NFL Playoff Picture 2016: Latest Super Bowl Bracket and AFC, NFC Scenarios

While 10 of the 12 teams are already decided in the NFL postseason, we'll head into Week 17 with a ton on the line. Almost every playoff seed is up for grabs, including the top seeds in both conferences, meaning there won't be any teams taking it easy over the final week of the year.

Below, we'll break down the current playoff seedings and all of the scenarios for the postseason.

AFC

Place	Team	Wins	Losses
1	New England Patriots	12	3
2	Denver Broncos	11	4
3	Cincinnati Bengals	11	4
4	Houston Texans	8	7
5	Kansas City Chiefs	10	5
6	New York Jets	10	5

At this point, the AFC isn't terribly complicated. The New England Patriots will clinch the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win next week, while the Denver Broncos will clinch the AFC West, the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a win. 

Things could get a bit more interesting if the Patriots lose. In that scenario, the Broncos would then clinch the top overall seed with a victory, though the Patriots would automatically clinch the top seed regardless of result if the Broncos lose.

If the Broncos lose and both Cincinnati and Kansas City win, the Bengals would earn the No. 2 seed in the postseason and the Chiefs would win the AFC West. A Broncos loss will clinch the No. 2 seed for the Bengals regardless of whether they win in Week 17. 

In the AFC West, the Houston Texans can clinch with a win or with an Indianapolis Colts loss. Frankly, the chances of the Colts somehow winning the AFC South are miniscule, as the team will need a win and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars (against the Texans), Buffalo Bills, Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens to win as well, according to ESPN Stats & Information (via Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com).

"Believe me, I understand all those things and the scenarios," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien told Ganguli. "But I think this team has to really do what we’ve tried to do all year, especially in the last half of the season, is to show up every day and get better. Try to improve and try to win. Go out there on the game field and win. I think that’s the most important thing."

Meanwhile, the Steelers are holding on to slim hopes that they might still reach the postseason as well. The Steelers need a win and a Jets loss to get into the postseason. Anything less, and the Jets will clinch the final playoff spot in the AFC. 

NFC

Place	Team	Wins	Losses
1	Carolina Panthers	14	1
2	Arizona Cardinals	13	2
3	Green Bay Packers	10	5
4	Washington	8	7
5	Minnesota Vikings	10	5
6	Seattle Seahawks	9	6

In the NFC, every playoff spot is accounted for. At this point, only the seedings are left to be decided.

The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals are guaranteed the top two seeds and a first-round bye. However, if the Panthers lose and the Cardinals win next week, the Cardinals will take the top overall seed. In any other scenario, the Panthers will remain the top seed.

Meanwhile, the No. 3 seed will be decided when the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings play in a game that will decide the NFC North crown. It's a winner take all in Week 17—it's hard to beat that.

The No. 4 seed is locked down and belongs to Washington, one of the teams nobody is really talking about in the NFC playoffs. The Around the NFL crew discussed several of the hotter teams in the league and the play of quarterback Kirk Cousins:

Never underestimate a team with a home game in the playoffs. Washington is fully capable of winning one game in this postseason.

As for the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds, that depends on the Week 17 results.

If the Seattle Seahawks lose to the Cardinals, they are locked into the No. 6 seed. If the Seahawks and Vikings win, the Packers will be the No. 5 seed and the Seahawks will be the No. 6 seed (the Packers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker). If the Seahawks and Packers win, however, the Seahawks will be the No. 5 seed and the Vikings will drop down to No. 6, since the Seahawks hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Minnesota.