NFL Playoff Picture 2015: Week 17 Standings, AFC and NFC Wild Card Hunt

The 2015 NFL season is down to Week 17 plus the final game of Week 16—an important Monday Night Football matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos.

The playoff picture is taking shape as well with only three of the 12 postseason spots still up for grabs.

In the NFC, it's only a matter of how the top six teams will be seeded after the Minnesota Vikings were the final team to clinch a playoff spot with a Sunday Night Football victory over the New York Giants.

One wild-card spot in the AFC will come down to the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, while the Houston Texans or Indianapolis Colts will win the AFC South depending on certain Week 17 outcomes.

Here's a look at the current standings, as well as how the wild-card races look with one week to play.

AFC East	Record		NFC East	Record
AFC North	Record		NFC North	Record
AFC South	Record		NFC South	Record
AFC West	Record		NFC West	Record
New England Patriots	12-3		Washington	8-7
New York Jets	10-5		Philadelphia Eagles	6-9
Buffalo Bills	7-8		New York Giants	6-9
Miami Dolphins	5-10		Dallas Cowboys	4-11
Cincinnati Bengals	11-3		Green Bay Packers	10-5
Pittsburgh Steelers	9-6		Minnesota Vikings	10-5
Baltimore Ravens	5-10		Detroit Lions	6-9
Cleveland Browns	3-12		Chicago Bears	6-9
Houston Texans	8-7		Carolina Panthers	14-1
Indianapolis Colts	7-8		Atlanta Falcons	8-7
Jacksonville Jaguars	5-10		Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6-9
Tennessee Titans	3-12		New Orleans Saints	6-9
Denver Broncos	10-4		Arizona Cardinals	13-2
Kansas City Chiefs	10-5		Seattle Seahawks	9-6
Oakland Raiders	7-8		St. Louis Rams	7-8
San Diego Chargers	4-11		San Francisco 49ers	4-11

Wild Card Seeds	AFC	NFC
No. 5	Kansas City Chiefs	Minnesota Vikings
No. 6	New York Jets	Seattle Seahawks
Still in the hunt	Pittsburgh Steelers	N/A

Chiefs Just Keep Winning, Moving Up In The AFC

The Kansas City Chiefs may be the most interesting team in the NFL playoff race. After five straight losses dropped them to 1-5, they have run off nine straight wins and secured a playoff spot for the second time in three seasons.

A loss in Week 17 would drop them to the No. 6 seed, while a Denver loss to the Bengals moves Kansas City into the top spot in the AFC West.

It's been a crazy season to say the least, capped off by this video the team shared of head coach Andy Reid "Dabbing" after the Chiefs clinched a playoff spot by defeating the Cleveland Browns in Week 16:

The turnaround has certainly been worth celebrating. In the first six games of the season, Kansas City's average game score was 26.5-21.2 in favor of their opponents. During the nine-game win streak the Chiefs are averaging 28.3 points per game and allowing just 12.3.

And despite losing No. 1 running back Jamaal Charles in Week 5 to a season-ending injury, Kansas City is a team that no one wants to play right now.

It's Only A Matter Of Where, Not Who, In The NFC

Fighting for their playoff lives, the Atlanta Falcons ended the Carolina Panthers' perfect season with an impressive 20-13 home victory. Julio Jones had one of the top plays of the year, leaping high for a 70-yard touchdown en route to nine catches for 178 yards and a score.

However, it was all for naught when the Vikings crushed the Giants, 49-17, and ended the Falcons' postseason hopes in the process.

Now, Minnesota is tied with the Green Bay Packers atop the NFC North, but the Packers hold the tiebreaker. The two teams match up in Week 17 on Sunday Night Football in a winner-take-all game. The winner earns the division and hosts a playoff game, while the loser packs its bags for a road wild-card contest.

However, all the Vikings cared about Sunday night was clinching a playoff spot:

The game is slated for SNF because of the flex schedule set in place where the NFL can choose the time of certain games.

The Vikings will be coming in with momentum after the Packers lost by 30 to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16, but they will certainly have their 30-13 home loss to Green Bay from earlier this season in the back of their minds.