NFL Standings 2016: Week 16 Records, Playoff Scenarios, Wild-Card Picture Review

The NFL season is in its home stretch. Some teams have locked up playoff spots, others are fighting for their postseason lives and the rest are looking ahead to offseason vacations.

As of Week 15, the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks have all punched their tickets to the postseason. The Patriots and Panthers already know they'll have Wild Card Weekend off. The Cardinals have clinched the NFC West, while the Packers, Seahawks and Bengals all at least know they have made the postseason.

Here an up-to-the-minute look at the playoff situation:

With their win Sunday, the Houston Texans took control of the AFC South at 7-7. As Sharon Katz of ESPN Stats and Info notes, the division is now the Texans' to lose.

In the AFC North, the Bengals got one step closer to a division title with a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers also got a much-needed win over the Denver Broncos, which vaulted the Steelers over the New York Jets for the last wild-card spot. The Steelers own the tiebreaker over the Jets based on win percentage in common games.

The Steelers look to have the inside track at a wild card over the Jets because of their remaining schedule. Pittsburgh does end the season with two straight road games, but they are against AFC bottom-feeders in the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, the Jets have a home game against the Patriots followed by a trip to Buffalo to be reunited with old friend Rex Ryan.

Denver's loss Sunday leaves the door open for the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC West. The Chiefs end the season at home against the Browns and Oakland Raiders. Based on the way the Chiefs have been playing, both of those games look exceedingly winnable.

The Broncos, meanwhile, have home games remaining against the Bengals and San Diego Chargers. The Bengals are still looking to earn a first-round bye, so that game will be no cakewalk, even with AJ McCarron under center. The Chargers aren't in the playoff picture, but that's still a division game that could go either way.

Barring a catastrophic collapse, the Broncos should be able to sneak their way into the postseason. But they have little room for error lest they get jumped by the Chiefs, Steelers and Jets.

Over in the NFC, the only real question mark remaining is who will win the NFC East. Washington took control of the division Sunday with its win over the Buffalo Bills. It was also aided by losses by the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

The NFC wild cards are also all but sorted, as the Seahawks are pretty much locked into the fifth seed. They've clinched a playoff berth, but they can't catch Arizona in the division. They also own the tiebreaker over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings also all but have punched their ticket as well. They are two games clear of the next team, the Atlanta Falcons, and their Week 16 game against the Giants became a whole lot more winnable after Odell Beckham's suspension came down.

Dan Graziano of ESPN reported Beckham has appealed the suspension, but the star wideout certainly deserves to sit out after his actions Sunday.

The Vikings also beat the Falcons earlier this season, so if it came down to it, the Vikings would own a tiebreaker.

Should everything stay the way it is now, the prize for winning the NFC East will be welcoming the Seahawks to town. Upsets certainly happen, but no matter who emerges from the East, they will be a significant underdog to a team that has gone to back-to-back Super Bowls.

The East will still be exciting to monitor, as the contending teams all still play each other. The AFC wild card can also get interesting should the Chiefs win and the Broncos lose. All we can hope for is Week 16 results that set up as many Week 17 win-and-you're-in situations as possible.