NFL Playoff Scenarios 2017-18: AFC, NFC Picture, Wild-Card Odds Before Week 16

The old saying in poker is that all you need is a chip and a chair to hang around and win a tournament.

Although some NFL teams on the lists below have very small chances to make the playoffs (and even remoter shots to win the Super Bowl), we're still telling you there's a chance.

Here's a look at the latest conference standings in addition to some predictions and wild-card odds heading into Week 16 of the season.

Note that The New York Times playoff generator (coupled with the writer's own projections on each team's chances) was used as guidance to determine the wild-card odds below.

AFC Standings

Division Leaders

1. New England Patriots: 11-3

2. Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-3

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 10-4

4. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-6

Wild Card

5. Tennessee Titans: 8-6

6. Buffalo Bills: 8-6

In the Hunt

7. Baltimore Ravens: 8-6

8. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-7

9. Oakland Raiders: 6-8

10. Miami Dolphins: 6-8

AFC Wild-Card Odds (Non-Division Leaders)

Baltimore Ravens: 1-4

Tennessee Titans: Even

Buffalo Bills: 5-2

Los Angeles Chargers: 6-1

Miami Dolphins: 100-1

Oakland Raiders: 250-1

AFC Wild-Card Predictions

The Baltimore Ravens should be the first team in the playoff field thanks to two winnable games against the 3-11 Indianapolis Colts and 5-9 Cincinnati Bengals to close the season.

The Colts have only won one game in their last nine attempts, while the Bengals have lost their last two contests by a 68-14 combined score.

Although the odds for the Week 17 Bengals game won't be out until this Sunday, the Ravens are massive 13.5-point favorites against Indianapolis at home, per OddsShark, and they will very likely be 9-6 heading into the regular season's final day.

As for the other wild-card spot, give the eventual edge to the Los Angeles Chargers even though they have odds stacked against them at the moment. At 7-7, they are a game behind the Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills for a wild card, but the Bolts have an easier schedule than the Bills and Titans down the stretch.

Notably, the Chargers are seven-point favorites this Sunday against the 5-9 New York Jets, who have been eliminated from playoff contention and lost starting quarterback Josh McCown for the season due to a broken hand.

If the Bolts hold serve and win that game they have the chance to play a win-and-in matchup against the 6-8 Oakland Raiders at home. L.A. beat Oakland in the Bay Area earlier this year.

The Titans face the 10-win Los Angeles Rams and 10-win Jacksonville Jaguars in back-to-back weeks. It's hard to back them considering they just lost to two losing teams in consecutive weeks (the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers).

The Buffalo Bills are heavy underdogs at the New England Patriots on Sunday, but they stand a decent chance of beating the Miami Dolphins in South Florida in Week 17.

However, if the Ravens win two, the Chargers win two and the Titans lose two, the Bills would need to go 2-0 to make the playoffs, and the guess here is that they finish 1-1 and lose to the Chargers on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

NFC Standings

Division Leaders

1. Philadelphia Eagles: 12-2

2. Minnesota Vikings: 11-3

3. Los Angeles Rams: 10-4

4. New Orleans Saints: 10-4

Wild Card

5. Carolina Panthers: 10-4

6. Atlanta Falcons: 9-5

In the Hunt

7. Detroit Lions: 8-6

8. Seattle Seahawks: 8-6

9. Dallas Cowboys: 8-6

NFC Wild-Card Odds (Non-Division Leaders)

Carolina Panthers: 1-10

Atlanta Falcons: 1-9

Dallas Cowboys: 8-1

Seattle Seahawks: 9-1

Detroit Lions: 9-1

NFC Wild-Card Predictions

The NFC wild-card picture is a bit simpler. Only nine teams have clinched or are alive for a playoff berth right now, but that number will be eight at most on Sunday afternoon because the loser of the Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys game on Christmas Eve will be eliminated from playoff contention.

The Carolina Panthers have a clear edge on the field. If they take care of business and beat the 4-10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home (per OddsShark, they are 10-point favorites) they'll return to the playoffs after missing out in 2016. Even if they lose that game, they can still get in with a win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17. However, the pick here is that the Panthers win Sunday and move on.

Speaking of the defending NFC champions, the Falcons also just need to win one more game to make the playoffs. The problem for them is that they face the Panthers and 10-4 New Orleans Saints down the stretch, and neither game will be easy. Still, the Falcons can actually sneak into the playoffs with a 9-7 record as long as no teams below them go 10-6.

The Detroit Lions have the easiest schedule of any wild-card contender as they play the 5-9 Bengals and 7-7 Green Bay Packers to close the season. Vegas gives the Lions a five-point edge against the Bengals, but with the way Cincinnati has played in the last two weeks, one has to wonder if that spread will increase as the week goes on.

Detroit closes with the Packers, who just placed quarterback Aaron Rodgers on injured reserve, at home. Against the Brett Hundley-led Pack, the Lions beat Green Bay 30-17 at Lambeau Field earlier this year.

Look for the favored Cowboys win Sunday and send Seattle home for the playoffs for the first time since 2011. That would put Dallas at 9-6 heading into a final game with the conference-leading Philadelphia Eagles on the road. However, the Eagles will clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs if they beat the 6-8 Oakland Raiders on Monday night, so they may rest their starters in the final game while Dallas goes all out to stay alive. Look for that scenario to happen and for Dallas to finish 10-6.

Once in a while, a 10-win team is left out in the cold, but this year, that number will be two as Detroit and Dallas finish out of the playoffs at 10-6. That will be because the Falcons, who are predicted here to lose at New Orleans at the weekend, will win their final game of the year at home against Carolina to finish the season with 10 wins. They would have the tie-breaking edge in that three-team scenario thanks to having the best conference record.