NFL Scores Week 17: Final Results, Playoff Standings and Picture for AFC, NFC

It's the first day of 2017 and the final day of the NFL regular season has come to a close. While the playoff picture was relatively clear coming into the day, the postseason has now been set.

Coming into the day, the playoff field in the AFC was completely set. However, the final seeding for the conference was not. With the New England Patriots besting the Miami Dolphins during the early slate, the Patriots have locked up the No. 1 seed while the Dolphins have earned the sixth seed.

The Philadelphia Eagles' early-afternoon win officially eliminated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from playoff contention. The New York Giants beat the Washington Redskins in the late afternoon to send Washington home for the postseason.

Also in the late afternoon, the Oakland Raiders fell from the No. 2 seed in the AFC, while the Atlanta Falcons clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Kansas City Chiefs slide into the AFC's second slot and earn the title of AFC West champ.

To cap the day's action. The Green Bay Packers knocked off the Detroit Lions to claim the NFC North title and keep Detroit as the sixth seed.

Let's take a look at the playoff field and examine some of the top playoff-related storylines coming out of sendoff Sunday.

Week 17 Playoff Picture

Seed	Team	Record
AFC
NFC
1	New England Patriots	14-2
2	Kansas City Chiefs	12-4
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	11-5
4	Houston Texans	9-7
5	Oakland Raiders	12-4
6	Miami Dolphins	10-6
1	Dallas Cowboys	13-3
2	Atlanta Falcons	11-5
3	Seattle Seahawks	10-5-1
4	Green Bay Packers	10-6
5	New York Giants	11-5
6	Detroit Lions	9-7

Week 17 Results

Game	Final Score
Baltimore at Cincinnati	27-10 CIN
Jacksonville at Indianapolis	24-20 IND
New England at Miami	35-14 NE
Chicago at Minnesota	38-10 MIN
Buffalo at NY Jets	30-10 NYJ
Dallas at Philadelphia	27-13 PHI
Cleveland at Pittsburgh	27-24 PIT (OT)
Carolina at Tampa Bay	17-16 TB
Houston at Tennessee	24-17 TEN
New Orleans at Atlanta	38-32 ATL
Oakland at Denver	24-6 DEN
Arizona at Los Angeles	44-6 ARI
Kansas City at San Diego	27-17 KC
Seattle at San Francisco	25-23 SEA
NY Giants at Washington	19-10 NYG
Green Bay at Detroit	31-24 GB

Storylines to Watch

Tony Romo Makes an Appearance

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Sunday's game meant nothing for the Dallas Cowboys, who were already locked in as the No. 1 seed. However, the game against the Philadelphia Eagles did give the Cowboys a chance to test some of the roster's depth heading into the postseason.

Part of that depth-testing included a brief appearance by former starter Tony Romo.

Dak Prescott started at quarterback for Dallas and played into the second quarter. Before the Cowboys went to Mark Sanchez at quarterback, they allowed Romo to come in and lead a drive. That drive ended in a touchdown, and Romo was 3-of-4 for 29 yards on the series.

You certainly could view Romo's appearance as an attempt to remind teams he could be available in the offseason.

However, what's more important here is that the Cowboys get a bit of confidence in Romo before the postseason begins. This is relevant because Romo will likely get the call if Prescott should suffer an injury in the playoffs.

Tom Savage Suffers Concussion

The Houston Texans had nothing to play for on Sunday either, but their quarterback situation unfolded a bit differently than the one in Dallas did.

Recently installed starter Tom Savage opened the game for Houston. He played into the second quarter but then took a shot that knocked him out of the game. Initially, the Texans cleared Savage of a concussion:

However, the team later announced that Savage was indeed out:

Houston put former starter Brock Osweiler on the field after Savage left and allowed him to remain there in the second half. Since Savage is the guy Texans coach Bill O'Brien named the starter, his injury could be big heading into the postseason.

If Savage cannot clear protocol before next weekend, the Texans will have no choice but to turn back to Osweiler.

AFC Road to Super Bowl LI Runs Through New England

With the Patriots beating the Dolphins in the early afternoon, New England clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason. This is a situation the Patriots missed out on last season.

New England started the 2015 season 12-2 and with a chance to lock up the No. 1 seed. The team then dropped its final two games, allowing the Denver Broncos to earn the top seed in the conference. As we all now know, the Broncos squeezed out a narrow victory over New England in the AFC title game before winning the Super Bowl.

“Last year we didn’t finish strong,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady told reporters a couple weeks ago, via the Boston Herald. “We need to keep playing well down the stretch.”

New England has indeed played well to finish the season. By doing so it has locked up the top slot in the AFC bracket.

The Dolphins will visit the Pittsburgh Steelers next weekend.

Redskins Out

The Giants stayed true to their plan of playing their starters in a season finale that meant nothing for the team. This helped New York earn a 19-10 victory over Washington. Not only does this allow the Giants to enter the postseason with some momentum, but it also keeps the rival Redskins out of the playoffs entirely.

Considering Washington handed New York a loss earlier in the season and played the team close until the final minutes on Sunday, the Giants are probably happy they won't risk seeing them a third time this year.

The loss by Washington took a little bit of the thunder from the Sunday night game between the Lions and Packers. The Packers and Lions still played for the NFC North title, but the Redskins loss meant the game wasn't a win-or-go-home affair.

Raiders Fall, McGloin Injured

The Raiders had an opportunity to clinch the AFC West crown and a first-round bye on Sunday. Unfortunately, they could muster very little on the road against the Denver Broncos, eventually falling 24-6.

With the Chiefs taking care of business against the San Diego Chargers, Oakland falls from the No. 2 seed to the No. seed. They'll be traveling to face the Houston Texans in the opening round of the playoffs. 

The Raiders might not know who they'll have at quarterback for that game either. Starter Derek Carr was lost for the year to a fractured fibula last week. Backup Matt McGloin was knocked out of Sunday's game with a shoulder injury. Rookie Connor Cook replaced him.

While the Raiders have undeniably taken a tremendous step forward this season, it's been a disappointing final few weeks.

Packers Complete In-Season Comeback

When Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers claimed the Packers could win out while sitting at 4-6, it seemed a bit like good old-fashioned blind confidence. Sunday's win, though, capped a six-game winning streak and made Rodgers appear more like a soothsayer.

Of course, Rodgers' play has had a little something to do with things. Since predicting the Packers could win out, he's thrown 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Packers defense—which is rated 15th overall by Pro Football Focus—has also shown improvement.

The Lions, meanwhile, have dropped three in a row. For a team that once sat at 9-4 and seemed to have control of the NFC North, the sixth seed has to feel like a disappointment. Detroit will be heading into Seattle to take on the Seahawks in the postseason's opening weekend.

Green Bay will play host to the Giants.