NFL Playoff Picture Week 14: Scenarios for AFC and NFC 2017 Postseason Matchups

The NFL is about to embark on a furious four-week rush toward the postseason that could end in any variety of ways. 

With zero teams locked into postseason berths after Week 13, and only three with the opportunity to do so in Week 14, there is plenty to play for in both the AFC and NFC. 

The key division races in both conferences will take place in the South and West, while down in the wild-card places, one team in each league has made a surge into a playoff spot over the last few weeks to make sure we have plenty of drama on our hands. 

Below is a look at the current postseason matchups if the season ended after Week 13.

AFC Postseason Picture

First-Round Byes 

1. Pittsburgh 2. New England 

Wild-Card Round

No. 6 Baltimore at No. 3 Tennessee

No. 5 Jacksonville at No. 4 Kansas City 

There are plenty of fans out there hoping for two editions of Steelers-Patriots over the next two months. 

Everyone is already salivating over the clash of the top two teams in Week 15 at Heinz Field, but the Steelers could come into that game more banged-up than the Patriots, as Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal noted: 

There's nothing physical about the remaining AFC East schedule of the Patriots that features clashes with three divisional foes, starting with the Miami Dolphins in Week 14. 

Regardless of how the Week 15 contest in Pittsburgh plays out, the Steelers and Patriots will be the top two teams in the AFC barring a total collapse. 

With the Kansas City Chiefs flailing at the top of the AFC West and no direct contender taking full advantage of their struggles, the AFC South champion should secure the No. 3 seed at the end of the season.

However, the third seed might be the least-coveted position in the AFC, with the Baltimore Ravens making a surge for the No. 6 seed. Baltimore wide receiver Mike Wallace chimed in on the team's three-game winning streak, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: 

Even though the Ravens are playing fantastic football at the moment, they still need to make up a game on the second-place team in the AFC South in the wild-card race. A loss to the Steelers in Week 14 would make the chase for the No. 5 seed difficult, but the Ravens close the season out with the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals. 

If you're a Ravens fan hoping your team gets what could be seen as the better matchup against the AFC West champion, there is some hope for that to happen if results elsewhere go their way. 

The Titans close the season with road trips to Arizona and San Francisco before hosting the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16. The Week 17 clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars looks like it will determine the AFC South champion. 

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

As for the Jaguars, they play host to the Seahawks in Week 14, take on the Texans in Jacksonville in Week 15 and visit San Francisco in Week 16 before the showdown with Tennessee. 

The No. 4 seed in the AFC, which appears reserved for the AFC West winner, could have a clear resident in two weeks' time if the Chiefs get it together and knock off the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers in consecutive weeks. 

If the Chiefs continue to trend down, the Week 17 game between the Raiders and Chargers in Los Angeles could end up as a divisional title game. 

NFC Postseason Picture

First-Round Byes

1. Minnesota

2. Philadelphia

Wild-Card Round

6. Atlanta at 3. Los Angeles Rams

5. Seattle at 4. New Orleans

We're running out of words to describe the incredible season Case Keenum is having in Minnesota. Yes, we had to do a double take too before we tried to delete that statement.

Keenum has led the Vikings to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and he's doing so by putting up impressive numbers. In Week 13's win over the Falcons, Keenum completed all 18 of his passes inside the painted lines, as ESPN's Adam Schefter noted: 

Securing the top spot in the NFC won't be easy with the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers still on the schedule, but it's hard to argue against their position in the standings right now. 

The game that altered the NFC playoff picture the most in Week 13 was the Seahawks' win at CenturyLink Field over the Eagles. Seattle has busted through the wall the NFC South teams built up in front of the wild-card positions, and there's a possibility it could still host a playoff game. 

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

The perennial power of the NFC West will take on the upstart Los Angeles Rams in Week 15 in Seattle in a contest that could determine the division winner. If the Seahawks find a way to win the NFC West, it's hard seeing a wild-card team winning in Seattle. 

New Orleans, Atlanta and Carolina will be involved in what could be the best bit of divisional drama in the league over the next four weeks. 

The Falcons and Saints have to play twice in the next three weeks, starting with Week 14's Thursday night contest. Atlanta also plays host to the Panthers in Week 17. 

Cam Newton and the Panthers are on the outside looking in, but if they secure a spot in the postseason, it will most likely be as a 10-win team that knocked off the contenders in front of it. 

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Carolina plays host to the Vikings and Packers in Weeks 14 and 15, then takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in Week 16 before visiting the Falcons in Week 17.

The Saints have the easiest path to the NFC South title, as they play the Falcons twice, host the Jets in Week 15 and visit Tampa Bay in Week 17. 

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