NFL Playoff Schedule 2016: Dates, TV Info and Lastest Wild-Card Scenarios

This is an unusual year in the NFL, because all of the teams on the NFC side of the playoff bracket have been set prior to Week 17.

The Minnesota Vikings clinched their position in the playoffs when they humbled the New York Giants 49-17 in the Week 16 Sunday night game.

While the Vikings were the last team to clinch a position—they eliminated the Atlanta Falcons in the process—they could still end up with the NFC North title and earn the No. 3 seed.

Ranking	Team	Record	Week 17 opponent	Skinny
1	Carolina Panthers	14-1	vs. Tampa Bay	Will bounce back and clinch top spot
2	Arizona Cardinals	13-2	vs. Seattle	Strong No. 2 seed
3	Green Bay Packers	10-5	vs. Minnesota	Struggling now; could lose to Vikings
4	Washington Redskins	8-7	at Dallas	Improving each week
5	Minnesota Vikings	10-5	at Green Bay	Good chance to upset Pack
6	Seattle Seahawks	9-6	at Arizona	Tough assignment in regular-season finale

The Vikings will meet the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field for the division championship in Week 17's edition of Sunday Night Football. That game is the final contest on the regular-season schedule.

Those two teams could end up facing each other again the following week, depending on the outcome of the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. If the Seahawks beat the Cardinals and finish the year with a 10-6 record, they would gain the No. 5 seed if the Packers beat the Vikings.

In that case, Minnesota would also have a 10-6 record, and the Vikings would slip to the No. 6 seed because they were beaten by the Seahawks in Week 13's head-to-head matchup.

NFL Wild Card Weekend

Dates: Jan. 9-10

TV: Fox, NBC, CBS and ESPN, times and games to be determined

The Washington Redskins have clinched the No. 4 seed as a result of winning the NFC East. They will host the No. 5 seed, and their opponent will be the Packers, Seahawks or Vikings.

The Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers have clinched the top two spots on the NFC side, and both teams will have a bye during Wild Card Weekend. If the Panthers beat Tampa Bay in their season finale, they will take the No. 1 overall seed, while the Cardinals will earn that spot if they beat the Seahawks and the Panthers lose to Tampa Bay.

Ranking	Team	Record	Week 17 opponent	Skinny
1	New England Patriots	12-3	at Miami	Pats should survive in close game
2	Cincinnati Bengals	11-3	vs. Baltimore	Still must prove playoff pedigree
3	Denver Broncos	10-4	vs. San Diego	Not a championship-level offensive team
4	Houston Texans	8-7	vs. Jacksonville	Stellar defensive personnel
5	Kansas City Chiefs	10-5	vs. Oakland	Hoping for Denver loss to seize AFC West
6	N.Y. Jets	10-5	at Buffalo	Jets look playoff-ready
--	Pittsburgh Steelers	9-6	at Cleveland	May have blown their opportunity
--	Indianapolis Colts	7-8	vs. Tennessee	It will be over soon

On the AFC side, the Denver Broncos are sitting with the No. 3 seed as they prepare for their Monday night game aainst the Cincinnati Bengals. The Houston Texans are the likely AFC South champions and are holding onto the No. 4 spot. The Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets have the No. 5 and 6 seeds, respectively.

Gail Burton/Associated Press

However, there are many more moving parts in the AFC than there are in the NFC. The Chiefs could supplant the Broncos as AFC West champions if Denver loses one of its final two games while the Chiefs beat Oakland in their season finale.

If the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans and the Texans lose to Jacksonville, the Colts could still win the division title if the Broncos beat the Bengals Monday night, as Indianapolis would gain an advantage in the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker. That scenario appears to be quite remote.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could knock out the Jets if they beat Cleveland while New York loses its season finale at Buffalo.

The Steelers could also make it by beating the Browns, having the Broncos lose to Cincinnati Monday night and then dropping their season finale to the San Diego Chargers.

If the Broncos beat Cincinnati and San Diego, they will end up with a bye in the first round. That scenario would force Cincinnati to play in the wild-card round as the No. 3 seed.

It will all be over Sunday night when the Vikings and Packers conclude their game on the frozen tundra. The wild-card schedule will be revealed shortly thereafter.