins have a home date with the Bills, which could be a tuneup before their biggest game of the year in Week 16 against Philly.

The Eagles didn't get a fair draw either, knowing they have to play the Arizona Cardinals, who need a win and a Green Bay Packers loss to lock up a first-round bye. 

Speaking of the Packers, the NFC North is not done yet. Even if the Packers beat the Oakland Raiders and the Cardinals in the next two weeks, they're going to need a Minnesota Vikings loss at some point. If the Vikings beat the Giants and Chicago Bears, then Week 17's showdown at Lambeau Field will decide the division.

Mike Wobschall of Vikings.com goes into more detail on how the Vikings can pass the Packers: "Currently, Green Bay owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Vikings, but if the Vikings finish with the same record as Green Bay and defeat Green Bay in Week 17, then the Vikings get the nod by virtue of winning the second tiebreaker (division winning percentage)."

The Vikings have two winnable games on the dock, but taking a winner-take-all game against the Packers in Lambeau in Week 17 may be too hard a task should Minnesota reach that point.