NFL Playoff Picture Week 16: Latest AFC, NFC Standings and Bracket Scenarios

Don’t be deceived by the fact the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots are still atop their respective conferences, where they have been most of the year. There is still plenty at stake in the AFC and NFC playoff brackets heading into a potentially season-defining Week 16 slate.

The Panthers may have some cushion at 14-0, but the Patriots are still fending off the Cincinnati Bengals. What’s more, division titles and wild-card berths hang in the balance.

With that in mind, here is a look at the playoff picture, as of Thursday, as well as bracket scenarios broken down by division.

Bracket Scenarios

NFC East

A wild-card spot is out of the question for the NFC East with 7-7 Washington a game ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. The head-to-head showdown between Washington and Philadelphia in Week 16 is arguably the most important game on the schedule, but the Giants also get a shot at the Eagles in Week 17. 

New York will be in trouble if it loses to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 without the suspended Odell Beckham Jr., whose appeal was denied Wednesday, per NFL.com's Rand Getlin. A Washington victory and a Giants loss would clinch the division for Kirk Cousins and company.

NFC North

The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings are the only teams still in the postseason picture from the NFC North. Green Bay has a one-game advantage and holds a head-to-head victory over Minnesota, although the two play each other again in Week 17. 

If the Packers beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 and the Vikings lose to the Giants, Aaron Rodgers and company will clinch the division title. All the Vikings have to do is win one of their last two games to ensure a playoff spot with a two-game cushion over the Atlanta Falcons in the wild-card race.

NFC South

The Panthers clinched a first-round bye and have a two-game lead over the Cardinals with two games left, which means all it will take is one victory from Carolina or one loss from Arizona for Cam Newton’s squad to secure the No. 1 seed. 

Elsewhere in the division, the Falcons still have a mathematical chance at the playoffs if they win their last two contests and the Vikings lose out. It is a long shot, especially since the undefeated Panthers are next up for the Falcons, but at least Matt Ryan still has something to play for in Week 16.

NFC West

The Cardinals have clinched the division but still have a chance to finish with any of the top three seeds. If Arizona wins out and Carolina loses out, the Cardinals would be the top seed (although the Panthers are yet to lose once this season).

Carson Palmer’s squad is also two games ahead of the Packers with two games left, although Green Bay would clinch the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye if it won out and Arizona lost its last two games. 

As for the two-time defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, they've already clinched a wild-card spot. The only mystery remaining is whether they will be the No. 5 or 6 seed in the battle with the Vikings, but Seattle did beat Minnesota head-to-head in Week 13.

AFC East

The Patriots have clinched the division and a first-round bye and are a game ahead of the Bengals in the race for the No. 1 seed. Denver and Cincinnati play each other Monday, so all the Patriots have to do is take care of business against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins to secure the top seed.

New England coach Bill Belichick commented on the decision to rest or play banged-up players with the first-round bye already in his back pocket, per Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com:

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Can [he] play but less than 100 percent then that depends on whether that conversation continues, how it goes in practice, how the player looks in practice, their feels, possibly what you're going to be asking him to do in the game. If you can determine that depending on what position it is, you can possibly narrow down what the role would be or what you would ask him to do. 

"

As for those Jets, they are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs at 9-5 in the race for the two AFC wild-card spots. However, New York is on the outside looking in heading into Week 16 because of tiebreakers, and it needs to find a way to upset New England given the way the Chiefs and Steelers are playing. 

Kansas City has won eight in a row, while Pittsburgh has won five of its last six.

AFC North

The Bengals have a chance to clinch a first-round bye with a win over the Broncos Monday night, but they still aren’t clear of the Steelers in the division with a two-game cushion and two games remaining. However, one victory against Denver or the Baltimore Ravens would be enough to win the AFC North. 

As for the Steelers, they finish with the Ravens and Cleveland Browns and should keep it rolling with wins in those games to clinch a postseason berth. Analyst Brian Baldinger commented on Pittsburgh's offense, via NFL Network:

The rest of the AFC probably hopes Ben Roethlisberger's team doesn’t crack the postseason field.

AFC South

There is no wild-card possibility for this division, but the 7-7 Houston Texans control their own postseason destiny with a one-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts and two-game lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston finishes with the Tennessee Titans (who are playing without Marcus Mariota) and those Jaguars and looks primed to seize a home postseason game.

The Colts need the Texans to slip up, but they have lost three in a row and appear to be free-falling toward a disappointing finish with a road trip to face the Miami Dolphins awaiting in Week 16. 

As for the Jaguars, they must find a way to win on the road against the New Orleans Saints and Texans and hope for losses elsewhere.

AFC West

Most of the focus for the Broncos is on earning a No. 2 seed and a first-round bye (see above), but they are only one game ahead of the Chiefs. Kansas City also finishes with the Browns and Oakland Raiders, so Denver needs to take care of business against Cincinnati and the San Diego Chargers.

Fortunately for the Broncos, both games are at home, but Chris Chase of USA Today described how easy it is to envision a Chiefs division title:

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It’s fairly easy for Kansas City to win the division, though the Andy Dalton injury hurts their cause a bit. Because with a win on Sunday (vs. Cleveland) and a Broncos loss on Monday (to A.J. McCarron’s Bengals), the teams would be tied and it’d be Kansas City who controls its own destiny going into the season’s final week.

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Chase explained that Denver could actually finish with the No. 1, 2, 3, 5 or 6 seed or even miss the playoffs entirely depending on the finish for various teams. The playoffs may as well start now in the Mile High City.