NFL Playoffs 2016-17: AFC and NFC Predictions for Postseason
The New England Patriots (10-2) are holding down the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, and that position is secure—at least for this week.
The Pats have a half-game lead over the Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) as they prepare to host the Baltimore Ravens (7-5) at Gillette Stadium on Monday night. If the Patriots win the game, they will have a one-game lead over the Chiefs, but even if they lose, they will still maintain the No. 1 position since they have a better record than the Chiefs against common opponents.
The Patriots are 3-0 against the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, while the Chiefs are 1-2 against those teams.
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The Oakland Raiders (10-3) had been the No. 1 seed overall in the AFC and the first-place team in the AFC West, but that changed when they lost their Thursday night game at Kansas City. The Raiders lost both meetings to Kansas City this season, so that gives the Chiefs the tiebreaker edge for the division lead.
| AFC | New England Patriots | 10-2 | AFC East champions, No. 1 seed |
| AFC | Kansas City Chiefs | 10-3 | AFC West champions, No. 2 seed |
| AFC | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-5 | AFC North champions, No. 3 seed |
| AFC | Tennessee Titans | 7-6 | AFC South champions, No. 4 seed |
| AFC | Oakland Raiders | 10-3 | No. 1 wild card, No. 5 seed |
| AFC | Miami Dolphins | 8-5 | No. 2 wild card, No. 6 seed |
| AFC | Denver Broncos | 8-5 | Out of playoffs |
| AFC | Baltimore Ravens | 7-5 | Out of playoffs |
| AFC | Houston Texans | 7-6 | Out of playoffs |
| NFC | Dallas Cowboys | 11-2 | NFC East champions, No. 1 seed |
| NFC | Seattle Seahawks | 8-4-1 | NFC West champions, No. 2 seed |
| NFC | Detroit Lions | 9-4 | NFC North champions, No. 3 seed |
| NFC | Atlanta Falcons | 8-5 | NFC South champions, No. 4 seed |
| NFC | New York Giants | 9-4 | No. 1 wild card, No.5 seed |
| NFC | Green Bay Packers | 7-6 | No. 2 wild card, No. 6 seed |
| NFC | Tampa Bay Buccanneers | 8-5 | Out of playoffs |
| NFC | Washington Redskins | 7-5-1 | Out of playoffs |
| NFC | Minnesota Vikings | 7-6 | Out of playoffs |
The Steelers (8-5) moved into first place in the AFC North as a result of their victory over the Buffalo Bills, but they won't hold on to that spot if the Ravens beat the Patriots. The Ravens have the tiebreaker because they beat the Steelers head-to-head earlier this season.
The Houston Texans (7-6) have a tiebreaker edge on the Tennessee Titans (7-6) because Houston picked up a home victory over the Titans in Week 4. The two teams will close the regular season at Tennessee on Jan. 1.
The Raiders and the Denver Broncos (8-5) are holding on to the two wild-card spots. It may be difficult for the defending Super Bowl champions to maintain that position since they close the season with three challenging games against New England, Kansas City and Oakland.
The NFC belongs to the Dallas Cowboys (11-2), even though they lost to the New York Giants (9-4) Sunday night. It was Dallas' first loss after 11 consecutive victories.
The 10-7 defeat at MetLife Stadium prevented the Cowboys from clinching the division, but Dallas still holds a two-game lead over New York.
However, if the Giants can make up that two-game deficit and tie the Cowboys for first at the end of the regular season, New York would win the division due to its 2-0 record against the Cowboys.
The Detroit Lions (9-4) became the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture after they beat the Chicago Bears in Week 14 and the Seattle Seahawks (8-4-1) got hammered by the Green Bay Packers.
The Atlanta Falcons (8-5) are holding on to first place in the NFC South, even though the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) have the same record. The Falcons hold the tiebreaker edge over the Bucs.
The Giants and the Bucs are holding down the two wild-card spots going into the final three weeks of the season.
In the AFC, the Miami Dolphins (8-5), Ravens and Titans are all on the outside looking in right now, but all three have solid chances of getting into the playoffs.
The Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers are all still technically alive for the postseason, but all four of those teams will need help.
In the NFC, the Washington Redskins (7-5-1), Minnesota Vikings (7-6) and Packers (7-6) are not in the playoff picture, but they are fighting for postseason positions.
The Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles have not been eliminated yet.
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